What species of bats are affected?
Vulnerability seems to vary between species and between sites. Eastern pipistrelle, little brown, northern long-eared, state-listed small-footed, and federally endangered Indiana bats have been found with WNS. Big brown bats are typically found in lower numbers at the affected sites, and have not been seen with symptoms to date. WNS has had a significant impact on the endangered Indiana bat population in the region, and has the potential to be catastrophic to the common Little Brown Bat, which has suffered the highest numbers of mortalities. What is being done? To identify the cause of mortality, lab analysis, supported by field work, has been conducted to study the pathology and identify potential causes viruses, contaminants, bacteria, immune response or depression, fungus, environmental factors such as humidity and temperature. To keep people informed, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service (USFWS) has provided a website (www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html). Researchers have establis
