Bats dying by the millions because of recent fungus
by Dave Golowenski FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Metaphorically speaking, bats are falling like flies.
Between 5.7 million and 6.7 million bats have died in North America from white-nose syndrome, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated recently. First identified in 2006, white-nose syndrome is marked by a fungal growth around the muzzle of hibernating bats.
Mortality rates have reached 100 percent at some hibernation sites.
The National Wildlife Service and its partners are conducting winter surveys to determine more precisely the extent of the kill and whether bats can survive once the syndrome infects a colony. Entire species are thought to be at risk. The loss of bats, which feed mostly on flying insects and thus help control many airborne pests, could have devastating consequences on agriculture and human health.
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