New White Nose Syndrome fact sheet out (2015)

*Hot off the press--

You can read the new White Nose Syndrome (WNS) fact sheet here.

Impacted : 7 species including of which are 2 endangered 

Still no disease has been seen in tree bats and a few others that have been found with the fungus (Pseudogymnoascus destructans).


(*I will  try to look into this last aspect more for future blogs as understanding how/why certain species may not be exhibiting disease is key for ascertaining the impacts of the fungus).

The value of bats in monitary form no-less than $3 billion dollars and counting

Today I was sent a link to an interesting new article about the value of bats from an economic standpoint. This recent SCIENCE article (summary link here) suggests that bats may be worth at least $3 billion dollars per year in the services they provide (free of charge I am left to assume but if they started charging bats would be rolling in cash to say the least!)

The article 'Economic Importance of Bats in Agriculture' by Boyles, Cryan, McCracken and Kunz was published in Science this month (331: 6025, April 2011) (for link click HERE). A figure (above) from Boyles et al. 2011 (SCIENCE) illustrates the worth of insectivorous bats with warmer (redder) colors indicating higher financial worth relative to cooler colors (yellow) in the US.

Indeed, the bat-services discussed in the article are focused on those of pest-control by insectivorous bats. Because insectivorous bats must eat many insects every night to maintain their high metabolic demands they are responsible for maintaining lower agricultural pests that would otherwise destroy crops. Thus bats are able to save farmers costs in pesticide use. As the horrific White Nose Syndrome moves gradually westward we can hope these services will still be performed by hungry bats in the West not yet impacted by the disease. However, the Eastern bat populations have been drastically reduced in size and we might expect to see an increase need for pesticides in the near-future. Hopefully, funding of research projects aimed and limiting the spread of this disease will increase as the NSF and other funding agencies evaluate the importance of insectivorous bats in North America. This article focuses on the potential impact of White Nose Syndrome bats but it is worth recalling that world-wide bats provide many economically important services.

I would speculate the monetary value of bats in general supersedes that speculated by the authors of the article given other important services provided by bats such as pollination of plants including agaves that result in tequila in the tropics. Furthermore, the dispersal of seeds of remote islands and after hurricanes is another important bat-service. Regardless, the focus of the article is to make people aware of White-Nose Syndrome as something very scary that can impact us all even if we are not bat enthusiasts. I commend the authors for their article that will hopefully help inform the public and legislators while enticing them with considerations of the economic importance of bats.

Disney doesn't really do bats or do they?

So after a fun-filled day with my brother and nephew at Disneyland I started wondering about the role of bats at Disneyland. There are plenty of rides with hippos, lions, birds (a la' Tiki Tiki Tiki room), rides with raccoons, I saw about 4-5 skunks amid other creatures but what about bats? For those of you that know about hidden Mickeys (there is one hidden Mickey on every ride and various ones throughout the park) I decided to investigate the hidden bats of Disneyland and here is what I have found....

While walking into the Indiana Jones ride, there are bats in the 'archaeological site.' In fact they even come with a sign ! In fact the sign was a nice one asking passersby to not disturb the bats! Thanks Mickey! Meanwhile the fussing and buzzing of 'bats' can be heard as you casually enter the ride to explore the Temple of the Forbidden Eye with Indy. Pirates of the Caribbean also has its share of bats at the end of the ride keeping Captain Jack Sparrow company. Never mind that they have glowing eyes (bat eyes do not glow interesting concept however!) On Big Thunder Mountain (a roller coaster ride with a wild west theme) some bats can be seen in a mine!

So why do we care? I would suggest that if one was to spend some time looking though movies Disney or otherwise that bats are used to convey a feeling. Be it that you are entering a cave or mine, that it is night-time, or in other cases that things are 'creepy'. (An interesting association that maybe has less to do with bats and more that we are generally a little more frightened at night and in dark places than in actuality afraid of bats). What if bats went extinct, such as many species of bats in the Eastern US are now close to doing? These Eastern bats are in very serious trouble due to White Nose Syndrome. So while many people may not consciously notice the bats in these rides, or while watching movies it would be a tragedy if future generations no-longer knew them as actual animals and they entered the realm of 'fantasy' together with the spunky mice and talking duck we all grew up with.

Disney and other similar companies hold an amazing potential power for educating kids and the public in general. Happily, I was able to find a blurb about bats from Disney at this site (here).

Disney does fund research and I am curious to know if any of it has been directed at these little cave and night creatures particularly our friends in the Eastern US and those such as charismatic Flying Foxes. As we progress through 2011, the year of the bat here's hoping!

White nose syndrome- what is it?

White nose syndrome is a disease that infects bats and was first discovered in 2006. This disease kills bats while they are hibernating and was named for the unusual fuzzy white fungus that is evident on the nose of the some infected bats (click here to see photos).

This disease has killed bats in numerous states in the eastern US:

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• New York
• New Hampshire
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Vermont
• Virginia
• West Virginia

And in Canada

• Ontario
• Quebec

It is estimated that over 1 million bats have died from this disease. The causes of white nose syndrome are still somewhat unclear however what is known is that a fungus previously undescribed (Geomyces destructans) infects the skin of bats infected by white nose syndrome. Bats that usually hibernate during the winter are having difficulties maintaining the fat deposits that they metabolize (break down) for energy during the winter. Without the fat stores required for hibernation, bats are staying active during cold winter temperatures which is energetically expensive particularly because food (insects) is limited during winter months.

Researchers are very concerned that the disease is moving west. Unfortunately the fungus associated with White Nose Syndrome has already been found in Oklahoma and Missouri.

Learn more about this disease by clicking HERE.