Noctilionidae

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Noctilionidae (bulldog bats, fish-eating bats, hare-lipped bats; order Chiroptera, suborder Microchiroptera) A family of large bats in which the legs are long, the feet very large and equipped with strong claws, the wings long and narrow. The tail passes through the uropatagium. The ears are funnel-shaped, large, and separate, the nose simple, the lips full and divided by a fold of skin to give a “hare lip’ appearance. The bats are distributed throughout tropical America. There is one genus, Noctilio, and two species, one of which is insectivorous; the other (N. leporinus) feeds mainly on fish which it seizes from the water with its claws and transfers to its mouth in flight.

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