- Animals
- ›Chordates
- ›Vertebrates
- ›Mammals
- ›Therians
- ›Placental Mammals
- ›Ungulates, Carnivorans, and Allies
- ›Bats
- ›Yangochiroptera
- ›Vespertilionoid Bats
- ›Free-tailed Bats
- ›Molossinae
- ›Otomops

Madagascar free-tailed bat
Otomops madagascariensis
The Madagascar free-tailed bat or Malagasy giant mastiff bat (Otomops madagascariensis) is a species of free-tailed bat formerly included as a subspecies of the large-eared free-tailed bat, but that was later considered to be a distinct, Malagasy species. The Madagascar free-tailed bat is endemic to northern, western, and southern Madagascar.
The Madagascar free-tailed bat is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List due to its widespread distribution in Madagascar. Threats to it are unclear and more research is needed into the possible disturbance of its roost sites. The species roosts in one cave that is considered to be fady, or taboo, and it has been recorded in five protected areas: Parc National du Tsingy de Bemaraha, Parc National de Namoroka, Parc National d’Isalo, Réserve Spéciale d’Ankarana and Réserve Spéciale d’Analamerana. There are nine currently known roosting colonies, and all are in areas that receive some sort of protection by Madagascar. The population of the Madagascar free-tailed bat is unknown.
Listen
Looking for field recordings…
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Otomops madagascariensis in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 74819.