Missouri Caves
Missouri has more than 6,300 caves that support over 900 species of animals. These caves are formed by water seeping through the limestone and dolomite bedrock that underlies much of Missouri.
Cave-dependent species have always been rare because their habitat is limited. Protecting the fragile balance of cave environments is critical to the survival of these communities.
Help keep bat disease out of Missouri—
Clean and decontaminate your cave gear!
White Nose Syndrome Update
May 28, 2009
Dead bats with a fuzzy white fungus on their noses first appeared in four New England states in the winter of 2006-2007. Since then, “white nose syndrome” has moved to a total of nine states and as far west as Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It has killed perhaps 500,000 bats of six different species, including one that is federally endangered. Scientists speculate that WNS is transmitted bat-to-bat, but they also think it could be airborne and human-borne, especially by cavers and others who frequent caves and mines. White nose syndrome has not appeared in Missouri, and there is no evidence that it infects other wildlife, livestock, pets or humans.
This U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service video shows how bats with WNS in New England behave.
What we’re doing to slow the spread
Although the U.S. Forest Service’s Midwestern Region, including Mark Twain National Forest (Missouri), recently announced closure of its caves for one year, no other agency in Missouri has announced additional cave closures. This is because it is difficult to enforce such an action without installing many special steel cave gates. An interagency planning meeting was held in Rolla, Mo., on April 23, 2009, to discuss contingencies, and public agencies know they may have to restrict access to important and vulnerable bat caves if WNS comes nearer.
Meanwhile, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the organized caving community are on the lookout for WNS. The National Speleological Society and other organizations are funding research into the causes of WNS and how to disinfect caving gear. MDC is participating in a soil-sampling study in select caves across Missouri to determine if the associated fungus occurs there. MDC biologists are continuing their long-term studies of many caves to monitor wildlife populations.
- Cavers—please clean and decontaminate your cave gear!
Disinfect caving gear according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's recent advisory - Don’t use caving gear in Missouri that has been used in states affected by WNS or states adjoining those affected states.
Report signs of WNS
- Dead bats with white fungus on their wings, ears, faces or noses
- Bats flying outside caves during winter
William R. Elliott, PhD
Cave Biologist/Resource Scientist
Missouri Department of Conservation
Cave Lab, Runge Conservation Nature Center
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180
573-522-4115, ext. 3194
Bill.Elliott@mdc.mo.gov
Biospeleology
Tony Elliott
Resource Scientist
Missouri Department of Conservation
3500 S. Baltimore
Kirksville, MO 63501
660-785-2424, ext. 257
Tony.Elliott@mdc.mo.gov
WNS facts
- As of May 21, 2009, WNS has appeared in the following nine states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont and West Virginia.
- White nose syndrome is a health problem in cave and mine bats, with early starvation and loss of body fat during hibernation, wakefulness and mass die-offs.
- Affected bats fly around outside their caves in winter when they should be hibernating.
- Many of the bats have a white fungus infection (geomyces) visible on the face, wings and ears.
- Scientists don’t know whether the fungus is a cause or symptom of poor health.
- Scientists think geomyces could be a secondary infection resulting from poor health. They do know that the fungus is an irritant to the bats and may keep them from hibernating well, thus driving them to lose more weight.
- The fungus thrives in chilly, damp caves and mines, just the sort of place many bats hibernate.
- Geomyces does not survive higher temperatures very well, and the syndrome fades in summer but returns in winter.
- Scientists do not know at this time exactly how the syndrome is spread. Several routes of transmission are considered possible until definitive studies have been completed.
Related websites
National Speleological Society
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Bat Conservation International
