A Bonny Bonneted Bat for You!

Baturday News is a weekly blog written by Rachael, a middle school student and Save Lucy volunteer. Rachael’s interest in bats was sparked by the big brown bats that used the outside of her former home for a winter roost. Her family cheerfully hosted the wild colony for years.

Today’s blog is dedicated to the people of Orlando, FL. I hope the injured recover quickly and the people who lost loved ones find peace. I know it is a very difficult time for the people of Florida and for many people in other parts of the country. Please know that my thoughts are with you.

An endangered Florida Bonneted Bat. Amazing photo courtesy of Merlin Tuttle
An endangered Florida Bonneted Bat. Amazing photo courtesy of Merlin Tuttle's Bat Conservation.

Hi everyone! I thought it would be nice to talk about a bat from Florida. Many of the bats that live in Florida are the same types of bats that live here in Virginia. They do have a few that we don’t have here though. One of them is called the Florida Bonneted bat. I think it looks really interesting.

The Florida Bonneted bat is an endangered species. It is also the largest species of bat in Florida. The Bonneted bat can reach a length of 6.5 inches, with a wingspan of 20 inches! Its hair color varies from black to cinnamon brown to gray. It is an insectivore, so it eats yummy flying insects. The Bonneted bat has two mating seasons each year. One is in the summer and one in January and February. They have one pup each time.

These bats are very rare and are only found in a few counties in south Florida. Bonneted bats like to roost in bat houses, so if you live in south Florida and want to help this bat, I think putting up a bat house might be a good idea. The biggest threat to this bat species is habitat loss. The use of pesticides probably also hurts the species because pesticides kill the food the bats eat.

If you want to read more about this bat species, you can read about it here.

I hope everyone has a good week. Next week is final exam week for me. Wish me luck! I can’t wait until summer vacation!

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