Discovery builds on decades of Leptonycteris research in the state.
02.03.26
Austin, Texas (February 3, 2026) – Bat Conservation International (BCI), in collaboration with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), has confirmed detection of the endangered Mexican long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris nivalis) 100 miles north of the species’ only known roosts in New Mexico. This is the northernmost record of the species, following BCI and partners’ announcement in 2025 of the species’ first known presence in Arizona.
These new detections of the endangered Mexican long-nosed bat were made through collection of environmental DNA, or eDNA, from the bats’ food sources, including natural food sources like native agaves and anthropogenic food sources like hummingbird feeders. When bats feed from agave flowers or hummingbird feeders, they leave behind traces of their DNA via saliva that can be detected through lab analysis. eDNA samples are analyzed by BCI’s partner the Bat Ecology and Genetics Lab at Northern Arizona University.
“The eDNA project we’ve undertaken with our partners in the Southwest U.S. has been successful beyond what we could have imagined,” says Dr. Kristen Lear, Director of the Agave Restoration Initiative at BCI. “When we first detected the Mexican long-nosed bat in Arizona last year, we were blown away. Now, to have found this endangered species outside its known range in New Mexico and farther north than ever detected before highlights the importance of conservation work in these range edge areas and continued research on this species.”
Mexican long-nosed bats feed primarily on the nectar of agaves and are important pollinators for this ecologically and economically important plant. In the New Mexico Bootheel, both species of long-nosed bats, the Mexican long-nosed bat and Lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris yerbabueanae), share a major roost site, with Palmer’s agave (Agave palmeri) and Parry’s agave (Agave parryi) acting as the only known natural nectar sources in this area.
In the summer and fall of 2024 and 2025, BCI deployed its eDNA survey methodology across the greater Gila Region in New Mexico across USFS and NMDGF lands, including the Gila National Forest and Double E Wildlife Management Area. Samples taken in mid-September revealed that late blooming patches of Palmer’s agave were providing food for the endangered Mexican long-nosed bat, with the northernmost record approximately 100 miles north of its known roost site in Hidalgo County. “The agave on the Double E WMA has always caught my attention and it is super exciting to learn that the endangered Mexican long-nosed bat is utilizing this area. The Double E WMA is special for a lot of reasons, and this is another great reason to conserve this landscape,” says Jennifer D’Annibale, NMDGF Southwest Habitat Biologist.
D’Annibale has played a major role in the implementation and coordination of efforts between NMDGF and BCI. The Department’s Share with Wildlife program and the Land of Enchantment Fund will contribute roughly $100,000 to the effort over the course of two years. The NMDGF, USFS, and BCI are committed to ongoing research and conservation efforts to support the Mexican long-nosed bat. Ongoing partnership includes additional eDNA surveys and agave restoration on state and Forest Service lands in New Mexico.
In addition to surveying blooming agaves, BCI is working with the Gila Native Plant Society (GNPS) to coordinate a network of local community scientists in the Silver City and Gila area to collect samples from their hummingbird feeders, which have yielded detections of the Mexican long-nosed bat. BCI is also partnering with the GNPS on an iNaturalist project documenting Palmer’s agave in the Gila Region. BCI’s eDNA work and local community scientists were recently featured in BBC StoryWork’s new “Living Legacy” series.
“We were ecstatic when we learned that we had all three species of nectar-feeding bats visiting our hummingbird feeders. In particular, knowing the endangered Mexican long-nosed bat was feeding here was simply amazing. We are indebted to Bat Conservation International and the Gila Native Plant Society for giving us the opportunity to participate in this important research project,” says community scientist, Linda Moore, about the detection of these bats at her and her husband’s residence in Cliff, New Mexico.
These areas of New Mexico have been predicted through climate modeling to become more important for nectar-feeding bats in light of climate change, so the detection of the Mexican long-nosed bat in this area is an important finding. These detections emphasize the importance of northern patches of Palmer’s agavefor these bats in late summer and early fall as they prepare to migrate back to Mexico, and the importance of BCI’s Agave Restoration Initiative that has recently been focusing on boosting agaves in this area to ensure the long-term availability of food for these bats during their migration.
“This discovery underscores the importance of ongoing monitoring and conservation efforts for long-nosed bats in the region over decades and builds on a collaborative network of bat biologists trying to gain a better understanding of these species,” says Rachel Burke, BCI’s Agave Restoration Coordinator for the U.S. “Having eDNA as a tool is invaluable to our understanding of this endangered species and will help us better conserve the species and its habitat.”
The Mexican long-nosed bat is listed as endangered by both the United States and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. These bats face a range of threats including the loss of food sources, particularly agave plants, through landscape change driven by unsustainable agriculture and ranching, wildfires, drought, and in some areas, human exploitation of agave. The Mexican long-nosed bat’s reliance on agave plants, particularly in the northern portion of their migratory range in northeast Mexico and the Southwest U.S., also makes them vulnerable to effects from climate change. Ongoing efforts to protect and conserve this species include roost protection and monitoring, habitat restoration, and working with agave farmers, private landowners, and local NGOs to promote sustainable agriculture and ranching practices.
About Bat Conservation International
Bat Conservation International is a global conservation organization dedicated to ending bat extinctions. Our team works worldwide to conserve caves, restore critical habitats in danger, and ensure the survival of the world’s bat species. For more information, visit batcon.org.
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