Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

TranquilSeaOtter t1_iy8d0mv wrote

If anyone is wondering why we should all care:

>Bats are believed to give U.S. agriculture an annual boost of $3 billion by gobbling pests and pollinating some plants.

1,218

skidmore101 t1_iy8kt4k wrote

Bats eat mosquitoes. That enough to make them the MVP of the ecosystem in my book.

604

YamburglarHelper t1_iy8lbza wrote

Well and their poop is hella laden with nitrates, and they're pretty indiscriminate about where they poop

191

HealthyInPublic t1_iy9b7a4 wrote

> and they’re pretty indiscriminate about where they poop

Like on my windshield so it rolls down to my windshield wipers and I don’t notice until I turn on the wipers and it smears guano on my windshield

Edit to add bc my comment seemed needlessly aggressive: it’s a small price I’m willing to pay because I love those little mammals so much.

83

NOLAgambit t1_iyapve3 wrote

Fun fact! The difference between guano and other things line rat poop is that guano is basically dry and then it becomes powdery after a couple hours, so even if you have bats living in a nearby area, it’s not much to deal with.

13

professorDissociate t1_iybmjne wrote

Like that white dog poop?

1

NOLAgambit t1_iybn3b0 wrote

Guano is black, but yeah bird poop (and I guess technically sometimes dog poop) is white. If you’re getting dog poop under your windshields, I gotta ask where you park your car?

6

JohnGillnitz t1_iy9vcu7 wrote

Nitrogen was a limiting factor in human civilization since it started. You can only feed so many people on the same soil even with farm animal poop. Guano was an way around that limiting factor. It was a valuable natural resource like oil or rare earth metals are today. Civilizations like the Incas had it and thrived. Those that didn't couldn't stay in one place for too long. It was set to be the cause of the first world war, but the Haber-Bosch process was invented in 1906. That allowed energy from oil to grow crops in depleted soil. It prevented war, but is also the single greatest contributor to climate disaster since agriculture itself.

38

Ixneigh t1_iycun5k wrote

What about human guano?

1

JohnGillnitz t1_iycyow2 wrote

Humanure (really what it is called) is about the same as pig shit. The big difference being it is usually full of human specific pathogens, so more care has to be taken to dry it out before putting it where food grows. You don't want Bob out there just taking a dump in the carrot patch.

6

angroro t1_iy9rezs wrote

Good news for my neighbors! We live on the water and there is a large colony in the walls of my home. Their health gets checked pretty regularly and they're a pretty large breeding group.

I was given the "it's a really bad idea to relocate this group" by the bat conservationists and I decided they make good tenants.

62

Lou_C_Fer t1_iyaydy2 wrote

The same reason I leave spiders and house centipedes alone... well, not mosquitoes specifically. You want the predator bugs around to kill the other bugs.

12

Thalwegs t1_iy8ejga wrote

I'd argue the fact that organisms are heading toward extinction is worth caring about in itself, not just because some people can derive value from them.

553

xylem-and-flow t1_iy8m9tf wrote

I agree with you, and this is the plight of conservation, biology, ecology. Aldo Leopold wrote about his conservation/land ethic and prioritizing systems and organisms as having an inherent value and many, many folks in the natural sciences hold that view.

The challenge arises due to the fact that those folks in the natural sciences do not hold the purse strings for work and research. Many are pressured or outright required to justify their work through the lens of human services. In fact, many of the most well meaning corners of the field are kind of stuck in a “deal with the devil” so to speak.

I did habitat surveying and restoration plans in Eastern US coal country. You go out, do your surveys, sample water, map streams, collect invertebrates, gather fish tissue, do plant species analysis, etc. but who is that report for? A coal mine. Who is paying for that report? A coal mine. The mine might be required to do an impact study, or long term monitoring, but they are not required to go with you. So you can tell the how much lead and mercury is accumulating in fish tissue in their downstream. You can tell them that running a “restoration” mountain stream uphill is the most blitheringly stupid and lazy thing that you have ever seen. You can tell them doing a company “tree planting” in the bedrock gravel of a strip mine the day before a survey might get them a “pass” on a technicality, but that they are simply killing saplings every year. You can say all of that, but it doesn’t matter. If they get mad at you they will just go to Jimbo’s Ecosystem Surveyors LLC the brother-in-law of the mine manager who will magically find nothing wrong in his surveys.

