Bats in eastern parts of the United States and Canada are dying out from a new disease.

White-nose syndrome, named for the white fungi on muzzles and wings, makes bats restless, depleting their reserves of body fat during hibernation. The fungi – first found in February 2006 in a New York cave – are considered the likely cause of the disease.

According to a Wired article, biologist Winifred Frick said: "Yes, we had the empirical observations that cave floors were littered with dead bats. [...] But nobody had quantified the impact to the populations. We didn’t know what those die-offs meant to population viability as a species."

Frick and her colleagues analyzed the last 30 years of population data for the most common and most-studied species of bat in North America, the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). If recent trends continue, the researchers predict a "99 percent chance of regional extinction of little brown myotis within the next 16 years."

The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University has released a list of the top 10 species discovered in 2009.

The list is taken from the 20 000 newly discovered species that are found each year and includes such organisms as a plant that eats rats and a fish with vampire fangs. It is a good start if you want to learn about the variety of living things in the world, and how little about them we know, or even if you just want to create a unique fursona.

Squirrels may be small, but are extremely complex creatures.

Squirrels will actively try to deceive people, pretending to hide their nuts when they think they are being watched, but actually keeping them hidden in their mouths. They have different calls for different things and can learn by watching other species, even humans. Physically they have a number of exceptional features, like the ability to jump ten times their body length.

Researchers studying meerkats have found different groups follow different traditions that are passed on non-genetically. They noticed that different meerkat groups wake up at different times, and that immigrants adjust to the group's traditional waking hour.

Read more: Multi-generational persistence of traditions in neighbouring meerkat groups

Not wanting to let Arizona get all the glory, the Ohio Senate has passed a bill banning the creation of "human-animal hybrids."

The bill was supported by the Ohio Christian Alliance and threatens violators with up to a year in jail, and a minimum fine of $250,000 if they make a profit.

The common musk turtle, Sternotherus odoratus, turns out to have an unusual ability: breathing underwater through its tongue.

In a paper, Austrian researchers describe how they noticed the turtle's curious eating habits under high-speed video, and used a scanning electron microscope to examine the lingual papillae.

The same group previously explained how a newt used its ribs as poisonous barbs, puncturing its own skin and that of animal hoping to consume it.

Also from the BBC: The "lost world" of Papua – Argonaut octopuses sail through sea

Hyena giggles may convey important information about the age and status of individuals, as this BBC article explains.

Read more: What the hyena's laugh tells by Frederic Theunissen, Nicolas Mathevon and UC Berkeley researchers.

Politico notes the Arizona state legislature's attempt to ban human-animal hybrids. [Bos'n]

Senate bill 1307, which passed 16-12, prohibits (among other things):

• creating or attempting to create an in vitro human embryo by any means other than fertilization of a human egg by a human sperm.
• creating or attempting to create a human-animal hybrid
• transferring or attempting to transfer a human embryo into a nonhuman womb
• transferring or attempting to transfer a nonhuman embryo into a human womb, and
• transporting or receiving for any purpose a human-animal hybrid

The Onion News Network reports on a development in human-gorilla communication:

A south Londoner has been sentenced to life in prison after he used a pit-bull cross-breed in a deadly attack on 16-year-old and his friend.

Oluwaseyi Ogunyemi was stabbed six times; his friend, Hurui Hiyabu, nine times. The dog, Tyson, was also injured. A blood trail led to his owner's conviction. Detectives say it was the first time DNA evidence from a dog was used to link an owner to a murder.

The sale of illegal pit-bull puppies is lucrative, and a common problem. The Staffordshire bull-terrier/bull-mastiff is likely to be put down.

ScienceDaily reports on recently-published research at the University of Florida to create a hydrophobic surface that resembles spider hair.

The key, according to UF professor Wolfgang Sigmund, is the material's chaotic structure, which mixes long/short and curved/straight hairs.

The effect relies entirely on the material's structure. An oil-repellent version is also possible, though the relevant research is yet to be published.

Want to know how popular you are on Fur Affinity? FA Rank, by Taren Nauxen, will tell you.

The site uses a form of the PageRank algorithm, which forms the basis for Google's rankings. Watched users gain points which are distributed among their own watchlist.

Not everyone thinks it's a good idea, with an old straw poll showing 42% in favour of closing the site. However, FA admin Dragoneer appears unconcerned.

For those wishing to know full details, source code for the ranking system is available.

Yes, this is old news, but it was never covered here and the rankings were updated recently.