Panther Island Adventures!

Panther Island is 2,800 acres of restored wetland and upland habitats situated in the northwest corner of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary's 13,000 acres. It is home to numerous plants and animals including the Florida panther and the iconic wood stork.
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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Another bat species: Mexican long-tongued bat (Choeronycteris mexicana)


Yet another bat species found in the United States is the Mexican long-tongued bat (Choeronycteris mexicana). A member of the Phyllostomidae family (leaf-nosed bats), this species is found throughout Mexico and into El Salvador and Honduras. They can be found in the far southern reaches of California, Arizona, and New Mexico where they are very rare. Apparently only females migrate to this region

I had the great joy of handling some of these gals while in Arizona, and I love their faces! Their long snouts and tongues are perfect for acquiring their food...nectar! Mexican long-tongued bats forage on nectar and pollen from plants such as agave (yeah...we need them for tequila!). They will also go to and forage from hummingbird feeders. But this supplement doesn't necessarily pack the wollop that their natural food sources do, and there is ongoing research to look at the impacts of hummingbird feeders on behavior of the bats.

See bats foraging on plants!

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