So you get it in writing, hope the Army Corps of Engineers comes across it at some point, you shake hands with the site manager and say “Maaaaybe let’s see if you can get the excavator out here and run that stream down hill.” “It loooooks like the waste water pond is leaking into this stream, and I’m getting some pretty high heavy metals readings. Let’s see if you can figure out where that leak is”.

Ah, anyhow. It goes on and on. Every living thing categorized like another plastic trinket. All of the natural world viewed through the lens of profit and endless production. It’s either marketable or a hurdle to the market. The very natural systems that birthed humanity. It’s like we are selling our mother.

Prairie restoration for better burgers, reef recovery for tourism, alpine revegetations for ski resorts. A fracking operation donated all but the oil/mineral rights to wildlands restoration 10 years prior to their operation. And you know what sucks? You do it. You do it because the funding isn’t going to come from anywhere else. You do it because you can’t bear to see the endless devastation, and if it’s some hedge fund fucking greenwashing, at least a little slice of the earth is greener again.

You walk through that corner of the property where things are really taking off, and you listen to the meadowlarks, you get misty eyed at a whole sweep of milkweed covered in monarch larva, you stop in your tracks because a sandhill crane just swooped overhead. You savor every little growing, crawling, slithering, flying, singing thing that has returned. You smile and shake hands with suits while they get their self-congratulatory press coverage, then you curse them under your breath, go back out in the field and break your heart over all the little living things of the world.

Edit: I did not expect to get so much attention on my little vent session, but let me take the opportunity to say all is not lost. There are a lot of wonderful people out there doing their part, and the public awareness of the biological world is growing rapidly. Crisis is teaching us some hard lessons. There are a lot of things one can do to help, and let me tell you, taking some kind of action does wonders for your mind and body of you are suffering from “eco-dread”.

If you are in the US look up a local branch of the Nature Conservancy or just search “local restoration volunteer” operation. Go help plant willow stakes to stabilize a stream, help collect native seed, do bird banding, do a post-wildfire tree planting, do a clean up. There are tons of operations that need hands, and I promise you will meet such an excellent host of people. Despite my sulking, there’s enormous good to be done. That must be done. And I wouldn’t be at it myself if I thought the beautiful things of the world were hopelessly lost!

522

Smarpar t1_iy8s09s wrote

This is so spot on to how it feels to be in the environmental science industry that it breaks my heart.

I’m an environmental geologist and I work in environmental consulting, it’s exactly that. And my boss will be all “you don’t seem as enthusiastic as we’d like” and I’m thinking “yeah because our clients are fucking evil and I hate their guts” but I have to hold my nose and play nice because what’s the alternative?

I went into environmental work because I care about the environment and I spend so much time pandering to people that don’t, it makes me sick.

72

xylem-and-flow t1_iy8u7jn wrote

Right there with you my friend. I am in a very fortunate spot now. I run the native plant nursery within a larger restoration non-profit. Even as a non-profit there are ties that I am not wild about, but the few times I have to poke my head out of the yard and greenhouses, I just smile and nod with the important people.

I still get to produce thousands and thousands of native plants a year for restoration efforts, USFS, municipal groups, and gardeners. Since I am the sole nursery staff, I get to collect my own seed and make sure marginal species and eco types keep on kicking. There are challenges for sure, but each plant that leaves the gate gives me some kind of hope.

43

Smarpar t1_iy8zogy wrote

I had always planned to move out of the private sector and into the public. I know it’ll never be perfect but it’ll at least be less profit driven than consulting. The tough part is, I actually love what I do right now. I work from home making maps and models of contaminants in air, soil, soil vapor, surface water and groundwater. Showing where they are and where we predict they’re traveling. Projecting different outcomes considering different remediation systems. And I find that really fun. None of the gov jobs I’ve seen do as much of that, they usually contract it out to companies like mine. So I don’t know maybe I stay for my own happiness even if it tugs at my morals some. It’s still doing good ultimately even if our clients are often the bad guys.

11

QueenCassie5 t1_iy8ptb6 wrote

Gods yes this. The whole thing. It is why I fall apart cry sob at simple beauty because I know the devastation also. Keep doing it. And enjoy those meadowlarks.

