Lesser Bulldog Bat

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Lesser Bulldog Bat
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Noctilionidae
Genus: Noctilio
Species: N. albiventris
Binomial name
Noctilio albiventris
Desmarest, 1818

The Lesser Bulldog Bat (Noctilio albiventris) is a bat, an insectivorous flying mammal, of the Western Hemisphere (Nearctic), ranging through Central America and northern South America.

These bats are brown in color with the males being more of a red hue. They have a length of about three inches (7.5 cm), a forearm length of 2½ inches (6 cm), and weight of about one ounce (30 grams). The bats usually live near water or damp locations, residing in hollow trees or domestic dwellings. They attempt to capture by echolocation any insects flying near the surface of water. The bats also have the ability to capture insects that fall onto the water surface. Occasionally, the larger bats catch and consume small fish (A related species, the Greater Bulldog Bat, is known for its fishing ability).

They live about ten years and reach sexual maturity in one year.

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