Biologists with the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife say Maine is losing its bats. Some bat species have declined as much as 98 percent and officials are looking for help from citizens.

The decline in the Maine bat population is due to ‘white-nose syndrome’, a fungal disease that attacks hibernating bats. It has spread at an alarming rate in 25 states and Canada.

The fungus causes hibernating bats to awake repeatedly during the winter, burning up limited fat reserves. They often leave hibernation sites in late winter, dehydrated and in search of food, and ultimately dying. The disease is past from bat to bat.

The state is asking residents to report bat colonies to the Maine Bat Colony Identification Program via an online survey at maine.gov. They say the survey will help biologists locate existing colonies and assist with understanding the health of the state’s bat population at large. There are eight species of bat in Maine. There are two on the state’s endangered list - the little brown bat and the northern long-eared bat.

 

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