| Greater bulldog bat | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Noctilionidae |
| Genus: | Noctilio |
| Species: | N. leporinus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Noctilio leporinus | |
| Subspecies | |
| |
| |
subspecies N. l. mastivus subspecies N. l. leporinus subspecies N. l. rufenscenes
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Noctilio americanus Linnaeus, 1766 | |
The greater bulldog bat or fisherman bat (Noctilio leporinus) is a species of fishing bat native to Latin America (Spanish: murciélago pescador; Portuguese: morcego-pescador). The bat uses echolocation to detect water ripples made by the fish upon which it preys, then uses the pouch between its legs to scoop the fish up and its sharp claws to catch and cling to it. It is not to be confused with the lesser bulldog bat, which, though belonging to the same genus, merely catches water insects, such as water striders and water beetles.
It emits echolocation sounds through the mouth like Myotis daubentoni, but the sounds are quite different, containing a long constant frequency part around 55 kHz, which is an unusually high frequency for a bat this large.
- ^ Barquez, R.; Perez, S.; Miller, B.; Diaz, M. (2015). "Noctilio leporinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T14830A22019554. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T14830A22019554.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Linnæus, Carl (1758). Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I (in Latin) (10th ed.). Holmiæ: Laurentius Salvius. p. 32. Retrieved 22 November 2012.