General Description
The greater bulldog bat is a large bat, often with a combined body and head length of 10.9 to 12.7 cm (4.6 to 5 in). It generally weighs from 50–90 grams. Males tend to be larger than females, with the former averaging 67 grams and the latter averaging 56 grams. They also differ in fur color. Males have bright orange fur on the back while females are dull gray. However, both sexes have pale undersides and may have a pale line that runs down the middle of the back. The bulldog bat has rounded nostrils that open forward and down. It has elongated, pointed ears with a tragus that gets ridged at the outer edge. The bulldog bat has smooth lips but its upper lip is divided by a skin fold while its bottom lip has a wart above skin folds that extend to the chin. It is these features that give the bulldog bat gets its name, as it resembles a bulldog.
The bulldog bat has a wingspan of 1 meter (3 feet). The wing of the bat is longer than the head and body combined and 65% of its wingspan is made of the third digit. When in flight, the bat's wings move slowly. This species is a capable swimmer and will use its wings to paddle. The Greater Bulldog bat also has prominent cheek pouches which are useful for holding its food. Its hind legs and feet are particularly large.
Read more about this topic: Greater Bulldog Bat
Famous quotes containing the words general and/or description:
“Though of erect nature, man is far above the plants. For man’s superior part, his head, is turned toward the superior part of the world, and his inferior part is turned toward the inferior world; and therefore he is perfectly disposed as to the general situation of his body. Plants have the superior part turned towards the lower world, since their roots correspond to the mouth, and their inferior parts towards the upper world.”
—Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225–1274)
“As they are not seen on their way down the streams, it is thought by fishermen that they never return, but waste away and die, clinging to rocks and stumps of trees for an indefinite period; a tragic feature in the scenery of the river bottoms worthy to be remembered with Shakespeare’s description of the sea-floor.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)