# Are bats doing okay these days?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bats-doing-okay-these-days/476369>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 9, 2008, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bats-doing-okay-these-days/476369 "2008-12-09T07:40:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bats-doing-okay-these-days/476369/1 "2008-12-09T07:40:01Z")

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I live in the East Bay Area in California, and every night a little after dark I can hear my local bats flying out en masse looking for bugs with their echolocation.

And I’m just wondering, is there someone on the board here who knows whether bats are flourishing or languishing in the modern ecosystem? Do they have a harder time finding bugs in winter? Are they having a harder time finding roosts?

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**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bats-doing-okay-these-days/476369/2 "2008-12-09T08:30:12Z")

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Well, bats have always had a hard time finding bugs in the winter, that’s one of the reasons they hibernate, so they don’t need to find bugs that aren’t really there.

Some species are doing OK, some are endangered. This is my husband’s favorite [bat website](http://www.batworld.org/) which may have some of the information you’re seeking.

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**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bats-doing-okay-these-days/476369/3 "2008-12-09T14:24:10Z")

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“[White-nose syndrome](http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08118/876982-85.stm)” (a fungal disease) is posing a significant threat to northeastern US bats.

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bats-doing-okay-these-days/476369/4 "2008-12-09T17:35:57Z")

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Is there a map or chart or something showing what species of bats inhabit which parts of the US?

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**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bats-doing-okay-these-days/476369/5 "2008-12-09T17:53:22Z")

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Last year I heard that on major group was dying in the USA. You might wish to google for that.

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-bats-doing-okay-these-days/476369/6 "2008-12-10T04:37:07Z")

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They are now pretty sure bats might be the animals that harbor ebola and marburg