Bats: A World of Science and MysteryThere are more than 1,300 species of bats—or almost a quarter of the world’s mammal species. But before you shrink in fear from these furry “creatures of the night,” consider the bat’s fundamental role in our ecosystem. A single brown bat can eat several thousand insects in a night. Bats also pollinate and disperse the seeds for many of the plants we love, from bananas to mangoes and figs. Bats: A World of Science and Mystery presents these fascinating nocturnal creatures in a new light. Lush, full-color photographs portray bats in flight, feeding, and mating in views that show them in exceptional detail. The photos also take the reader into the roosts of bats, from caves and mines to the tents some bats build out of leaves. A comprehensive guide to what scientists know about the world of bats, the book begins with a look at bats’ origins and evolution. The book goes on to address a host of questions related to flight, diet, habitat, reproduction, and social structure: Why do some bats live alone and others in large colonies? When do bats reproduce and care for their young? How has the ability to fly—unique among mammals—influenced bats’ mating behavior? A chapter on biosonar, or echolocation, takes readers through the system of high-pitched calls bats emit to navigate and catch prey. More than half of the world’s bat species are either in decline or already considered endangered, and the book concludes with suggestions for what we can do to protect these species for future generations to benefit from and enjoy. From the tiny “bumblebee bat”—the world’s smallest mammal—to the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox, whose wingspan exceeds five feet, A Battery of Bats presents a panoramic view of one of the world’s most fascinating yet least-understood species. |
Contents
Ancient Bats | 36 |
Taking Off | 60 |
How Bats See with Sound | 80 |
What Bats Eat | 102 |
Where Bats Hang Out | 130 |
Life Histories of Bats | 156 |
Behavior of Bats | 182 |
Bats and Disease | 204 |
Bats and People | 224 |
Conservation of Bats | 246 |
Whats Next in Bats? | 266 |
284 | |
Acknowledgements | 287 |
288 | |
293 | |
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Common terms and phrases
adult Africa animals bat biologists bat houses bat species bat's bats eat bats live bats roosting behavior Big Brown Bats birds birth bite blood body bones Brazilian Free-tailed Bats Brock caves colleagues Common Vampire Bats diet disease Disk-winged Bats DNA barcode Eastern Red Bats echolocating bats echolocation calls False Vampire Bats feeding female bats Figure flight foraging forest fossil bats frequency Fringe-lipped Bats genetic grams Greater Bulldog Bats groups hibernation hind Hoary Bats Horseshoe Bats humans hunting known Large Slit-faced Bats laryngeal insects Little Brown Myotis living bats males mammals mating Messel moths Moustached Bat muscles Nancy night occur Old World Fruit Onychonycteris Photograph Pipistrelle populations predators prey produce pterosaurs rabies virus researchers returning echoes scientists Short-tailed Bats signals sounds species of bats teeth temperature trees tropics typically Vesper Bats wing membranes World Fruit Bats World Leaf-nosed Bats young bats