TRAVERSE CITY, MI (AP)— U.S. officials are proposing to list the tricolored bat as endangered.
It's among a dozen bat species across the nation suffering sharp declines because of white-nose syndrome. The fungal disease disrupts their winter hibernation and leads to dehydration and starvation.
The tricolored bat's historic range includes 39 states east of the Rocky Mountains, plus four Canadian provinces and parts of Mexico and Central America.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed changing the northern long-eared bat's designation from threatened to endangered, meaning they've also reached the brink of extinction.
Bats give an important boost to the farm economy by eating insects and pollinating crops.
