Why would we not be able to enjoy mezcal without bats

Bats are part of pollinating animals such as bees, bumblebees, butterflies, which in turn are an essential part of the balance of the ecosystem and food production, and if they disappear they would put humans at risk. But these are more rejected because there are prejudices that are often not correct. What is known is that without them mezcal could not continue to exist, since magueyero bats are exclusive pollinators of magueyes where is this drink taken from.

Mezcal is a truly Mexican distilled drink, Oaxaca is considered the world capital of mezcal; but the truth is that states such as Durango, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas have an important production of this drink.

In Mexico, there are 138 species of bats, Leptonycteris nivalis and Leptonycteris yerbabuenae are the main pollinators of agave. According to UNAM, the pollination of these agaves is threatened by human causes such as habitat destruction, causing species to be threatened with extinction.

The global demand for mezcal has put the existence of plants and animals endemic to Mexico at risk; to this the specialist in biological interaction networks Alfonso Valiente mentions that if agaves were extinct, it would end bats and therefore many other species.

The main relationship between this nocturnal animal and the agaves is that the flowers of this plant only open at night, so the bat manages to feed on the nectar of the flower, and in turn pollinate it. They also disperse seeds and pollen allowing the crop to propagate and continue to thrive. In addition to this function, they are controllers of pests and disease transmission, since in one night of hunting they eat up to 3 thousand insects.

Rodrigo Medellín, a researcher at the UNAM Institute of Ecology and one of the main defenders of bats, mentions that bats should be part of our Mexican identity since they are fundamental in the reproduction of the tequila and mezcal plant. In addition to the fact that these flying mammals are one of the most beneficial but at the same time the most misunderstood and attacked species.

They also disperse seeds of fruits such as small sapotes, black and white sapotes, nanches, capulines, figs, guavas, among many others.

Medellin says that people have a completely unfounded fear of bats, they associate them with evil, darkness, disease and with rabies. Especially with the pandemic that hit the world, people believed that they were spreading the disease, so he mentions that “this virus called SARSC-CoV-2 is exclusive of humans, it doesn't come from bats.”

He also comments that one of the strongest threats is vandalism against them, people burn them, kill them, drive them away, give them poison, but all they do is affect biodiversity and therefore themselves.

If you want to continue enjoying mezcal, tequila or pulque, it is necessary to preserve the ecological relationship that bats have with agave. Informing society why pollinating animals such as bats, hummingbirds, bees, bumblebees, wasps, butterflies, beetles; are so important for the balance of the planet and above all the food of humans.

KEEP READING: