Scientists Confirm Endangered Bats Are Migrating in Arizona for the First Time, Using DNA Clues Found in the Environment

Researchers and citizen scientists took samples of environmental DNA from saliva on backyard hummingbird feeders and agave plants to identify Mexican long-nosed bats

Sarah Kuta
Daily Correspondent
February 13, 2025



Mexican long-nosed bats were detected in Arizona for the first time, using environmental DNA. © David Cervantes Vlogs via iNaturalist under CC BY-NC 4.0


Each spring, pregnant Mexican long-nosed bats fly north from Mexico to parts of southern Texas and New Mexico, feasting on nectar from saguaro, cardon and organ pipe cacti as they migrate.

Sometimes, as the endangered creatures make the long, 700-mile journey northward to give birth, they stumble upon a hummingbird feeder in a backyard. Filled with a sweet, sticky, sugary solution, the feeders are hard to resist—and the bats eagerly slurp their fill.

Now, researchers are using the spit these nocturnal mammals leave behind to identify them. Bat Conservation International, a nonprofit focused on conserving bats and their ecosystems, recently used DNA from the creatures’ saliva to—for the first time—confirm they’re passing through southeastern Arizona during their migrations. Scientists had long suspected Mexican long-nosed bats were migrating into Arizona, but they didn’t have proof, until now.

This finding not only expands the known range of Mexican long-nosed bats, but it could also have important implications for research and conservation work. The species is now the only known bat in the state that’s listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. And since scientists learned that Mexican long-nosed bats are making their way into Arizona, they can take steps to protect the animals’ roosting sites and maintain a healthy foraging habitat. For example, they’re already encouraging Arizona residents to plant night-blooming native plants and agaves to help the bats thrive.

“We’re seeing more bat species using the edge of their ranges in areas that they aren’t usually found,” says Kristen Lear, who leads Bat Conservation International’s agave restoration program, to Public News Service’s Alex Gonzalez. “That could be what is happening here … all of the modeling shows that [Arizona] is actually going to become more important for these bats in the future.”

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-confirm-endangered-bats-are-migrating-in-arizona-for-the-first-time-using-dna-clues-found-in-the-environment-180986050/