Bats are often feared and even more often misunderstood. Bats in the United States, however, are under attack but not from the most likely sources but from a fungal disease. Soon people on the East Coast may not even have to fear bats at all as they may not even exist there in two decades.
While bats are often seen as pests, they actually play a pivotal role in the ecosystems where they reside. There are approximately 1,000 bat species, which is nearly a quarter of all mammalian species discovered to this point. Bats play major roles in insect control and as pollinators, roles which are often forgotten. However, it may become glaringly obvious if bat species population numbers plummet.
The fungal pathogen is called Geomyces destructans and is being found naturally in the environment. The fungus prefers damp, dark locales, just like bats. The fungus is believed to have been brought to the United State from Europe, either from something as simple as someone’s shoe or from an accidentally shipped bat. The fungus causes symptoms such as a white-nose, which is why the fungal infections have been called white-nose syndrome.
Bats with white-nose syndrome have a tell-tale white nose, and sometimes white patches on their wins, ears or tails. Bats experience weight loss from the infection and have been known to develop odd behaviors, such as flying during the day. Now new estimates about the decimation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been released, estimating that at least 5.7 million bats have died from the fungal infection. This is spread over sixteen states and four Canadian provinces, all located in eastern North America.
While the fungus is not harmful to humans, it has been shown to infect multiple kinds of bats, including little brown, big brown, northern long-eared and Indiana bats. Scientists have found that upwards of ninety-nine percent of bats which become infected die. The estimates for the number of bats thus far killed, 5.7 million, are thought to be conservative and likely higher.
Scientists fear that the disease could wipe out all bats in eastern North America within twenty years. Scientists have yet to determine how to stop the spread of the fungus or to help bats become resistant. The fungus is thought to originate in Europe, where the bats are larger and also appear to have an overall resistance to white-nose syndrome. While little has proven effective, scientists have recently discovered small colonies of brown bats in the northeastern U.S. which appear to potentially be immune. By studying these colonies scientists may be able to determine how to save the other populations.
