Bats: Their biology and behaviour

Description:

An illuminating introduction to the nocturnal world of bats which examines how these extraordinary creatures have adapted to habitats in every corner of the world.

Beginning with their anatomy and what it reveals about their relationship to other mammals, Tony Hutson discusses their unique aerodynamics and extraordinary feats of echolocation.

He describes their life cycle, diet and foraging strategy, breeding, roosting, and migration patterns as well as their predators, parasites, and the man-made threats to their ecosystem.

Bats are long-lived mammals which can form enormous colonies containing tens of millions of creatures – a concentration of mammals paralleled only by human cities. Topically, the book looks at the viruses harboured and tolerated by bats and their impact on humans.

The book also contains an appendix of bat families and subfamilies and gives details of the number of genera or species, distribution, size, roost habitat and diet.