60

forwardseat t1_iy8unxz wrote

Lord this just brought me to tears. I can't imagine dealing with it on that kind of scale.

I'm not a scientist. Just a random person that has been trying to clear my land of invasives and plant useful native species to help the bugs. It all looks a mess but I rejoice almost every day over some critter or bird or delightful little bit of life that I have here. And every time I feel I'm making progress I start hearing leaf blowers and the neighbors treat their lawns for "pests" and I struggle to explain to people how much more magical it is to have lightning bugs in the summer than it is to have a tennis court lawn.

I can't imagine having studied this stuff for a whole lifetime, investing every fiber of myself in it, to have it reduced to corporate profit flow. My heart just breaks for all of you doing that work.

Life on this planet is so goddamned beautiful and special.

35

xylem-and-flow t1_iy8wptv wrote

Good on you. It all has its emotional ups and downs, but not all is lost. People planting out their spaces as you have are doing good that is only just beginning to be studied. With the compounded impact of climate change and habit loss, a native garden is a critical space for rest, food, and often a launch pad for further movement. A lot of species, both plant an animal, are experiencing sudden range shifts, so every little stepping stone is unimaginably important. It’s not hyperbole to think of those gardens as a sort of link in an ecological Underground Railroad.

Some days I plant in a full blown rage, like each root in earth is a rebellion against loss and extinction. Other days there is a somber hopefulness. As Audrey Hepburn put it “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” We really can’t comprehend the challenges that lie ahead of us. My hope is that we continue to reach greater public understanding of the biosphere. We don’t know who will pick up the torch next, but it may well be that the inches we fight for today will help the next generation to run miles.

20

Bunkerman91 t1_iyadejz wrote

This fucking hurt to read. Its the reason I changed careers and got into tech.

If you end up studying Environmental Science you wind up in a place where you realize that you can't actually save the world because nobody wants to foot the bill, but now you're just a whole lot better at recognizing the signs that it's dying. It's depressing as fuck.

9

Xerlith t1_iyaluy7 wrote

That’s where I am, yeah. About a semester away from getting my MS, and I genuinely have no hope for the future of the world. Based on everything I’ve learned and seen, we’re hellbent on causing the extinction of ourselves and as much of the rest of life on this planet as we can. We simply won’t change anything until the food stops growing and there are no fish left in the sea. I don’t know if there are even twenty years left to go on this train crash.

But I can get paid to do work in a canoe sometimes, so that’s something. The best way I’ve heard it summed up is this: “My five-year plan is to spend time with my friends and tell them I love them.”

9

wallawalla_ t1_iyef91t wrote

I did the same thing: studied env. science for my bachelors, but went back and did another two semesters to get a physics degree, and am now doing data analysis/science about as far from Env. Studies topics as I can get.

2

total_looser t1_iyapg3u wrote

Its the same with any “noble” pursuit … capitalism has regulatory capture over almost everything. Want to go into ed-tech? VCs will force you into the textbook scam. Insurance? Lolololo. You name it

8

netkcid t1_iyb6snf wrote

This is the ultimate failure of capitalism and I would even argue the human side of things is also being chopped up and either valued or left behind.

I miss humans doing human things with and for each other and not just checking boxes off for a job so money flows....

6

Techfuture2 t1_iyar3a7 wrote

As an environmental engineer in the recycling and waste industry, this is absolutely spot on.

4

carlitospig t1_iy9f8e4 wrote

As someone whose salary is 80% multi grant funded, I felt this deeply.

3

Autokrat t1_iybygso wrote

Lot of words to say capitalism is causing a mass extinction.

2

Lazaras t1_iy8hy70 wrote

The gross human trait of lacking empathy towards things that do not affect them sigh

55

420ipblood t1_iy8knxf wrote

Human? Pretty sure every living thing disregards other living things that don't affect them. But don't let me speak for the critters.

13

Lazaras t1_iy8llo0 wrote

We were gifted with enlightenment. It's literally how we can even have empathy. We aren't like most.

25

ShadowDurza t1_iy8ny2g wrote

If we're going to have the gall to call ourselves the owners of planet Earth, the least we can do is make an effort to preserve its environment and living creatures.

