Many think bats are scary! They are traditionally seen as nocturnal creatures associated with death and dying, as well as black magic.
More recently, we have come to appreciate that bats eat lots of insects. Tons! For example, a colony of bats lives under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas is thought to eat 10,000 to 30,000 lb (4,500 to 13,600 kg) of insects each night.
Bats can roam up to about 30 miles (50 km) looking for food, but the real surprize is just how fast bats can be! When thinking about the speed of animals, the cheetah at about 70 mph (110 kph), and pronghorn antelope at 60 mph (95 kph) come to mind.
However, they have nothing on Brazilian free-tail bats. In Texas, researcher Gary McCracken found bat cruising speed to be about 60 mph (100 kph), or up to 100 mph (160 kph), in a sprint. The evolutionary biologist from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville fastened radio transmitters to the backs of seven bats in Frio Cave, near Concan, Texas, and he and his team, documented their findings in the Royal Society Open Science Journal.
Science News reported that Professor McCracken’s team found that “when [Mexican or Brazilian free-tailed bats] have a headwind, they fly faster. When they have a tailwind, they slow up. This is exactly what has been demonstrated in other flight machines, from airplanes to birds.”
“Initially, we could hardly believe our data,” Study co-author Dr. Kamran Safi, from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, said. “But they were correct: at times, the female bats, which weigh between 11 and 12 grams, flew at speeds of 100 mph — a new record for horizontal flight.”
Physiology and Conservation
This free-tail, medium-sized bat species weighs approximately half an ounce (about 10 g), and is about 3.5 inches (9 cm) in length. Its tail is about half that span. Long, narrow wings with pointed tips are what allows for the Mexican free-tailed bat’s speed. It is not just the fastest, but Brazilian free-tail bats fly the highest of all bats. They have been clocked at 10,800 ft (3,300 m).
Although the bat species, found in both North and South America is abundant, because they live in huge numbers in single areas, conservationists have been concerned about the effect humans have on their colonies. Bat Conservation International bought one of the biggest bat caves, Bracken Cave in Texas in 1992, while Pronatura Noreste (NGO) bought Cueva de la Boca, near Monterrey, Mexico, in 2006, when Brazilian bat population there plummeted by more than 95%.
The Mexican Free-tail bat is Texas’ Official Flying Mammal.
Learn more about Free-tailed Bats
Sources
Speedy Bat Smashes Speed Record. (2016, October 9). Bat Conservation International. https://www.batcon.org/press/speedy-bat-smashes-speed-record/
Mexican Free-Tailed Bat. Brazilian free-tailed bat. (2016). Animalia.bio. https://animalia.bio/mexican-free-tailed-bat
Bat Magic and Folklore. (2019, August 22). Learn Religions: People Inc. https://www.learnreligions.com/bat-magic-and-folklore-2562685
Free-tailed bat. (2026, September 23). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-tailed_bat
Brazilian free-tailed bats are the fastest fliers. (2016, November 20). Science News. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/brazilian-free-tailed-bats-are-fastest-fliers
Pronghorn. (2026, August 20). National Wildlife Federation. https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Pronghorn
The cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal and Africa’s most endangered big cat. (2026). Cheetah Conservation Fund. https://cheetah.org/uk/cheetahfacts/
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