Formerly Common Little Brown Bat May Be Headed For Endangered Species List
Little Brown Bat This little brown bat was photographed in Vermont's Greeley Mine March 26, 2009. White-nose fungus is evident on its face and wings. Marvin Moriarty/USFWS Biologists are asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine whether the little brown bat - formerly one of the most common mammals in North America - should be added to the endangered species list, bat conservationists said Thursday. "The little brown bat is in imminent danger of extinction in its northeastern core range due to white-nose syndrome, and the species is likely in danger of extinction throughout North America," said Tom Kunz, a leading authority on bats at Boston University. Kunz and collaborators wrote a status review for the FWS that outlines the troubles presented by WNS. Since 2007, more than 1 million bats have died from white-nose syndrome, caused by a fungus called Geomyces destructans that biologists believe arrived from Europe....