The Florida bonneted bat is one of many species that has languished on the waiting list for the Endangered Species Program. A recent settlement means decisions will finally be made on hundreds of species slated for protection since the '80s:
Some of the animals, like the Mexican wolf, are powerfully charismatic. Others, like the Florida bonneted bat or Spring pygmy sunfish, might be considered ugly, even forgettable. But each represents a singular, unreplicable form of life — millions of years of evolution culminating in a creature whose fate is now in our hands.
(Photo by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)
The Dish 