The Florida Bonneted Bat is the largest bat species in Florida, about the size of a chipmunk.

Females typically give birth to one pup each year.  

These bats roost (sleep during the day) in cavities or beneath peeling bark of live and dead pine trees (Pinus elliotti, P. palustris), bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), royal palms (Roystonea regia), rock outcrops, bat houses, chimneys, and under barrel roof tiles. They roost alone or in groups of up to 50 individuals.

The Florida bonneted bat was listed as federally endangered in 2013 because of concerns over habitat loss, degradation, and modification caused by humans. Additional concerns include the species' small population size and restricted range, the small number of known colonies, their slow reproduction, and the relative isolation of separate populations of bonneted bats.

Bonneted bats have been detected foraging in a variety of habitats including semitropical forests with tropical hardwood, pineland, and mangrove habitats, as well as man-made areas such as golf courses and neighborhoods.

They are thought to have unusual roosting habits in that one male will roost with several different females at one time.

Due to the species’ small range, the greatest threats to Florida bonneted bats are loss of habitat, including the destruction of natural roost sites, and natural disasters such as hurricanes since the impact could occur throughout its entire range.

Little is known about these rare bats. They occur only in southern Florida, with recent confirmation of presence in Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier, Hendry, Lee, Charlotte, Glades, Highlands, De Soto, and Polk Counties.

These bats roost (sleep during the day) in cavities or beneath peeling bark of live and dead pine trees (Pinus elliotti, P. palustris), bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), royal palms (Roystonea regia), rock outcrops, bat houses, chimneys, and under barrel roof tiles. They roost alone or in groups of up to 50 individuals.