Photo: Bat Deaths in U.S. Northeast Baffle Experts

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Bats in New York display "white nose syndrome," a mysterious ailment that has been causing bats to die off by the thousands as they hibernate in New York and Vermont, state officials announced.

The white on affected animals' muzzles has been identified as a type of fungus, but experts are unsure if the fungus is the cause of the disease or merely a symptom.

Photograph by Alan Hicks, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

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