13

Carpenterdon t1_iyabd8v wrote

Humanity has no empathy! Individual humans can but our species as a whole does not.

2

PolarSparks t1_iy8r6au wrote

I think a lot about the relationship between humans, compassion, and animals.

If you spend time with pets, you’ll notice they have preferences. One of your dogs likes carrots, but the other likes tangerines. One likes frisbees, another tugs a big ‘ol stick out of the mud and lugs it around. You can chirp along in a conversation with your cat. These are observations you can make without leaving the house.

And you can say, “sure, but dogs and cats are intelligent,” as if the presence of personality doesn’t apply to other creatures. But that’s not the end of it. Birds have pecking orders and turtles prioritize foods. They fear, they react to pain. Not to mention, outside of domesticated animals there are many behaviors we don’t know about. It takes years of observation in natural (and sometimes, drastically shrinking) habitat and populations- there’s still a lot we don’t know about the natural world. SO much.

Whatever plane of existence humans exist on, there are other creatures that occupy that space as well. They may not posses our degree of articulation (nor may we have the capacity from a human perspective to understand them) but there is presence of being. That alone is enough give them value… especially if we, as a species, believe compassion to be a human trait. It shouldn’t even matter if we can glean intelligence or value.

20

MacAttack2015 t1_iy8s6kh wrote

We are the only planet, that we know of, that hosts an abundance of diverse life and yet we treat it like it isn't the most precious thing in existence. We only have one Earth, and you can't just buy new species or ecosystems. Our hubris could very well be our downfall.

18

hillsons t1_iy9bsfo wrote

To be fair, Earth will almost certainly recover and thrive once we're all gone.

8

VermtownRoyals t1_iy9pt7e wrote

That's what happens when so many believe the planet was created for them and them alone. Doesn't seem so bad when big sky daddy can just make it all better if we all just wish really hard

6

Moistfruitcake t1_iya84rn wrote

I agree, but many people need to understand the practical value of something to attribute value to it.

It's an easy argument to make though - every living thing is the result of billions of years of trial and error, with many of them having extremely specialised functions. Any living thing going extinct is the loss of data from billions of experiments, and any potential for the extraction of that sweet sweet value.

3

Carpenterdon t1_iyab2cv wrote

We are all heading for extinction, it just sucks we’re killing off animals faster then ourselves.

2

OverpoweredShark t1_iy8n8vl wrote

I love bats so much, they're adorable, helpful to the environment, and genuinely fascinating! This sucks to hear

15

Mysterious-Bid3930 t1_iy8vogq wrote

I care because it's an animal. Shouldn't that be enough?

13

TranquilSeaOtter t1_iy8wltk wrote

Enough to motivate Congress to do anything and have their constituents fine with their tax money to save it? No, it's not. If you want as much buy in as possible, you have to convince people it directly affects them otherwise not a single fuck will be given.

10

Mysterious-Bid3930 t1_iy90nm4 wrote

Just another thing on the list of what bums me out about this "self aware" species.

5

BillOfArimathea t1_iy9d2ia wrote

So the collapse of the bat population is worth 1/15 of a Twitter?

2

ZenWoofer t1_iybi62p wrote

Do we need a reason to care other than bats are cool?

2

Jealous-Elephant t1_iy8hbww wrote

The sad thing about this stuff is it’s not new. I learned about this 10 years ago in college and at that point it had been going on for years

195

Darkflame3324 t1_iy9y5a4 wrote

I remember hearing about it from a bat-lady in an elementary school program when I was 9 or so. Sad…

17

dbernard456 t1_iy8j9fs wrote

Bat immune system is really special, highly dependent on interferons that blocks viruses genes from replacating instead of a more standard mammal immune system.

They need this because of their very fast metabolism needed to power flight. If that was not the case, their immune system would go haywire and kill them quickly.

This all good however it has drawbacks, like making them vulnerable to fungi and making them a perfect incubator for all kind of viruses.

Those new viruses then can cross species create real great problems.

There is a reason why Covid is thought to have originated in bats.

145

[deleted] t1_iy90a6v wrote

[deleted]

−78

dbernard456 t1_iy91dda wrote

Go back and read my text.

...like making them vulnerable to fungi...

