How an Arizona professor is protecting "tequila bats"

How it works: These bats use their long tongues to retrieve the nectar from agave plants. They get pollen all over their fur and face in the process, allowing them to pollinate the next plant they stop at for a feast.

Driving the news: Northern Arizona University ecology and genetics professor Faith Walker has developed a DNA tracking technique that allows her team to trail and protect tequila bats and other nectar-feeding bats during their migration cycle in Arizona.

Between the lines: Walker hypothesized that the bats likely leave some of their DNA behind on the plants during the feeding process. She began working with Bat Conservation International about two years ago to collect agave samples and was able to extract bat cells to create a tracking system of the bats' migration corridors.

Zoom in: Walker and her team believe that with a few more years of sampling, they'll be able to map the route the bats take from Mexico into Arizona to have their pups in late spring and early summer.

• Conservation groups will be able to better protect those areas once they know exactly where they are.

Of note: The tequila bat's close relative, the Mexican long-nosed bat, is endangered, which is a large motivation for this research and the need for conservation.