The Noctilionidae family of bats, commonly known as Bulldog bats or Fisherman Bats, are represented by two species, the Greater Bulldog Bat and the Lesser Bulldog Bat. The Naked Bulldog Bat, Cheiromeles torquatus is not of this family and belongs to the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. They are found near water, from Mexico to Argentina. “Chiroptera” redirects here. ... Binomial name Noctilio leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Greater Bulldog Bat or Fisherman Bat is a type of fishing bat native to South America. ... 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. ... There are only two species in the genus Cheiromeles. ... The Free-tailed bats in the family Molossidae are generally quite robust and consist of many strong flying forms with relatively long and narrow wings. ...

The bulldog bats have orange to brown fur, and range in head-body length from 7 to 14 cm. They have relatively long legs and large feet, exceptionally so in the case of the Greater Bulldog Bat. Unusually among bats, they have cheek-pouches for storing food, which give them their bulldog-like appearance. Both species are insectivorous, although the Greater Bulldog Bat also eats small fish, and can use its echolocation to pinpoint the ripples they make on the surface of the water^[1]. For other uses, see Bulldog (disambiguation). ... Any organism with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures is an insectivore. ... See: Animal echolocation: animals emitting sound waves and listening to the echo in order to locate objects or navigate. ...

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