Endangered species

At least 38 smalltooth sawfish have been found dead in South Florida waters since January, but the actual total of deaths is believed to be higher.

Lemurs are among the animals on exhibit in Lamont, about half an hour from Tallahassee. An endangered ring-tailed lemur was born at the facility last week.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it will take the unprecedented step of catching and caring for sick endangered sawfish amid ongoing deaths.

National Geographic Explorer Joel Sartore photographed two more endangered species at the center in Jefferson County for the Photo Ark.

Federal wildlife officials protected areas where bonneted bats now live. Advocates say protections should go further due to eventual migration caused by climate change.

NOAA denied a request to implement a “vessel slowdown zone” in waters 100 meters to 400 meters deep from Pensacola to south of Tampa to protect the species.

The lawsuit comes a dozen years after federal environmental regulators said the tortoises needed added protection to survive.

“Florida bonneted bats desperately need critical habitat protection, and the Fish and Wildlife Service has excluded crucial areas threatened by development right now,” said attorney Ragan Whitlock with the Center for Biological Diversity.

While an original plan was presented in 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now wants to designate approximately 1.2 million acres as critical habitat across 13 counties - this marks a 21% reduction from the previous proposal.

People weren’t the only victims of Hurricane Michael. Endangered woodpeckers are in trouble following the storm and biologists are racing to keep the…