‘Weary’ silver-haired critter found in surprising spot by Florida beach. ‘Geeking out’

Rescuers were surprised when they got a call about a flying silver-haired creature found far from its normal home — at a condo by the beach in Florida.

The Atlantic Coast of Florida is outside the typical range of the silver-haired bat, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Heather Pepe with WILD Florida Rescue told McClatchy News that when she picked up the animal from a coastal condo in Satellite Beach on Oct. 30, she was confused by the gray hair, joking that maybe the bat was old.

A caller spotted the bat while he was working in his office at the condo but noticed it looked “out of place” and wasn’t flying, Pepe said. So he grabbed some tongs and put the female bat in a bucket until Pepe could pick her up and bring her to Jenny White, a researcher and rehabilitator who works with the center on bat rescues.

“She may be the first recorded silver-haired bat in the county,” White wrote on Facebook. “What an incredible experience to have during bat week.”

Bat week runs Oct. 24-31. Pepe also pointed out the timing with Halloween.

White reached out to the North American Bat Biologists group to confirm the species, since she said she had never seen one firsthand.

“I am totally geeking out,” she told the group.

White could only speculate how the bat may have ended up so far south, listing Hurricanes Helene and Milton as possible culprits.

“But more importantly is that she appears to be uninjured, just hungry and weary,” White said.

As long as the bat is found to be in good health, she will likely be released, Pepe said. But it’s uncertain at this point whether the bat will be released on the Space Coast or closer to the species’ native range.

Satellite Beach in Brevard County is about a 60-mile drive southeast from Orlando.