58

fastinserter t1_iy91m7k wrote

Yes but their susceptibility to fungi has to do with their immune system, as the person you were replying to noted.

22

blackadder1620 t1_iy8ljb4 wrote

We make shelters here in TN in caves for them to over winter. They are cool as fuck seeing in the summer.

87

ladyPHDeath t1_iyamna6 wrote

Exit 126 off of I40 is protected area for the bats. That's why on one side there is all the restaurants n gas stations. Over the bridge on the south side there's hardly anything.

9

blackadder1620 t1_iyaptvk wrote

We have some caves in Clarksville too, like a few million stay over winter.

3

[deleted] t1_iy8sp7x wrote

[deleted]

−2

letmestandalone t1_iy8u8bt wrote

Oh cool, they rediscover one of the crustaceans that was thought to be extinct. Also, if you read the wiki article, the cave was flooded due to the dam, not intentionally, and actually endangers the back colony.

9

radioloudly t1_iy8o6bq wrote

for anyone interested in helping bats, consider these options:

a) donate to your local bat rehabber (often aligned with universities) or a bat rehabber working with large populations like in Austin or PA

b) build bat boxes with plans like the ones on this page

c) call your local parks and rec department and ask them about installing bat boxes on park property and implementing bat friendly landscaping/land practices

59

Rickshmitt t1_iy8nsvx wrote

Its never yellow jackets or mosquitoes or ticks that get something that kills off their population.

55

Thalwegs t1_iy8s7zj wrote

You would hate the world that existed without yellow jackets or other wasps. The one without mosquitoes or ticks would be similarly changed for the worse. Like them or not, they're important to our ecosystems.

17

sennbat t1_iy8zxgz wrote

Has there ever been any evidence of the world being worse off without ticks in it? All the other animals listed I can see, but ticks are completely parasitic at every stage in their lifecycle, don't make up any significant part of any creatures diet that I can recall, and generally make things miserable for everything they interact with. Everything I've seen has put ticks as 'ecosystem non-contributors'. They don't have a bunch of redeeming qualities like, say, mosquitos do.

Driving ticks to extinction seems like it would have about the same negative impact as driving ebola or rabies to extinction.

23

Thalwegs t1_iy933vl wrote

For ticks specifically, not that I know of, but this is outside my realm of study. There is broadly evidence that parasites are beneficial, if not simply important to, ecosystem functioning: they can affect animal behavior, population control and dynamics, serve as prey, etc.

Here is a study hypothesizing benefits of parasites in broader ecosystem processes. For all that humanity does know, there is still an inordinate amount that it does not know, and we should not be so bold or naive to think that we can remove an entire group of organisms without cascading consequences.

8

Rickshmitt t1_iy9ev50 wrote

Makes sense. That parasite that culls bug populations when they get too large (unless thats been proven wrong like most science i learned in school). I certainly didnt think outside of what feeds on them. Skeeters do kill about 1 million people a year, so thats kind of them

3

petit_cochon t1_iy9v2cm wrote

Possums love ticks!

6

Atiggerx33 t1_iybdjm3 wrote

Opossums don't need them though. Like ticks aren't a large enough part of their diet that they'd starve to death without ticks.

3

aaaaaaaarrrrrgh t1_iybobyd wrote

>The one without mosquitoes

Without all of them, yes.

Without the human biting ones, no. There have been studies. We can wipe those off the face of the earth just fine. The birds etc. can just eat the other mosquito species.

4

Rickshmitt t1_iy8teuw wrote

I hate the world with them in it. Ill take my chances!

3

windexfresh t1_iy8trbb wrote

Funny that you mention the mosquitoes, because bats eat them.

A lot.

8

gullywalker t1_iy98gja wrote

I quit caving cause of the white nose syndrome. I miss it but gotta save the bats.

43

Harabeck t1_iy9ck79 wrote

There's a state park near me with awesome caves that I used to explore for hours. They're all blocked off now, which is sad, but worth it to help the bats.

25

BlackisCat t1_iyaftoi wrote

You are awesome dude(tte). I honestly wish more caves would either close to the public or have very thorough measures in place to ensure people are going in with clean shoes and no pets.

9

Blunkus t1_iyaslgl wrote

Most in my area closed in the last 5-10 years because of it. A shame. Obviously the bats and ecosystem is more important, but still a bummer.

