Wing and a prayer: how probiotics might save bat species from a killer fungus

Deadly Bat Fungus Races Northward, Reaching Canada’s Arctic Colonies

Deep inside a limestone cave beneath a boreal forest near Fort Smith in Canada’s Northwest Territories, two biologists crawling through a narrow passage made a grim discovery in May: a lifeless bat sprawled on a rock ledge, its body coated in a delicate, spindly white fungus. Moments later, their headlamps revealed a second bat, fungal growth spreading across its forearms. Startled, the creature hissed and retreated into a crevice. The culprit i…

Wing and a prayer: how probiotics might save bat species from a killer fungus

Bat experts were shocked at how fast white-nose syndrome had spread to Canada’s northernmost colonies from the US. Now, the race is on to find a cure before species disappear Crawling through a narrow passage in a cave beneath a boreal forest near Fort Smith in Canada’s Northwest Territories in May, two biologists spotted a…