Posts tagged "WhiteNoseSyndrome"

As winter approaches and millions of North American bats settle into caves to hibernate, experts fear that many will die before spring from the still-mysterious white-nose syndrome. The disease was first identified in New York in 2006, according to Discovery News. Since then it has only spread, and some experts warn it could advance as far as Indiana.

No one is sure exactly how white-nose syndrome works or where it came from, but apparently the "white nose" results from a fungus that infects the bats while they hibernate. Researchers are trying to figure out how white-nose syndrome spreads, why it kills the bats, and how it can be prevented before bats become entirely extinct.

Not a bat fan? Consider this: Bats eat about 600 insects a night. (And you thought your potato-chip binge was bad!) That means the fewer bats there are, the more bugs. And that's sure to bug even the biggest bat-hater.

by Cat Lincoln

If only it was a simple as calling Batman to come to the rescue. Something is killing the bats, but like the bees and colony collapse disorder, we don't know what is causing it.

Called White Nose Syndrome because of the white fungus that grows in the muzzles of hibernating bats, WNS was first seen in New York state over the winter of 2006 and 2007. In addition to the symptoms of the white fungus, sick and dying bats are frequently emaciated and dehydrated.

This past winter WNS was also seen in caves in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut. Since many bats from New Hampshire "winter" in caves in other states, they are also feeling the impact. Pennsylvania is reported deaths this summer and the wildlife service is monitoring all of the surrounding states for additional cases.

Across New England, the mortality rate for infected caves is over 80%. In some caves 97% of the hibernating bats died!