Bats of the United States and Canada

Mexican Long-tongued Bat, Choeronycteris mexicana

92 bats of the united states and canada MEXICAN LONG-TONGUED BAT Choeronycteris mexicana Special Concern–United States Weight is 10–25 grams (0.4–0.9 ounce); wingspan is 33–36 centimeters (13–14 inches); distribution includes the southwestern United States, most of Mexico, and Central America. It is a rather large bat with a long, slender nose. This species occupies a variety of vegetative habitats ranging from arid thorn shrub to tropical deciduous forest and mixed oak-conifer forest. It is believed to migrate seasonally to take advantage of suitable sources of food. Buildings and culverts occasionally are occupied, but caves and abandoned mines seem to be favored as daytime roosts; these bats hang in dimly lit areas near the entrances, so even small caves are occupied. In roosts, they do not cluster, but hang about 2–5 centimeters (1–2 inches) apart, usually by only one foot, so that they can rotate 360° to detect predators. Mexican long-tongued bats are extremely wary, thus easily disturbed, and they readily leave the roost, preferring to fly out into open daylight rather than to retreat deeper into large shelters. In flight, the wings make a swishing sound similar to that produced by long-nosed bats. Foods include fruits, pollen, nectar, and insects. One baby is born in June or July, but parturition may be as late as September in Mexico. As with many other bats, the fetus is about 30% of the weight of the mother. Parturition takes about 15 minutes. Babies are born in a remarkably advanced state of development and are well furred. A mother may carry her rather large baby while she is foraging. The Mexican long-tongued bat is rare in the United States and has been proposed for listing as threatened or endangered. recto runninghead 93 ...