Noctilio leporinus Photo: Raudel Del Llano
Of the 27 species of Bats that are found in Cuba, 20 eat insects, 4 feed on nectar or pollen, 2 eat fruit and one catches fish from the sea, lakes and rivers: this last is called Noctilio leporinus and is one of the few Cuban bats that possesses a common name: the Fishing Bat.
It is found throughout the Cuban archipelago, including the Island of Youth, but it also lives in Mexico, Central America, the north of South America and the Greater and Lesser Antilles.
It is the largest of the Cuban bats; the male is larger than the female and can reach up to 87 grams in weight and has a wing extension of 71 centimetres.
It is found throughout the Cuban archipelago, including the Island of Youth, but it also lives in Mexico, Central America, the north of South America and the Greater and Lesser Antilles.
It is the largest of the Cuban bats; the male is larger than the female and can reach up to 87 grams in weight and has a wing extension of 71 centimetres.
Noctilio leporinus Photo: Raudel Del Llano
It's head is wide and short, but projected. The fur is very short and varies in colour from dark brown to reddish brown, and from pale to orange. The great naturalist Juan Christopher Gundlach (1810-1896) wrote in 1872: ′′ This species varies greatly in the colour of its fur ".
Just occasionally a large daytime roost can be found in caves. It commonly gathers in smaller groups in hollow palm trunks and other trees, and it can also be often found singly.
It feeds mostly on small fish of 70 to 80 mm, both in freshwater or coastal areas. It also feeds on water beetles.
In Cuba, scientists have made observations of the Noctilio leporinus fishing in marshes. Gundlach also referred to having observed it “flying slowly after dusk over lagoons".
The robustness and flight characteristics of Fishing Bats have suggested to scientists, their ability to withstand long-distance flights. Studies conducted showed that individuals from a certain colony managed to return after being released within 30 miles of it.
Just occasionally a large daytime roost can be found in caves. It commonly gathers in smaller groups in hollow palm trunks and other trees, and it can also be often found singly.
It feeds mostly on small fish of 70 to 80 mm, both in freshwater or coastal areas. It also feeds on water beetles.
In Cuba, scientists have made observations of the Noctilio leporinus fishing in marshes. Gundlach also referred to having observed it “flying slowly after dusk over lagoons".
The robustness and flight characteristics of Fishing Bats have suggested to scientists, their ability to withstand long-distance flights. Studies conducted showed that individuals from a certain colony managed to return after being released within 30 miles of it.
Many of these facts are collected in the book ′′ The Bats of Cuba ", written by Gilberto Silva Taboada in 1979, a researcher and a speleologist who has dedicated his life to the study of these interesting creatures. In the Parque Nacional Caguanes, declared by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve, also known as Cayo Caguanes, with more than 30 remarkable caves, in one of which is located a colony of this species.
Their large size and the confined space where they gather together means there is a strong smell of rotting fish, as their droppings are not dry like those of other bats, underneath the daytime roost can be found a moist and glittery cone-shaped hill of guano.
At the other extreme in size, there is also a large population of Butterfly Bats in Caguanes, which are the smallest bat to be found in Cuba - and the world's third smallest. We'll talk about that in another article.
Their large size and the confined space where they gather together means there is a strong smell of rotting fish, as their droppings are not dry like those of other bats, underneath the daytime roost can be found a moist and glittery cone-shaped hill of guano.
At the other extreme in size, there is also a large population of Butterfly Bats in Caguanes, which are the smallest bat to be found in Cuba - and the world's third smallest. We'll talk about that in another article.
Noctilio leporinus Photo: Raudel Del Llano
Text by Yamilé Luguera Gonzalez and photos by Raudel Del Llano. My thanks go to both.
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