Can we plausibly tie these bat declines to SUVs?

To the Bats Immobile!

A cold-weather-loving white fungus associated with huge bat die-offs in the U.S. Northeast has been identified by scientists, but its role in over 100,000 bat deaths in the region is still poorly understood. "Essentially, hibernating bats are getting moldy as they hang from their cave ceiling," said lead author David Blehert. "It's decimating the cave-bat populations."

June '08: Batty

In March, the Albany Times-Union ran the headline Bat deaths linked to climate change. The story quoted one state pathologist who said that global warming -- read that as "man-made global warming" -- was causing bats to go into hibernation later, after the number of bugs to fatten up on for the winter had peaked, leaving them to starve to death.

June '08: Climate change blamed for bat declines

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A state biologist blames climate change for the sharp decline in a bat common in Missouri.

The number of Indiana bats in Missouri has plummeted as winter temperatures in their hibernation caves have risen. Numbers of the Indiana bat, which is on both the federal and the Missouri endangered list, hold steady elsewhere in Eastern and Midwestern states.