Happy Halloween, lovely followers! I took advantage of the holiday to talk about bats—one of my favorite animals, and a keystone species. Bats are typically not something we humans think about—after all, they’re elusive, nocturnal, and many think of them as creepy. But bats play essential roles in preserving the health of our ecosystem. Pacific Northwest bats in particular are insectivorous, ridding humans of millions of pesky bugs, and saving us billions of dollars in agricultural costs per year. Yet, new data shows populations of Pacific Northwest bats are on the decline from environmental hazards and a mysterious fungal disease called White Nose Syndrome, two issues regional and national scientists are working rapidly to understand. But there’s much the average person can do to help bolster the survival of these little eco-superheroes, too.
You can read the full article here.
