Mexican Long-tongued Bat

Mexican Long-tongued Bat
Mexican Long-tongued Bat
A Mexican long-tongued bat drinking from a hummingbird feeder
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Phyllostomidae
Genus: Choeronycteris
Species: C. mexicana
Binomial name
Choeronycteris mexicana
Tschudi, 1844

The Mexican Long-tongued Bat (Choeronycteris mexicana) is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is monotypic within the genus Choeronycteris.[citation needed] The species is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States.[1]

Mexican long-tongued bat

Mexican long-tongued bats feed on nectar and pollen from agaves and other plants. These bats' tongues can extend up to a third of their body length, a feature which makes them uniquely equipped to reach nectar deep inside an agave or cactus blossom. In southern Arizona, long-tongued bats often get nectar from neighborhood hummingbird feeders as well. In the United States this species is found in the southern parts of California, New Mexico, and Arizona.[1] Their range extends from Mexico through Central America and down to Venezuela. The young are born well-furred for additional warmth in the cool mountain canyons where this species roosts.

References