Florida Bonneted Bat
Eumops floridanus
The Florida Bonneted Bat (Eumops floridanus) which is also known as the Florida mastiff bat is the largest bat in Florida and one of the rarest species on earth. This species of bats can have a wingspan of approximately 20 inches and can reach a length of around 6.5 inches long.They can be recognized by their large size and tail that sticks out with large ears which are connected to each other on their base. Not much is known on dwelling or how many pups females have a year, but it is to be believe that this species can have multiple pups a year. Their diets are poorly understood but through fecal samples we can determine that their insectivores. The Florida Bonneted bat was recognized as a species in 2004 and was named as an endangered species by the United States and Wildlife Services in 2014.
TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Craniata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Molossidae
Genus: Eumops
Binomial Name: Eumops floridanus
DO BATS EVOLVE FROM DINOSAURS?
Evolution
Where did the bats come from? Bats are an evolutionary mystery. Scientists do not have enough information on fossils to trace their evolutionary path and fully understand how the bats we know of today. Fossils of bats have been traced back to around 50 - 60 million but mostly only partial remains of the jaws of bats have been found. Scientists infer that this might have to do with where the majority of bats dwell which are heavily forested areas and fossil preservation is poor. Bats are the only flying mammalian known. We can infer that bats involved like sugar gliders or mammels that have extra skin on their arms that are used for gliding.
Ecosystem
The Florida Bonneted bat lives in a diverse tropical ecosystem. This species of bats are primarily insectivores and are secondary predators on the food chain and fall prey to Birds of Prey and owls. Much about their roosting habitat is unknown, but we can infer that, like most bats in Florida, they roost in palms, concrete structures, and dead trees. Some of the organisms that share the bats ecosystem are:
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Barn Owls (Tyto alba) - Florida Bonneted bats main predator
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Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) - Common plant/moss that bats use to roost
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Sabal Palms (Sabal palmetto) - A primary tree that is used by them to roost
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Palm Rat (Rattus palmarum) - a rodent the lives in the same environment
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Ground Beetles (Family: Carabidae) - Beetles have been found in the scat of Florida bonneted bats.
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Fall army worms (Spodoptera frugiperda) - One on the main insects bonneted bats feed on.
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Bed Bugs (Cimex lectularius) - a parasite the lives on bats and sucks and feeds on their blood
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Mosquitoes (Family: Culicidae) - Also part of bonneted bat's diet
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True Bugs (Order:Hemiptera) - As insectivores they eat a wide array of insects
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Salmonella (Family: Enterobacteriaceae) - is a bacteria that can be found in bat guano
TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Craniata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Molossidae
Genus: Eumops
Binomial Name: Eumops floridanus
DO BATS EVOLVE FROM DINOSAURS?
Where did the bats come from? Bats are an evolutionary mystery. Scientists do not have enough information on fossils to trace their evolutionary path and fully understand how the bats we know of today. Fossils of bats have been traced back to around 50 - 60 million but mostly only partial remains of the jaws of bats have been found. Scientists infer that this might have to do with where the majority of bats dwell which are heavily forested areas and fossil preservation is poor. Bats are the only flying mammalian known. We can infer that bats involved like sugar gliders or mammels that have extra skin on their arms that are used for gliding.
Ecology
As America's rarest bat, not much is known about their roosting areas and activities. They have been found in ONLY 10 counties from central to southern Florida.
As America's rarest bat, not much is known about their roosting areas and activities. They have been found in ONLY 10 counties from central to southern Florida.
Bonneted bats are vulnerable due to several factors such as : habitat shrinking due to human encroachment, usage of pesticides on plants on which insects eat and then ingested by bats, diseases, and being displaced by hurricanes.
Roosting & Habitat
Bonneted bats spend most of their day sleeping within cavities of dead palms, rock outcrops, to even manmade structures and artificial bat houses. They wake up around sunset to leave their roost and hunt for the night and have been seen hunting in urban areas such as golf courses, mangroves, and semitropical hardwood forests. From collecting their scat, scientists have been able to determine that they're insectivores and their diet revolves around beetles (Coleoptera), true flies (Diptera), and true bugs (Hemiptera). Bonneted bats are non-migratory which means they need to be in an area that has a consistent supply of food.
