5 Interesting Facts About Greater Bulldog Bats

Here is a greater bulldog bat catching a fish

Today I want to write about a very unusual bat called the greater bulldog bat that has very strange hunting habits.

Here are five interesting facts about them:

1. Their bodies are only about 12 cm tall, but they have massive wings that are about 1 metre across.  The males are slightly larger and have bright orange fur, while females are a very dull grey.
2. They get their name from the folds of skin above and below their lips that make them look like bulldogs.
3. Greater bulldog bats are also called fishing bats as they are excellent at hunting fish.  They use echolocation to detect fish just below the surface of the water and rake their claws through the water which enables them to catch fish up to 10 cm long.  These guys can catch up to 40 fish in a night.  They also catch crabs, moths, scorpions and shrimp.  They have very large pouches in their cheeks that they use to store food when they are flying.
4. If they fall into the water, they are OK as they are capable swimmers and can take off from the water.
5. They are found throughout Central and South America and on a couple of Caribbean Islands.  They are reasonably common and are found near lakes, rivers, ponds and the sea.

I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.

Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about greater bulldog bats?