The name Murciélago (pronounced moor-thee-EH-la-goh in traditional Castilian Spanish and moor-see-EH-la-goh in Spanish of Latin America), means "bat" in Spanish, comes from a bull that survived 24 sword strokes in an 1879 fight at the arena of Córdoba, and fought with such passion and spirit that the matador chose to spare its life, a rare honor.
from the ultimate source of everything, wikipedia.