Greater Bulldog Bat

Noctilio leporinus

Safety note: May carry rabies — do not approach or handle.

The Greater Bulldog Bat is one of the few fishing bats in the world, using echolocation to detect the ripples made by small fish at the water surface, then raking them from the water with enormous, gaff-like hind claws. It has a robust, bulldog-like face with large lips, large hind feet, and a distinctive orange or yellow color. It inhabits tropical coasts and lagoons from Mexico southward.

Habitat

Tropical coastal lagoons, estuaries, and river mouths

Diet

Fish, shrimp, and large aquatic insects

How common

Rare

Not certain it is a Greater Bulldog Bat? What animal is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.