Often stay within a very small home range—sometimes less than an acre—spending their entire lives in one patch of dense brush, the Mexican long-tongued bat (Choeronycteris mexicana) is a fascinating nectar-feeding bat that plays a vital role in pollination across the deserts and mountains of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. As its name suggests, its most distinctive feature is its extraordinarily long tongue—sometimes longer than its entire head—which it uses to reach deep into tubular flowers for nectar. When feeding, the bat’s face often becomes dusted with pollen, which it then carries to other plants, making it an essential pollinator for desert blooms like agave and various cacti.
Many desert flowers, such as agave, yucca, and columnar cacti, have evolved to open in the evening, releasing strong scents and producing copious nectar that attracts these bats. In return, the bats transfer pollen between plants, ensuring reproduction. This connection is so strong that some desert plants rely almost entirely on bats for pollination. Without the Mexican long-tongued bat and its relatives, the reproduction of key desert plants would be severely disrupted. Their wings and hovering ability even allow them to feed like hummingbirds, sipping nectar mid-air before moving on to the next blossom.
Behaviorally, Mexican long-tongued bats are seasonal migrants, moving northward into the southwestern U.S. in the summer to follow the blooming of desert plants, and then returning south to warmer climates in winter. They typically roost in caves, mines, or abandoned buildings, often in small colonies. Unlike some other bats, they are relatively quiet in flight and are rarely seen by people, emerging at dusk to feed. Their long, narrow snouts and brush-tipped tongues are perfectly adapted to their nectar diet, but they will also eat soft fruits, helping to disperse seeds. This dual role as both pollinator and seed spreader makes them incredibly valuable to desert ecology.
Distribution
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
United StatesAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Herd
Diet: Carnivore / Nectarivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
