Common Name: Mexican Long Tongue Bat
Scientific Name: Choeronyteris mexicana
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Phyllostomidae
Genus: Choeronyteris
Species: C. mexicana
The reason why their called Mexican long tong bat or the hog-nosed bat is because of their long tongue that can reach up to a third of there body length and because of their arrow-shaped nose. The Mexican long tongue bat is a medium-sized bat. It's about 81-103 mm in length and weighs’ only 10-25 g. they can fly for a long time because of there leaf-like wings that are 33-38 cm in length. They have gray and brown fur that covers their body.
The Mexican long tongue bat lives mostly in Mexico but can be found in Arizona and some parts of Texas. They live in a dead forest out in the desert. They adapt better in the warmth than in the cold that is so because of there thin fur. When its cold they will go in caves or abandon mines to get away from the cold.
There’s not that many Mexican long tongue bats in the world. There nearly extinct. There’s only 22800 in the world. They're trying to keep them in zoos for they can reproduce.
Mexican long tongue bat is a pollinator. They eat nectar from plants that ’s were there long tongue come in handy. There favorite flower that they eat off of is columnar cacti. Sometimes they eat insects when they can't find anything to eat.
To get away from predators they fly in the evening. To watch out they can do a 360 turn for they can see all around them.
Author:
Published: 02/2013
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Long-tongued_Bat
http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=43
http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall%2003%20project/MexicanLong-tonguedBat.htm
http://www.gf.state.az.us/w_c/edits/documents/Choemexi.fi.pdf
http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/4776/0
http://www.msb.unm.edu/mammals/batcall/accounts/accountsbase/chomex.html