"It's time you were told about the birds and the bees." How many parents have gone through this with their pre-adolescents? Perhaps, though, we should be telling our children about the bats and the bees. After all, bats are mammals, just as we are, and—more's the wonder—some of them are as industrious pollinators as are bees.
One group of our Chihuahuan Desert bats are notable for their long
snouts—so noticeable that one kind even has the common name of "Long-nosed
Bat". The nozzles of these Cyrano de Bergeracs of the bat world have a purpose—to
delve deeply into the blossoms of desert agaves for the nectar they crave. A face-on
view of one of these feeding bats gives a clue as to what the agaves get in exchange.
Its snout is covered with a dusting of yellow powder—not face-powder donned as a beauty
aid, but pollen freely donated by the agave flower. The next flower visited will host
another exchange of pollen, insuring the next generation of agaves.
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Find all sorts of bats from the main page of Bat Conservation International.