I think it’s this man’s Birthday or summit?
Happy Birthday, Asshole.
Love <3
To raise both awareness and money to help fund a charity involved with combatting White Nose Syndrome in Bats by creating and selling a zine. Said zine would be constructed from various collaborators contributing art, comics, stories, essays, photographs, infographics and the like. The end…
A great cause! Follow and support the fight to stop WNS spreading any further and destroying our worlds bat population.
What is white nose syndrome?
White nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal infection that affects hibernating bats in North America and Europe. It is caused by the fungus Geomyces destructans, which infects the skin of the nose, ears, and wings of insectivorous bats. It is psychrophilic, meaning it grows best in cold temperatures, and its optimal temperature matches that of bat hibernacula. Some species of bat are particularly vulnerable to infection, such as the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), as they are already endangered.
The symptoms of WNS include white fungal growths on the nose and wings of bats and scarring of the wing membranes. Infected bats may also come out of hibernation too soon and starve, as they lose body fat through excessive activity and food is still scarce. The mortality rate of some species is believed to be around 95%, and WNS is reported to be responsible for the deaths of up to 6.7 million bats in North America alone.
The main mode of transmission for WNS is between bats as they roost. However, Geomyces destructans has been found in soil of some caves, so it may be possible that it could spread via human clothing. As a precaution, some caves in North America now have a restriction on the number of visitors, and some have been closed entirely.
Photo: Myotis lucifugus by Al Hicks.
PREACH. We need to save our beloved bats!!!
I reboot info about white-nose syndrome whenever I see it.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning.”
― Albert Einstein, Relativity: The Special and the General Theory
(Source: mazikins)
Brace yourselves, it’s time for another visit to the Department of Debilitatingly Awesome Cuteness as we meet Blossom the bat in Queensland, Australia:
Blossom is a Blossom Bat who was rescued after a suspected cat attack and taken to Bat Conservation & Rescue Queensland where, if these photos are any indication, she was lovingly cared for by Louise Saunders.
“Blossom Bats are nectar specialists which feed and groom themselves with the aid of their long tongues. They are known to hover in front of flowers as they forage and are important pollinators of many rainforest plants. A baby at the time of arrival, the little bat was fed a nectar mix recipe and the occasional milk formula. Blossom gradually gained weight and began to practice flying during the night. Often she would dart in and out of rooms and even hover above Louise as she slept before retiring to her little brown bag at dawn.”
We’re pleased to report that the impossibly cute Blossom completely recovered and was eventually released back into the wild on Macleay Island in Queensland, Australia.
Head over to ZooBorns to learn more about Blossom Bats and view even more photos (and video!) of Blossom.
I am unbelievably susceptible to cute bat photos. Even more so when there’s a happy ending for said cute bat.
evilsoutherngentleman said: Holy hell that’s amazing
*blush* Thank you, sir. You are both villanous and kind.
