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Mexican Free-Tailed Bat

Mexican Free-Tailed Bat line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Mexican Free-Tailed Bat full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Mexican Free-Tailed Bat line art version was completed on 9.15.2011. Even though I had obtained permission to use this image from the photographer many years ago, I had for some reason not gotten around to drawing this little flying mammal. That changed as I was able to finally see their famous dusk departure from the Congress Street bridge in Austin, Texas. It was an impressive sight; as evening slowly approached the bats began to stir. Then all at once they began to pour out down the river forming a cloud of living matter. It s quite the spectacle, and I would advise anyone should they be in Austin during the right time of year to try and see it.

Information about the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat:

The Mexican Free-Tailed Bat - also called the Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat - is a medium sized flying mammal native to North and South America. They are one of the most widespread mammals in in the Western Hemisphere, covering vast amount of land in the US, down south through Central America and South America. Their colonies can be massive, holding millions of bats. The largest know colony is in Bracken Cave near San Antonio, that is estimated to have some 20 million individuals. Tadarida brasiliensis is perhaps best know for their nightly departures from the Congress Street Bridge in Austin, Texas. This colony is believed to have 1.5 million bats, making it the largest urban bat colony in North America. Like other bats, the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat feeds on small insects they catch while in flight. The bat is the official flying mammal of both Texas and Oklahoma.