Bats: An Illustrated Guide to All Species looks in detail at the more than 1,300 species known today. Nocturnal, fast-flying and secretive, they are endlessly fascinating, yet extremely difficult to observe and catalogue. The diversity of bats is both rich and underestimated and the threats they face from humans are very real. This guide illuminates the world of bats and reveals their true nature as intelligent, social and deeply misunderstood creatures.
This extravagantly illustrated handbook features the work of famed nature photographer Merlin D. Tuttle and in-depth profiles of 288 bats, from the Large Flying Fox, which has a wingspan of more than five feet, to the Bumblebee Bat, contender for the world's smallest mammal. Bats includes close-up images of these animals' delicate and intricate forms and faces, each shaped by evolution to meet the demands of an extraordinarily specialized life, and a thorough introduction which explores their natural history and unique adaptations to life on the wing.
By:
Marianne Taylor
Foreword by:
Merlin D. Tuttle
Imprint: Ivy
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 240mm,
Width: 168mm,
ISBN: 9781782405573
ISBN 10: 1782405577
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 01 April 2019
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction 6 What is a bat?Evolution Diversity Mega and microBiology Anatomy Senses Flight EcholocationBehavior Foraging, hunting, and diet Social structure Reproduction Migration HibernationEcology Habitat Distribution Economic importance Conservation Endangered and recently extinct speciesSpecies Accounts 36-390 Suborder Megachiroptera (Order Chiroptera) Pteropodidae Suborder Microchiroptera (Microbats) Superfamily Emballonuroidea Emballonuridae (sac-winged or sheath-tailed bats) Superfamily Molossoidea Molossidae (free-tailed bats) Superfamily Nataloidea Furipteridae (smoky bats) Myzopodidae (sucker-footed bats) Natalidae (funnel-eared bats) Thyropteridae (disk-winged bats) Superfamily Noctilionoidea Mormoopidae (ghost-faced or moustached bats) Mystacinidae (New Zealand short-tailed bats) Noctilionidae (bulldog bats or fisherman bats) Phyllostomidae (leaf-nosed bats) Superfamily Rhinolophoidea Megadermatidae (false vampires) Nycteridae (hollow-faced or slit-faced bats) Rhinolophidae (horseshoe bats) Hipposideridae (Old World leaf-nosed bats) Superfamily Rhinopomatoidea Craseonycteridae (Bumblebee bat) Rhinopomatidae (mouse-tailed bats) Superfamily Vespertilionoidea Vespertilionidae (vesper bats or evening bats) Antrozoidae (Pallid bat and Van Gelder's bat)Resources 392 Index 394 Acknowledgments 400
Marianne Taylor (California, USA) is a freelance writer, illustrator, photographer and editor. She worked for seven years in natural history publishing, and her particular interest in owls was sparked by a period in 2005 working with bird ringers studying Ural, Tengmalm's and Eagle Owls in the forests of Sweden. She has written on a range of natural history subjects and her er previous books include the RSPB British Birds of Prey.
