The world’s amphibians cannot catch a break. Climate change, habitat loss, and the spread of chytrid fungus already contribute to declining populations. Now, a deadly virus is ravaging Spain’s toads and newts, and may spread to other amphibian species across a wide geographic range, according to a study published last week in Current Biology.

Unusual amphibian deaths first appeared in Spain’s Picos de Europa National Park in 2005 when animals exhibited skin lesions, limb necrosis, and internal hemorrhaging; some even vomited blood. With help from colleagues at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid and park biologists, researchers with the University College London began observing population trends and collecting tissue samples from six amphibian species at different life stages from 15 sites around the park between 2005 and 2012. Using a series of genetic techniques including polymerase chain reaction, targeted sequencing, and comparative genomics, they identified the culprit as two new strains of a ranavirus called Common Midwife Toad Virus (CMTV).

Ranaviruses are found on every continent except Africa, and have a wide range of hosts including fish and reptiles. Over the past decade, Europe has seen its fair share of CMTV outbreaks — the virus was implicated in amphibian deaths in the Netherlands, Belgium, and more recently France. Until now however, CMTV has never been linked to such catastrophic population declines in more than one species.

“The capacity of these viruses to infect multiple species means that there is the possibility that some host populations may be extirpated due to infection,” said lead author Stephen Price in a press release. “Pathogens that can exploit more than one host simultaneously are able to persist even when one host drops to low numbers, and eventually zero, because there is another susceptible host available.”

The team’s study found decreases between 60 to 100 percent in populations of the common midwife toad (Altyes obstetricans), alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris), and common toad (Bufo bufo). And although three additional species (Rana temporaria, Lissotriton helveticus, and Salamadra salamandra) suffered less severe declines, they tested positive for the virus. Unfortunately, affected populations in some observed areas showed no signs of rebound after five years and are feared extirpated.

The source of the virus and how it spread remain unclear. However, Price and his colleagues hypothesize that CMTV may have been introduced at multiple locations throughout the park by human transportation of infected material along with livestock and equipment. Further genetic testing of the virus — including phylogenetic analysis, which Price plans to do in the future — should provide more clues.

Flying at night should be old hat for bats, but this routine feat is becoming increasingly dangerous. Tens to hundreds of thousands of migratory bats turn up dead at the bases of wind turbines every year, and now scientists may know why.

Bats that primarily roost in trees, such as hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) and eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis), make up more than three quarters of bat fatalities at wind-energy sites in North America. Marcos Gorresen from the University of Hawaii thinks bats may confuse the turbines for trees — a mistake that could be fatal.

Gorresen and a team of scientists studied the behavior of migratory bats approaching turbines at a wind farm in Benton County, Ind., from July 29 to October 1, 2012. They analyzed more than 1,300 hours of thermal and near-infrared video footage looking for bats zipping across or tumbling through what Gorresen calls the “danger zone” — the area where turbine rotors and blades sweep through the air.

They found bats were selective about how they interacted with turbines. When wind conditions were favorable, the bats approached operational turbines from downwind where air currents are calmer, according to the study recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Once wind speeds reached over three feet per second, bats were less likely to approach turbines.

The results may help wind-energy companies better focus their bat mortality mitigation strategies. One popular method to discourage bats from visiting wind farms employs sound deterrent devices, which reduce bat fatalities by up to 50 percent. “To keep [bats] completely away might not be possible,” said Gorresen. “We just want to reduce the amount of time that they spend in close proximity to the danger zone.”

Currently, the devices send acoustic signals out in all directions. Using these new findings, wind-energy companies can focus the sound downwind where they know bats are likely to be. Companies also could set their turbines to activate at higher wind speeds.

The Wildlife Society and the Virginia Chapter of The Wildlife Society each submitted comments to a committee charged by the Virginia State’s legislature with reviewing current policies that prohibit hunting over bait in the state. The committee requested the Society’s input in its review.

The letters pulled heavily from TWS’s Technical Review and Position Statement on Baiting & Supplemental Feeding, as well as recent studies to outline the known impacts of using bait. TWS asked the committee to fully consider the positive and negative impacts baiting would have on wildlife and hunters – including increased harvest success, disease transmission risks, and potential habitat damage – in its review.