4

creamy_cheeks t1_iydc514 wrote

is the fungus human caused? How do we eradicate it? I don't really understand how it can be combated

1

gullywalker t1_iye7nv7 wrote

I don’t know if it can be eradicated. I also don’t know if it’s human caused.

1

ToxicAdamm t1_iy8oea8 wrote

I was first made aware of this about 5 years ago when I visited Mammoth Cave. They go to some lengths to stop the spread (sanitize stations for your shoes), but they even admit that it's near impossible to stop tourists from dragging in spores from the outside.

28

Jims-Beans t1_iyabibc wrote

I went this summer and they’ve mostly stopped bothering with bringing in spores from the outside and are now focused on stopping people from bringing spores from inside the cave outside or to other parts

2

grayvic t1_iyaboqi wrote

Yeah NLE have been federally listed before so this is nothing new. A few other Myotis species (gray bay and Indiana bat) also are endangered. Sad stuff.

1

tdclark23 t1_iy8p9b3 wrote

We need to find a way to save bats from that disease or we will be overwhelmed by insects.

20

CalmerThanYouAre_716 t1_iy91h1w wrote

With the severe decline in bat populations everywhere, you'd expect to see an increase in the insect population. However, the opposite is true, insect populations are declining rapidly across the globe. I remember when I was a kid in the 80s, a car ride in the summer meant the front end of the car and windshield were plastered with dead insects. This just doesn't happen anymore.

16

Person899887 t1_iybl1yz wrote

How to help bats: leave them and their caves the fuck alone.

Lots of bat (and human) related disease is spread via contact. See a cave but don’t know much about your local bat population? Do not enter it.

7

TheStrayDog-0 t1_iy9dnlp wrote

I helped with some field research on the trees northern long ear like to roast in to help prevent habitat loss due to logging, and at the time the bat was listed as endangered in Minnesota due to the 97-100% population loss. I’m surprised it took this long for it to be generally listed as endangered since the field research I helped with was back in 2017.

5

EatsRats t1_iy9lzl2 wrote

They have been listed as federally threatened for quite a while now. This recent listing is an upgrade (downgrade I suppose) to federally endangered.

2

OrganicDroid t1_iyadwt1 wrote

Let me tell you how their habitat is protected under the Endangered Species Act - it’s really not. Oh, of course you can’t kill the bats while they are in the tree, you just wait till they’re [likely] gone to take down the tree. Potential habitat is still destroyed.

It’s weak regulation, in my opinion. I deal with these matters all the time and know it doesn’t go far enough.

5

flyfishinjax t1_iyd5aes wrote

Yea pretty much. It's only protected if it's a known habitat, and in the case of trees, which for NLEB are only used by females in the warmer months as maternity roosts, the service was just recommending that tree clearing acticities be conducted within the winter months and outside something like a 150-ft buffer of known hibernacula. I'm curious if the change in status will lead to that recommendation becoming a requirement, but even then I believe the agency is only involved if a federal nexus like permitting or grant funding comes into play, they aren't actively monitoring private development. At least that's my understanding of it.

2

__whitecheddar__ t1_iy94477 wrote

There’s a cave system that I’ve been to a couple times now that has an adjacent cave blocked off to keep the bat population alive bc of this disease. Like someone else said this isn’t new bc that cave has been blocked for 10 years now or more

4

lizard81288 t1_iy959e7 wrote

This looks like a case for Dr. Michael Morbius

2

roaddogg2k2 t1_iy9t5zs wrote

To bats... it's lethal. To humans....it's deadly.

2

Bhimtu t1_iya9z07 wrote

White-nose fungus. Bats are an important part of our ecosystems. This is distressing, but it's been a problem for more than 10 years now.

2

sneakyfeet13 t1_iyb8tm8 wrote

I found hairy white fungus on bats in prichards cave in Franklin TN nearly 20 years ago. I reported it to a game warden and was directed by the game warden to notify a scientist I guess that had ties with the university of Tennessee. The scientist told me to not get near the fungus and they asked for permission to access the cave for samples. They never contacted us after that and I always wondered what it was. Now I know I guess.

2

njgirlie t1_iycciun wrote

The way we are headed the only animals left are man, factory farmed animals, dogs, and cats.

