FOCUS ON NATURE.

The LESSER LONG-NOSED BAT (Leptonycteris curasoae) is a leaf-nosed, medium-sized "microbat" measuring 2.75 to 3 inches in length. Roosting in caves and mines during the day, this valuable pollinator sips nectar at night mainly from agave and saguaro cactus flowers while hovering like a hummingbird. Pollen groomed from its face and body is ingested and converted into amino acids thus providing protein in the bat's diet. It forages in desert regions of southern Arizona and extreme southwestern New Mexico during the warmer months and spends the rest of the year in Mexico. This endangered bat and its feeding and roosting habitats can be better protected by a donation of your time or money to an international nature conservation organization. [C] 1999-2000 by endangered species artist Rochelle Mason. www.rmasonfinearts.com [phone]