Bats

by Tony Hutson

With nearly 1,000 species worldwide, bats constitute one of the largest groups of mammals. They are also the world's only truly flying mammals and can form colossal aggregations. Yet despite their vast numbers and a wide distribution between the Arctic Circle and the tip of South America, we have only recently begun to understand much about their lives and their remarkable mastery of the night skies. This intriguing study contains a fascinating collection of photographs gathered from around the world. Its text conveys all the latest research about the lifecycles, conservation, and extraordinary qualities of these too often misunderstood creatures.

Genres: Nature

72 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 2003

Reviews

[Em Voll · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but I do understand that other people who would enjoy this book would need to be really into bats. Unlike other animal books I’ve read it doesn’t really tell a story, it’s more just straight up facts about bats.

There were times where it was a little dry but it did feel like the purpose of the book was just to be educational. Overall it was fun to learn a bunch of new facts but it could’ve been a little less matter of fact in its sharing of information.

It was a good read but I would only recommend this to someone who is already into bats or they might get bored. I still think Merlin Tuttles book was amazing and interesting to people who aren’t even into bats so I’d pick that one up first before reading this one.

Yay bats! 🦇

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent, and yet somehow self-contradictory (in one chapter, the author said that a bat’s heart can beat up to 1000 times a minute during flight, but in another he mentioned only 200 times a minute) introduction to bat diversity and lifestyle.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introductory book to bats of the world. Lots of great pictures. Published in 2000, so there is absolutely nothing about White Nose Syndrome in here, but it's still a great book.