Mammals
Greater Long-nosed Bat
Leptonycteris nivalis · also called Mexican long-nosed bat
As agave stalks rise on a Mexican mountainside, a greater long-nosed bat hovers at a flower, its long tongue lapping nectar, one of the migrants that keeps the desert in bloom.
Overview
The greater long-nosed bat, Leptonycteris nivalis, is an Endangered nectar bat of the deserts and mountains of Mexico and the southwestern United States. Its long migrations, role as an agave pollinator, and dependence on cave roosts make it one of the most important and vulnerable bats of North America.
A bat tied to a plant
Because the greater long-nosed bat feeds on agaves and pollinates them in return, the fate of the bat and the plant are closely linked.
Status
Endangered, with a decreasing population.
Greater Long-nosed Bat: common questions
Why is the greater long-nosed bat important to agaves?
It pollinates agaves, the plants used to make tequila and mezcal, and so depends on wild agave stands.
Does the greater long-nosed bat migrate?
Yes, it migrates north from Mexico each spring, timing its journey to the flowering of agaves.
Why is the greater long-nosed bat endangered?
It is threatened by disturbance of its cave roosts and by the loss of the agave stands it feeds on.
Where is the greater long-nosed bat found?
It lives in desert and mountain habitat from central Mexico north into the southwestern United States, including parts of Texas.