Biology
The Florida Bonneted Bat also known as the Florida Mastiff Bat and is the largest bat in Florida although they can weigh as much as 2 ounces. They have one of the largest wingspans of bats and have a very distinct set of extra large ears that face forward. They have a short glossy coat of fur that ranges in hues of grey and brown and sometimes have a white band, of hypo-pigmentation, on their torso. Like most bats, they can live up to around 20 years old. This breed does not migrate or have periods of hibernation. Bonneted bats are non-dimorphic. Females tend to have one pup a year but can breed several times through the year as they are aseasonally polyestrous. As observed pups have been seen from April - December. Breeding cycles take 12 months. Bonneted bats roost by themselves or in colonies that have one dominant male and rest are females known as harems
Anatomy
Ears
One of the most distinctive features of the Bonneted bats (which is how they received their name) is their ears! These bats have large ears that are joined together at the base at the crown of their head, as seen on the image to the right. These large ears help with echolocation and hunting as bats have very poor vision
Wings
The Bonneted bat is one of the species of bats with the longest wing span. Their wingspan can be as long as 20 inches. With these large wings, they are able to fly for higher altitudes and making taking off from high places easier
Tail
The Florida Bonneted bat is a species known as free-tail bats, meaning that their tails extend past the wing's membrane which is part of the family Molossidae. As seen in the image to the right, there are three types of tail morphologies in bat species. Bonneted bat tail looks like the bat in figure B.
Conservation
They need our help and there are many ways we can!
Bonneted bats are the biggest bat in all of the united states yet can only be found in only several cities in southern Florida. With small population size, habitat loss, and limited geographic range they are extremely vulnerable and have been declining for decades. The INCU has them listed as a vulnerable species stating that their population size is way fewer than 10,000 in the wild and is estimated to be less than 2,500 mature individuals.
Below are different ways you can help conserve this endangered species that can directly impact their survival.
Bat Houses
Placing bat houses on private property can ensure a safe area for bats to roost. Bats can eat up to 3,000 insects per night and keep insect populations at bay. Here in Florida, you can purchase bat house and can help bats from being displaced by storm or human encrochment.
Pesticides & Plants
Since Florida Bonneted bats are insectivores they need a constant supply of food. Various counties in Florida spray pesticides which has effect bat populations by reducing their food source. One way to get involved in conservation it by reducing the use of pesticides on private properties. Another way is to plant native plants that attract the insects that bats like to eat. Through the partnership of Zoo Miami they have great guide of what are the best plants to plant .
Donate or Get Involved
If you want to make an impact another way, you can donate to several organizations that aim to conserve and learn more about the Bonneted Bat.
Or get involved with citizen Science and report findings if you think you spotted a bat and help researchers gather more information
References
Alvarez, V., Gore, J. A., Pylant, C., & Austin, J. D. (2018). A conservation genetic analysis of the endangered Florida bonneted bat. Research Gate . Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Valentina-Alvarez-
4/publication/328253278_A_conservation_genetic_analysis_of_the_endangered_Florida_bonneted_bat_Eumops_floridanus/links/5bc1012b92851c88fd65cfbe/A-conservation-genetic-analysis-of-the-endangered-Florida-bonneted-bat-Eumops-floridanus.pdf
Backyard bat houses - nursery bat houses - rocket boxes. Bat Conservation and Management, Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://batmanagement.com/collections/homeowner-sized-bat-houses
Backyard bat houses. Florida Bat Conservancy. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://www.floridabats.org/backyard-bat-houses.html
Fight like the wild depends on it. Online Actions. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://act.biologicaldiversity.org/srev_v9VSEaeY8L_pPp9Mw2/
Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission. (n.d.). Florida bonneted bat. Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/land/florida-bonneted-bat/
International , B. C. (2020, April 22). Working to save Americas rarest bat, the Florida bonneted bat. Bat Conservation International. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://www.batcon.org/press/working-to-save-america-s-rarest-bat-the-florida-bonneted-bat/
Magazine, S. (2020, April 21). Why bats are one of evolution's greatest puzzles. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/bats-evolution-history-180974610/
Miami, Z. (n.d.). Our endangered neighbor: The Florida bonneted bat. Florida Bonneted Bat. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://www.zoomiami.org/florida-bonneted-bat
Morgan, C. N., Ammerman, L. K., Demere, K. D., Doty, J. B., Nakazawa, Y. J., & Mauldin, M. R. (2019, January 17). Field Identification Key and Guide for Bats of the United States of America. Museum of Texas Tech University. Retrieved September 1, 2022, from https://www.depts.ttu.edu/nsrl/publications/
Schain, A. (n.d.). Eumops Floridanus (Florida bonneted bat). Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Eumops_floridanus/
Sergio Solari (IUCN SSC Bat RLA (New World)). (2015, October 16). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/136433/21984011#population
Species profile For Florida Bonneted Bats . ECOS. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/8630
Think you spotted a Florida bonneted bat? Florida Bonneted Bat. (2019, August 19). Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://floridabonnetedbat.org/think-you-spotted-a-florida-bonneted-bat/
Three Chamber Nursery House - florida bat conservancy. Bat House Plans . (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.floridabats.org/uploads/1/0/9/6/109611565/bat_house_plans.pdf
University of Florida . (2021, August 19). FLORIDA'S BATS: FLORIDA BONNETED BAT. Florida's bats: Florida bonneted bat. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW426
Zoo Miami. (n.d.). Native Plants to help attract Florida Bonneted Bats . Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2440/florida_bonneted_bat_plant_guide_for_mdc.pdf