2

alx924 t1_iy9skzg wrote

I first heard about white nose from Chuck Wendig’s Wanderers. Knowing this is a real problem freaks me out a bit

1

Tackleberry06 t1_iya224i wrote

Mosquito swarms cause airports to close will be next headline.

1

likeasir14 t1_iya66qq wrote

Been to Mammoth Cave multiple times over the past decade and after you do a tour you have to walk on soapy mats to clean your shoes to prevent whitenose. Hope they can help the bats

1

ProfessorRundy t1_iyabbsd wrote

So you are saying there's a Fungus among us?

1

lankypiano t1_iyarrjt wrote

How the fungus kills is distressing as well. This has been happening for a long time.

1

Hall-Double t1_iyasz0o wrote

All animals are part of the ecosystem ... It's a very fine balance.

1

Witch_e_ t1_iybcio1 wrote

Just learned about this at Kartchner Caverns, they sprayed our shoes with alcohol before entering the cave.

Super devastating!

1

Edgelordberg95 t1_iybfxag wrote

The Last of Us? Bats seem to often be metaphorical canaries in the coal mine of human immune response

1

aaaaaaaarrrrrgh t1_iybny8a wrote

Good thing the bats are providing a host for the endangered fungus then!

/s

1

Worldly_Ad1295 t1_iydmtnk wrote

I wondered why I was finding dead bats on my lawn in my driveway everywhere. Will this fungus affect humans or pets?

1

yupyepyupyep t1_iyf8d81 wrote

At least this time it wasn't caused by humans.

1

Honest-Guy83 t1_iy8opao wrote

I blame humans and global warming 🤷‍♂️because that’s always a good go to.

0

Otakushawty t1_iy9gklz wrote

Unless it’s an invasive species I think all living things contribute to the ecosystem in some way

0

palmettofoxes t1_iybv1w9 wrote

The fungus killing the native bats is thought to be invasive, from Europe.

2

fatboy1776 t1_iyaft1j wrote

Can’t we just get them wet and be careful not to feed after midnight?

−1

IronCoffins- t1_iyak2fl wrote

Please I’d like to have these mushrooms in my attic for my current problem

−1

JaceMace96 t1_iyca37p wrote

Humans get devistated by Mold yet they care more about bats

−1

TehJohnny t1_iycqj20 wrote

Guess you love being swarmed by insects when you leave your basement.

1

[deleted] t1_iy975xc wrote

[removed]

−11

EatsRats t1_iy9m3o0 wrote

Well, you are a 91 day old troll account in search of attention afterall.

3

sloppyredditor t1_iy8csvl wrote

>Named for white, fuzzy spots that appear on infected bats, white-nose syndrome attacks bats’ wings, muzzles and ears when they hibernate in caves...

Imagine Bruce Wayne ripping a few lines and heading off to fight crime.

−12

TheDankNoodle t1_iy8l902 wrote

How else would he stay up to be Bruce Wayne during the day and Batman all night?

0

boundbylife t1_iy8l5qw wrote

I am so torn about this. on the one hand, bats are TREMENDOUS consumers of pests, making them invaluable for agriculture. On the other hand, due to their hyperactive immune system, they are prime vectors for rabies.

−18

radioloudly t1_iy8lw5p wrote

the impact on agriculture they have is much larger than the chance of being bitten by a rabid bat

17

BrainCrane t1_iy8p0dp wrote

While you're correct about bats being the leading cause of rabies, there are only about 1-3 cases of rabies reported in the US each year. There's not a lot to be torn about, we need bats. Plain and simple. In a night of hunting, some bats will eat an insect every other second. Mosquito, fly, midge, moth and locust populations would all skyrocket if we didn't have bats. This is very bad news for us all. It seems hopeless, but another reason bat populations are declining so rapidly is loss of habitat, so please build, buy and install bat houses wherever possible. A couple bat houses across a town can provide a good shelter to over a thousand bats.

8

Traherne t1_iy8bnk9 wrote

I cry for the endangered fungus.

−26

willbot858 t1_iy8exep wrote

I was having a hard time with this title too. Put a comma somewhere for the love of…

5

willbot858 t1_iy94b6b wrote

Not sure why all the downvotes. Clearly this was about the title using incorrect English.

3