Chordates • Earth.com

Wroughton’s free-tailed bat

(Otomops wroughtoni)

Description

Wroughton's free-tailed bat (Otomops wroughtoni) is a free-tailed bat formerly considered to be confined to the Western Ghats area of India,though it has also recently been discovered in northeast India and in a remote part of Cambodia.It was listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and a restricted range.SIZE: Head and body length: 60–103 mm (average for genus) Tail length: 30–50 mm (average for genus) Forearm length: 63–67 mm Weight: Male: approx.36 g Female: approx.27 g This species has large forward pointing ears connected to each other by a membrane over the forehead.The face is naked and the nostril pad is large and prominent.The hair is short and velvety.It is a rich dark brown colour on the crown of the head,back and rump.There is a thin white border on each flank,extending from the armpit to the groin,and on the membranes of the forearms.The shoulders and the nape of the neck are a pale greyish white.The ventral surface is a dull brown,but with a contrasting grey collar,which extends onto the chin and upper chest.A small throat sac is present in both sexes.The tail projects far beyond the free edge of the narrow tail membrane,hence the common name “free-tailed bats” for this family.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Mammalia
Order:Chiroptera
Family:Molossidae
Genus:Otomops
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