Bulldog bat

Bulldog bat
Bulldog or Fisherman bats
Temporal range: Pleistocene to Recent
Noctilio leporinus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Suborder: Microchiroptera
Superfamily: Noctilionoidea
Family: Noctilionidae
Gray, 1821
Genus: Noctilio
Linnaeus, 1766
Species

N. leporinus
N. albiventris

The Noctilionidae family of bats, commonly known as bulldog bats or fisherman bats, are represented by two species, the Greater Bulldog Bat and the Lesser Bulldog Bat.[1] They are found near water, from Mexico to Argentina. The Naked Bulldog Bat (Cheiromeles torquatus) does not belong to this family, but to the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats.

The bulldog bats have orange to brown fur, and range in head-body length from 7 to 14 cm. They have relatively long legs and large feet, exceptionally so in the case of the Greater Bulldog Bat. Unusually among bats, they have cheek-pouches for storing food, which give them their bulldog-like appearance. Both species are insectivorous, although the Greater Bulldog Bat also eats small fish, using its echolocation to pinpoint the ripples they make on the surface of the water.[2]

The greater bulldog bat trawls the water with it long curved talons approximately 2–3 cm below the surface. It makes sweeps of between 30 cm and 3m before ascending and turning to make a return sweep. In a single night the bat may catch 20-30 small fish in this way.[3]

References

  1. ^ Simmons, Nancy B. (2005). "Chiroptera". In Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M.. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 312–529. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. http://www.bucknell.edu/MSW3/browse.asp?s=y&id=13801508. Retrieved 4 October 2009 
  2. ^ Macdonald, D., ed (1984). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 805. ISBN 0-87196-871-1. 
  3. ^ Piper, Ross (2007), Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals, Greenwood Press.

External links

Media related to Noctilio at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Noctilio at Wikispecies



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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bulldog bat — Bulldog Bull dog , a. Characteristic of, or like, a bulldog; stubborn; as, bulldog courage; bulldog tenacity. [1913 Webster] {Bulldog bat} (Zo 94l.), a bat of the genus {Nyctinomus}; so called from the shape of its face. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bulldog bat — ▪ Noctilionidae       either of two tropical Central and South American bats that are among the few bats that routinely forage low over water. They have full lips and a flat, squarish muzzle very similar to that of a bulldog. Bulldog bats have… …   Universalium

  • bulldog bat — kiškialūpis šikšnosparnis žuvininkas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Noctilio leporinus angl. big fishing bat; bulldog bat; fish eating bat; fisherman bat; hare lipped bat; Mexican bulldog bat;… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • bulldog bat — noun : mastiff bat …   Useful english dictionary

  • Greater Bulldog Bat — Conservation status Least Concern …   Wikipedia

  • Lesser Bulldog Bat — Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 2.3) Scientific classification Kin …   Wikipedia

  • Mexican bulldog bat — kiškialūpis šikšnosparnis žuvininkas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Noctilio leporinus angl. big fishing bat; bulldog bat; fish eating bat; fisherman bat; hare lipped bat; Mexican bulldog bat;… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • southern bulldog bat — pietinis kiškialūpis šikšnosparnis statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Noctilio albiventris angl. small fisherman bat; southern bulldog bat vok. kleines Hasenmaul rus. южная рыбоядная летучая мышь pranc.… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Bulldog — Bull dog , a. Characteristic of, or like, a bulldog; stubborn; as, bulldog courage; bulldog tenacity. [1913 Webster] {Bulldog bat} (Zo 94l.), a bat of the genus {Nyctinomus}; so called from the shape of its face. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bat — For other uses, see Bat (disambiguation). Bats Temporal range: 52–0 Ma …   Wikipedia

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