Hibernating bats in New York and Vermont, including endangered Indiana bats which are also found in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee are dying at an alarming rate, and we don’t know why. The dead bats are apparently infected by a fungus which often forms white tufts on the bats’ muzzles, giving the name white nose syndrome, or WNS. In addition to the white muzzle, dead bats appear to have used up their winter fat stores and have congregated much closer to cave entrances than usual. Researchers are trying to determine if the fungus itself is responsible for the deaths or if its presence is symptomatic of another problem.