Noctilio leporinus

This is the largest of the Neotropical fishing bats and its scientific name is Noctilio leporinus.  There are only 2 species in the family Noctilio – albiventris and leporinus.  It hunts small fish over the surface of large water bodies and can be found in the Ibera Marshes, usually seen hunting over the larger lakes.

It is a large bat with huge feet and claws.  These enable it to grasp its prey and transfer it to the uropatagium from where it arrives at the mouth.

The face somewhat resembles a Bulldog with large jowls that are capable of storing food.  The top lip is split, like a hare, and the bottom lip is a series of folds and one large wart.

The fur colour varies from brick red, to orange/yellow although females can be duller.  The fur is soft and velvety.  The bat weights around 90-100 grams with a forearm length of around 90mm.  The wing is wide and long and very strong which enable it to manouvre safely over water.  This species can also swim which is unusual for bats.

This bat was captured in 2018 over the River Parana.