One Big Ass Bat!

Endangered giant bat found at Picayune Strand

bonneted bat

The wilds of the Big Cypress Swamp have yielded many interesting species, from ghost orchids to freshwater sponges. Just last week, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission announced a surprising and unexpected find during their first-ever bat monitoring program at Picayune Strand State Forest, part of the Big Cypress ecosystem. - the bonneted bat.  It tops the charts for Florida bats, with a wingspan of 19 to 21″.
Found only in South Florida, it’s one rare and big bat. “The find of the bonneted bat is significant because there are only a few hundred bonneted bats in existence,” said FWC biologist and project leader Kathleen Smith. “ Bats, like many other wildlife species, have lost a great deal of natural habitat to development.”
Learn more about this endemic Florida bat from the Florida Bat Conservancy