Wildlife officials are closely watching bats roosting in a Wake County stormwater system for signs that they could be wiped out by a life-threatening fungus spreading nationwide.
The Southeastern myotis bat is one of 17 bat species in North Carolina, growing to between 3 1/2 to 4 inches long, with a 10-inch wingspan, and living on average about 21 years.
Weighing slightly more than a quarter, the bat is covered in short, wooly fur and has long hairs extending past its claws, helping to differentiate it from other myotis, or mouse-eared, bats, said Olivia Munzer, Western Piedmont Habitat Conservation coordinator for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission…