The long-eared, pointy-toothed bat isn't a cuddly creature that rallies save-the-whale types to its aid and defense.
But bats are vital to the ecology of Earth, which is where humans also live. Bats consume tons of insects, including crop pests and mosquitoes, which we find even less attractive than bats.
So listen up, people. Our native bats are in mortal danger from a disease called "white-nose syndrome."
Since 2006, the syndrome, named for the white fungal growth found on the muzzles of infected bats, has killed at least 5.5 million bats in eastern North America. In some Northeastern states, certain species of bats have been wiped out in some locations, according to Jeremy Coleman, the national white-nose syndrome coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Over the last couple of years, the scourge has swept into Midwestern bat caves, with bat scientists reporting the first confirmed cases in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri and Arkansas, according to the website WhiteNoseSyndrome.org. Officials say that Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee are now seeing steep declines in bat populations.
The syndrome, caused by an invasive fungus believed to have emigrated without permission from Europe's bat caves, "has caused the most precipitous decline of North American wildlife in recorded history," according to a statement issued by scientists at an emergency white-nose syndrome strategy meeting in 2009.
Scientists aren't sure how the fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, kills the bats. The most prominent theory is that the fungus arouses infected bats too often (every three to four days instead of every 10-20 days) from their winter hibernation. The bats wake up hungry and dehydrated and behave abnormally. Many starve to death because there aren't many insects, or die from exposure in the harsh winter climate.
Those who are creeped out by the leather-winged darters probably just shrug. What's the big deal? Here's the big deal: Bats provide pest control services, consuming prodigious quantities of insects every night that would otherwise ruin crops and, yes, bite people. The agricultural benefits are estimated to exceed $3 billion a year. Fewer bats could mean farmers would be forced to use more pesticides.
We don't expect most Americans to rush out to build bat houses or immediately be less squeamish about bats. But for those who want to help, there are suggestions at the website batconservation.org. Some of the tips: Plant moth-attracting wildflower gardens to lure bugs for bats to dine on. Leave dead or dying trees up to give bats natural shelter. Build or buy a bat house to provide adequate roosting for bats.
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Spread the word: Bats won't suck your blood. (OK, the vampire bat, most prevalent in Latin America, does drink blood, usually cattle blood. However, vampire bats account for only a tiny fraction of all bats.)
Bats aren't intent on dive-bombing humans or getting tangled in our hair. They rarely bite people. Nor do most carry rabies.
They are wondrously diverse creatures, encompassing a staggering array of more than 1,100 species, from the tiny bumblebee bat, which tips the scale at less than the weight of a penny, to the giant Lyle's flying fox with its nearly 6-foot wingspan. Their faculties are finely tuned: An African heart-nosed bat can hear the footsteps of a beetle walking on sand 6 feet away, according to the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust website.
Amazing creatures. Not to be feared, but to be appreciated … and rescued.
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