Tadarida fossil map
Where fossils of Tadarida have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 37.71 million years ago to the present (Priabonian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Paleogene, Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Molossidae |
| Named by | Rafinesque 1814 |
| Fossil records | 72 occurrences at 31 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States, France, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, South Africa, Zambia, Spain, Switzerland, Italy … |
| Rock formations | txn:40693, Perrière, Tamiami, Kiahera |
About Tadarida
The genus Tadarida has nine or more species of free-tailed bats divided into two subgenera, with the first of these containing seven species spread across the Old World (including southern Europe and North Africa, large parts of southern Asia, and India right across to Japan). Four species occur exclusively in Africa including Madagascar while two more species occur in central Papua New Guinea, and western and southern Australia, respectively.
The relatively well-known species T. teniotis, which occurs in southern Europe and North Africa, the Middle East, and across southern Asia to Japan, is known to fly often during the late afternoon, where it hawks for insects alongside swifts (Apodidae), swallows, and martins (Hirundinidae).
The other subgenus contains the widespread New World single species T. brasiliensis (subgenus Rhizomops), which ranges from the southern United States and the West Indies to Chile and Argentina. This species is noted for its massive maternity colonies in the United States, especially in the southwest, where an estimated population of over 25 million (possibly as high as 50 million) existed in Eagle Creek Cave in Arizona in the 1960s.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Tadarida (revision 1381429043), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q607105.
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