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mastiff bat
bat genus
Also known as: Molossus
Why being “blind as a bat” is a mythThe misconception likely started because most bats hunt by way of echolocation.
See all videos for this articlemastiff bat, any of various species of free-tailed bats (family Molossidae) named for their doglike faces. The eight New World species of bats making up the genus Molossus are called mastiff bats. Several other genera also include species commonly called mastiff bats.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Meg Matthias.


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