Survival Observation Essay

This paper explores a regional issue of White-Nose Syndrome in bats throughout Missouri. Left untreated this fungus could cause several endangered bat species to become extinct. There are several new experiments to see if we can control the spread of White-Nose Syndrome including exposing bats to a bacterium, creating man made hibernation stations or other changes within the bats makeup. The best results we have seen so far must go back to the preservation of a banana. This bacterium may be the best way to preserve our current way of life without hopefully changing to world around us greatly as well.

I can distinctly remember myself as a young child walking outside at dusk and looking up into the sky seeing a recurring black cloud floating above, swooping and diving like a synchronized ballet above me. Now, sixteen or so odd years later when I visit my parents country home in North Georgia, I no longer see the performance dancing above me. This is a sad reminder of a much bigger issue. The issue I am referring to is the huge decline in the eastern bat population due to WNS or White Nose Syndrome.

Colorado, known for the Rocky Mountains, is a gorgeous place to be. The rectangular state rich with wildlife, covers 104,185 square miles. In the black timber, it is dark and silent, not a sound to be heard. The thick pine trees block out most of the sunlight, only to see about seventy-five yards. The terrain is brutal, almost straight up and down, but the elk love it because it is a challenge for hunters to see them. As I walk my favorite ridgeline in the black timber, I watch for the slightest movement and listen for the smallest crack. Watching thirteen-lined ground squirrels run around and chase each other can be humorous when they fall down from trees. My adrenaline pumps and heart races at a million miles per hour as I wait patiently

. The Indiana bats spend the summer months living solitarily or in very small groups of less than ten individuals.

White nose syndrome is a fungal disease that has been devastating North American bat populations since 2006. It is characterized by a white “fuzzy muzzle”, wing lesions, and mortality. The epidemic has killed over 6.7 million bats to date; yet the majority of hibernating bats are not listed on the Endangered Species Act. Pseudogymnoascus destructans is the fungal pathogen that is both psychrophilic and keratinophilic and it invades the bats at a time when they are actively suppressing respiration, have a slowed metabolism, lowered body temperature and a weakened immune system. Scientists have observed unusual flying patterns during hibernation periods. Early on physiological disturbances are proposed to take place causing the most impacted

yotis alcathoe, the Alcathoe bat, is a small European bat. First described in 2001 from specimens taken from Greece and Hungary, its known distribution has expanded to include parts of Western and Central Europe, Spain, Italy, the Balkans, Sweden, and Azerbaijan. It is similar to the whiskered bat (M. mystacinus), but its brown fur is distinctive, and DNA sequencing has shown it to be a separate species. M. alcathoe has a forearm length of 30.8 to 34.6 mm (1.21 to 1.36 in) and a body mass of 3.5 to 5.5 g (0.12 to 0.19 oz). The fur is brown on the wings, usually reddish-brown on the upperparts, and brown below, but more grayish in juveniles. It has a very high-pitched echolocation call, with a frequency that falls from 120 kHz to about 43 kHz

However, by exploring deeper into the structure of a bat and its mind and, human may eventually understand how it feels like for a bat to experience being a

After reviewing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife endangered species list (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2017) for species near my home, I had found an endangered known as the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). The Indiana bat is a medium-sized species of bat that has a close resemblance to that of the little brown bat. The Indiana bat is most commonly found around the great lakes region. In the summer time the Indiana bat can usually be found in a forested habitat. While in the winter they are known to hibernate as colonies in caves (Wildlife Department 2011).

In early 2011, a strange, haunting discovery was made on the coast of Portland, Maine. A group of tourists enjoying a luxury sunset cruise spotted an unusually large, bat-like creature making its way along the cliff face, and disappearing into a dark cave.

Rangers at the Mammoth Cave National Park took very seriously the prospect of human transmission of White Nose syndrome to their bat populations and took several preventative measures to stop the spread of it. All the visitors were screened to see if the fungus was on their cloths, shoes, or accessories as they entered the park. Although they took these preventative measures, they were unable to stop the fungus from infiltrating their populations. Bats in areas of the cave that the average visitor was not permitted to explore began showing signs of having the disease in about 2013, proving it was not introduced by humans. To somewhat contain the fungus, visitors, as they leave, they walk across bio-hazardous mats, which collects the dirt from people’s shoes where the fungus harbors. Because humans are one of the two known carriers of the fungus, this measure was introduced in the hopes that they will not take with them the fungus as they return to their home. Having already begun to spread west from its east coast roots, using these protocols could delay the western expansion of the fungus. The rangers also have geography on their side. The vast open plans that separate the national park from the mountains on the west coast will also serve as a buffer in the spread. If the fungus can be contained, scientist will have an easier time studying its effects allowing for a speedier recovery of the bats, a species who desperately needs our

The population has subsequently rebounded in the U.S., due in part to the tireless work of Medellin and his conservationist colleagues living on either of the US-Mexico border. The positive outcome, along with Medellin’s lifelong interest in bats led to his “bat man” moniker.

Here in Livingston County, we have got a lot of calls from homeowners having issues with bats in their attics. This Winter has been on the mild side for us which has made bats more active.

Bats commonly enter buildings through openings associated with the roof edge and valleys, eaves, apex of the gable, chimney, attic or roof vent, dormers, and siding. Other openings can be found under loose-fitting doors, around windows, gaps around various conduits (wiring, plumbing, air conditioning) that pass through walls, and through utility vents.

Bats, why study bats? Although we may not see them all the time, they are here. Bats can be found anywhere in the world except for the Polar Regions. Bats are nocturnal, which means they only fly at night. Sometimes during the winter seasons, bats choose to fly a little earlier, closer to sunset. There is an extreme variety of bats. There are about 1,240 different bat species worldwide.

The area of my observation for this assignment is located off the Lakeshore running path. It is near the edge of Lake Mendota and it is close to Dejope Dining Hall. I observed this area on November 29th at around 3:05 p.m. The wildlife environment that I observed consisted of an assortment of dead plants and leaves on the ground. Near the edge of the water stands a slanted tree that is almost touching the water. The path towards the water’s edge is now accessible to walk towards due to the lack of shrubs now present. In close proximity to where I stood, there is a small patch of land and a prutting log in the lake where ducks and seagulls gathered to rest on. A few feet away from the edge of the land where a female and a male duck swam towards the log.