bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...
family Noctilionidae, commonly known as bulldog bats or fishing bats, is represented by two extant species, the greater and the lesser bulldog bats, as well as at least one fossil species, '' Noctilio lacrimaelunaris'', from the Miocene of Argentina. The naked bulldog bat (''
Cheiromeles torquatus
The hairless bat (''Cheiromeles torquatus''), also called the naked bulldog batLeong, T. M., et al. (2009)The naked bulldog bat, ''Cheiromeles torquatus'' in Singapore—past and present records, with highlights on its unique morphology (Microchi ...
'') does not belong to this family, but to the family Molossidae, the
free-tailed bat
The Molossidae, or free-tailed bats, are a family of bats within the order Chiroptera.
The Molossidae is the fourth-largest family of bats, containing about 110 species as of 2012. They are generally quite robust, and consist of many strong-flyi ...
s. They are found near water in the
Neotropics
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In biog ...
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and also in the
Caribbean islands
Almost all of the Caribbean islands are in the Caribbean Sea, with only a few in inland lakes. The largest island is Cuba. Other sizable islands include Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago. Some of the smaller islands are ref ...
. In these areas they can be found roosting in groups within hollow trees, caves, man made homes, or other openings with enough space. While the two species exhibit different social and foraging behaviors both tend to return to a main roosting spot while also visiting other alternative roosting spots.
Description
The bulldog bats have orange to brown fur, and range in head-body length from 7 to 14 cm and weight of 20-75 g, which makes them quite large. They have relatively long legs, large feet (exceptionally so in the case of the greater bulldog bat), and strong claws. Their wings are long (up to 60 cm in spread) and narrow, and their ears are large, funnel shaped and pointed. Unusual among bats, they have cheek-pouches for storing food. They also have full lips divided by a fold of skin giving a 'hare lip' look which together with the cheek pouches gives them their
bulldog
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.sacrum. The latter is keel-like.
Ecology and behaviour
The species of lesser bulldog bats are
insectivorous
A robber fly eating a hoverfly
An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects.
The first vertebrate insectivores we ...
, and while the greater bulldog bats also eat insects, their chief food is fish. They use their echolocation to pinpoint the ripples they make on the surfaces of water.
The greater bulldog bat trawls the water with its long, curved talons approximately 2–3 cm below the surface. It makes sweeps of between 30 cm and 3 m before ascending and turning to make a return sweep. In a single night, the bat may catch 20-30 small fish in this way.Piper, Ross (2007), ''Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals'', Greenwood Press.