Bats Worth Billions to Agriculture

From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Bats Worth Billions to Agriculture — Tiny insect-eating bats, some about the size of an adult thumb, are responsible for saving at least three billion dollars a year in U.S. agriculture a year. How? By eating large amounts on pests that eat or damage our crops. However, bats are among the most overlooked, economically important, non-domesticated animals in North America. 

Over the past four years, bat populations are at risk in some areas of the country as a result of white-nose syndrome, a new and devastating fungal disease. Additionally, scientists are also concerned with the potential losses of certain species of migratory bats at wind-energy facilities. Photo credit: Paul Cryan, USGS.

Learn more: http://on.doi.gov/1XoPQFO

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