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Devour bloomington 20213/20/2023 ![]() The population of the Indiana bat’s close relative, the little brown bat ( Myotis lucifugus), has plummeted 90 percent. WNS was first detected in Indiana caves in 2011, and, since then, the Indiana bat ( Myotis sodalis) populations in the state have been reduced by 27 percent. One major threat to bats is an invasive white fungus that thrives in cave environments and grows on the face and wing membranes of bats, causing White Nose Syndrome. and Canada, and it continues to spread at an alarming rate. WNS has had a devastating impact on many bat populations in the eastern U.S. Any amount of disturbance during this sensitive period of the year draws away precious energy meant to help bats survive the winter underground. The disease often arouses the bats from to rpor while roosting in caves during the winter. Pd grows on the soft tissues of bats while they are in to rpor (a reduced metabolic state similar to hibernation) in caves and mines and causes White Nose Syndrome, or WNS. This fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, or pd, is native to Europe and was likely brought to the U.S. An invasive white fungus that thrives in cave environments was found growing on the face and wing membranes of bats in a cave in New York during winter 2007. Habitat loss and human disturbance have been damaging bat populations for decades, but, more recently, bats are up against a new threat. Of the ten species regularly found in Indiana, two are federally endangered, one is federally threatened, and all but one species are considered of special concern or endangered at the state level. Unfortunately, bats in Indiana are facing a myriad of dangers. There are 1,300-plus known species of bats, such as this tricolored bat, which make up one-quarter of the number of all known mammal species. Furthermore, bats that roost in caves offer vital nutrients to the cave environment in the form of their guano (bat excrement is often used as fertilizer). ![]() agriculture from the pests that they devour each year. One study found that bats are worth approximately $3.7 billion to U.S. Plus, it is not uncommon for reproductive females of many bat species to consume their entire weight in insects nightly. ![]() The Indiana bat, a federally endangered species that can still be found throughout southern Indiana, will eat as much as half of its body weight in flying insects each night. They support a healthy ecosystem, which benefits us all. ![]() The power of flight and a preference for the night have kept these animals in the shadows, making it all too easy for fear to grow from those few instances that bats reveal themselves to people.īats make great neighbors, however. They are no more interested in playing out vampire-movie-inspired nightmares by getting stuck in your hair or sucking your blood than a Labrador retriever might be. The few who do see bats up close generally see them when they fly too close and startle an unsuspecting walker-by, or when they end up in places where they aren’t welcome, such as your home or office.īats, of course, prefer to be left alone and live their lives in peace. One may catch a glimpse of them for a moment, flying by a forest edge or over water before night settles in or perhaps roosting in a barn or a cave. However, most people rarely see these animals up close. Each of these bat species is unique and plays its own specific role in maintaining the diverse ecosystems of southern Indiana. There are ten different species of bats found in Indiana, all of which are insectivorous and often prey upon flying insects such as mosquitoes and agricultural pests. Most people don’t see bats, such as this big brown bat, up close.
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