Terrible news for our friends the Bats -- the devastating bat disease has spread west

[tencats]

http://gizmodo.com/oh-crap-that-awful-bat-killing-disease-has-reached-the-1768437711

March 31, 2016 http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2016/03/northwest_bad_discovered_with.html

A steadily spreading disease that's already killed millions of bats across the Eastern United States has made its way to the Northwest.

So far, more than 6 million North American bats have died from white-nose syndrome, which earns its name from the powdery film that appears on infected bats' muzzles.

Until now, the fungus' westernmost known location was in Nebraska. The new discovery, more than a thousand miles west, has spooked wildlife officials who were already struggling to keep up as the fungus marched across the Eastern U.S. It also means the disease will almost certainly make it to Oregon, if it hasn't already.

The fungus kills by infecting bats' skin as they hibernate, then spreading. It eats away at wing tissue and wakes them from hibernation, forcing them to prematurely drain their winter fat stores. The scene is grim inside caves with infected colonies — bodies litter the ground while weakened victims writhe in their death throes nearby.

[longship]

1. Bats are awesome cool.

This is a very bad thing.

R&K

[global1]

2. First The Bees And Now The Bats - What's Going On....

Could it be the result of climate change?

[yeoman6987]

3. Started with the Dinosaurs

I still think it would be cool to have a few of those around.

[SCantiGOP]

5. My guess is

that is would more likely be tied to environmental degradation than climate change.
Bats are very important; hope this is getting a lot of attention.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

4. fun fact - 5400 mammals - 900 bats about 1 in 6 mammals is a bat

...