Fungus kills off 90% of N.J. bats

http://www.northjersey.com/news/040210_bats.html

A fungus has killed off about 90 percent of the state's bat population, according to scientists who recently conducted a count of hibernating bats.

The devastation was shocking in the largest hibernation spot for bats in New Jersey - Morris County's Hibernia Mine. As many as 30,000 bats normally spend the winter, but a recent count found only about 1,700 alive - and many of those showed signs of infection, said Mick Valent, principal zoologist with the state's Endangered and Non-game Species Program.

“The results we had from Hibernia Mine were certainly not good news,â€