The Leaf-Nosed Bats of Mexico

Mexico is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Home to several thousand species of plants and animals, including many bats (or order Chiroptera), its climate ranges from tropical rainforest to blasted volcanic landscapes. The New World Leaf-Nosed Bats, or Phyllostomidae, are a family of species found throughout the lands of Central and South America. Most of them are insectivores, but certain members have evolved to also enjoy fruits, pollens, frogs, or even small vertebrates. Their common name comes from their unique noses, which are shaped like lances, and are usually quite large in proportion to the rest of their faces. These are just a few of the different types which are found all over the nation.

Mexico has a handful of endemic species of Phyllostomidae; this means that they are only found in the country and nowhere else in the world. Other than their names and rough physiology, very little is subsequently known about these frequently endangered creatures. Some examples of unique Leaf-Nosed creatures are the Hairy Fruit-Eating type, which can be found along the west coast states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, and Jalisco. Its cousin, the Banana Bat, is found in the shrublands of Rio Grande.

One bizarre-but-adorable Leaf-Nosed family member is the Mexican Long-Tongued Bat, found in a wide range of habitat which stretches from the southern U.S ranging from the far reaches of Guatemala to Honduras. It feeds on pollen and nectar, and it certainly lives up to its name; its tongue can stretch to one-third of its total body length! They can sometimes be seen getting nourishment from hummingbird feeders.

The Big-eared Wooly Bat is the second largest species found in the neotropics, and they have been known to feed on everything from fruit and moths to small mammals like opossums and mice. They will sometimes even eat other, smaller Chiroptera. Their usual roosting grounds are in caves or hollowed-out logs, and due to their size they must fly quite slowly.

But the Big-eared fellows are not the only occasional carnivores in this family; the Phyllostomidae also includes the subfamily of Desmodontinae, or the Vampire Bats. The three species of Desmodus are found all throughout the Americas, and they are parasitic mammals: they live on the blood of other living beings. Their spooky feeding attributes have encouraged exaggerated myths and ideas about vampirism. Some are seen as pests due to the fact that they prey on livestock, but they are certainly unique among the Mammalia class! If you see one, don't worry; some have been known to carry rabies but generally speaking they are not deadly.

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