What is White Nose Syndrome (WNS)?

There has been a lot of talk recently about the deadly fungus, White Nose Syndrome (WNS), negatively impacting bat populations across the United States.  But what is WNS?

According to the USGS, White Nose Syndrome (Geomyces destructans) is a fungus impacting bat populations across the north-eastern and central portions of the U.S.  First discovered in 2006, WNS has caused the death of millions of insect eating bats across 19 states and 4 Canadian provinces.  The disease infects the skin, muzzle, ears and wings of bats and appears as a white fungus. 

Bats infected with WNS  display abnormal behaviors such as hibernating close to the mouth of the cave they are hibernating in, flying during the day-time hours during winter, and an increased time spent out of hibernation.  These occurrences contribute to the bats using up their fat reserves, causing emaciation, and a portion of the bats that die as a result of WNS. Estimates have suggested that 80% of bat populations have decreased since the on-set of White Nose Syndrome and it is suggested that populations will not rebound quickly because most hibernating species are long-lived and only reproduce one pup each year. 

This map, provided by the USGS, indicates the presence of White Nose Syndrome across North America.