Animal
Little brown bat
Myotis lucifugus
Once the most-common bat across most of North America — and now in catastrophic decline due to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease first detected in New York State in 2006 that has killed an estimated 90%+ of regional little brown bats. The species persists at greatly reduced numbers on Staten Island; large insect prey base means SI's bats provide significant pest-control services where populations remain. WNS is one of the largest wildlife-disease catastrophes in modern U.S. history.
Scientific
Myotis lucifugus is a small (5–14 g) insectivorous bat — historically among the most-common bats across the U.S. and Canada. Roosts in caves and abandoned mines in winter (hibernation), buildings and tree cavities in summer. Diet: flying insects, especially mosquitoes, moths, beetles, and midges. A single individual can consume hundreds of insects per night.
White-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the cold-loving fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, was first detected in a hibernation cave in [[beacon-ny|New York]] State in 2006. The fungus colonizes bats’ faces, wings, and bodies during winter hibernation, disrupting torpor cycles and causing the bats to emerge during winter — leading to starvation, dehydration, and death.
Regional mortality has been catastrophic: ~90%+ population decline of little brown bats and several other Myotis species across affected eastern North America. Some populations have stabilized at low numbers; recovery is slow and uncertain.
On Staten Island
Persists at greatly reduced numbers from pre-WNS levels. Roosts in buildings, tree cavities, and bridge structures; hibernation sites are off-borough (caves and mines elsewhere in the region). Where populations remain, the species provides significant insect-control services.
The borough’s other resident bat species — particularly [[big-brown-bat|big brown bat]] (Eptesicus fuscus) — has been less affected by WNS and remains more abundant.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Counterpart to: [[bioregion]]
- Member of: [[animal]]
- Contained by: [[staten-island]]
Sources
- USGS National Wildlife Health Center white-nose syndrome research
- [[beacon-ny|New York]] State DEC bat-monitoring records
- Long-term WNS mortality and recovery literature
Rooted in life.
What links here, and how
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Scientific
counterpart to
- Big brown bat big brown bat is less susceptible to white-nose syndrome than little brown bat; the species' relative abundance on the borough has shifted accordingly over the past 20 years
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