Endangered giant bat found at Picayune Strand

Florida bonneted bat FWC — Florida bonneted bat
Photo credit: Kathleen Smith, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The wilds of the Big Cypress Swamp have yielded many interesting species, from ghost orchids to freshwater sponges. Just last week, the Florida Fish and 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 Florida FWC

Take a hike (a wade, in summer) at Picayune Strand State Forest

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Sandra Friend

Author of 45 books, Sandra Friend established FloridaHikes.com in 2006 to expand on the field research she'd completed for her first six hiking guides. She has been honored with lifetime achievement awards from the Florida Trail Association and the Florida Outdoor Writers Association.