Post by jonsdigs on Mar 9, 2007 11:48:32 GMT -5
The Bats Are Back from Vacation in Mexico
Last Update: Mar 9, 2007 10:42 AM
Posted By: Selena Garza
Just like birds migrate south for the winter, so do the Mexican long-nosed bats. These are the bats that are common to South Texas. Because we had such a mild winter, some of the bats stayed and did not make the trek southward to Mexico. The ones that left are coming back right on schedule and returning this month. The southward migration usually starts in October.
The Mexican Long-nosed Bat is a relatively large bat compared with most U.S. bat species. It measures about 2.75 to 3.75 inches in total length, can be dark gray to "sooty" brown in color, and has a long muzzle with a prominent nose leaf at the tip. Its long tongue, an adaptation for feeding on flower nectar, can be extended up to three inches and has hair-like papillae on its tip. It has a minute tail that may appear to be lacking.
Although movement patterns are not well known, Mexican Long-nosed Bats are thought to move from central Mexico into northern Mexico each year, with part of the population crossing the border into Texas and New Mexico. The colony of bats at Big Bend occupies their northern roosts from June through August, after which they move south to winter in central Mexico.
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