Order: Chiropetra Family: Noctillionidae Genus & Species: Noctillio leporinus

The bulldog bat is also known as the fisherman bat because they fish for their dinner. They are called the bulldog bat or mastiff bat because their face resembles bulldogs or mastiffs.

What they look like:

The bulldog bat is also called the Mexican bulldog bat. It has saggy cheek pouches and folds of skin on its face that makes the bat look like a tiny bulldog. This interesting creature grows to be between 4 and 6 inches long. Bats have long forearms and the bulldog bat’s can be up to 4 inches when stretched completely out.

Only part of the bat is covered with short reddish-brown fur - its head, shoulders and midback. The rest of it is hairless. Its WING SPAN equals almost 1 foot but yet it only weighs about 2 1/2 ounces.

What they eat:

The bulldog bat mostly eats fish although they do it insects do. The bat finds the fish by ECHOLOCATION. This is a type of radar. The bat sends out a sound that bounces off the fish or insect. The bat knows where the food is when the sounds bounce back to them. When the bulldog bat knows where a school of fish is he watches the water for ripples.

He tucks tail skin up between his legs as he heads down towards the water. As he skims over the water his claws trail just under the water and he scoops up fish. If he catches a fish he pops it into his mouth. When he lands he chews it into small pieces which he puts in his jaw pouches. He will take them out and chew them again later before swallowing them.

Where they live:

Bulldog bats live in the FOREST and MANGROVE SWAMPS in Central and South America. You can find them from Mexico down to Argentina. They can also be found on the island of Trinidad and the Antilles.

How they breed:

Bats do not MATE for life like some animals do. They live together in groups in a ROOST. They mate in the winter. The mother bat is pregnant for 16 weeks. The baby cannot see when it is born and has no hair. It is carried around by its mother for the first two weeks. When the baby bat is only 20 days old it can fly on its own.

Special Characteristics:

The bulldog bat has long pointed ears. The tip of its nose sticks out over its nostrils. It has a TAIL MEMBRANE which can be lowered or folded up.

COOL FACTS

Activities
1. Add the bulldog bat to your animal notebook. It will go under MAMMALS You can make another divider if you like for the order CHIROPTERA
2. Get a blank copy of a world map. Mark where the bulldog bat lives on your map.
3. Read a fun book about bats.
4. Draw a bat and label the body parts. This book will help you.
5. Bats keep insects away. Put up a bat house.