Product Description

Amazing, fascinating and bizarre are the words that barely start to describe the bats of the world. Some are big, some tiny, many eat insects and fruit, yet there are others with more unusual tastes in food - such as the fisherman bat which uses its claws to catch fish or the unjustly demonized blood-eating vampire bats. Bats will not fly into your hair, and they are not blind, though most find their food and avoid obstacles in the darkness of night not by vision, but by using their remarkable and highly developed sense of echolocation. Their role in pollination is crucial to the environment in which they live. Bats are full of suprises. With such a large array of species, bat expert Phil Richardson takes you on a guided tour of the nocturnal world of bats: where they live, how they feed, and how they survive in almost every habitat on the planet. He uses his experiences of bat watching around the world to bring these misunderstood creatures to life, describing their complex life cycles, explaining how readers can watch and study bats and help conserve these often threatened mammals. Wherever you live, there are likely to be bats near you, so discover more with the help of this book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #185673 in Books
• Published on: 1985-09-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

Geographical, August, 2002
'...a great insight into the bizarre and amazing world of bats...complemented by fascinating close-up photography...you'll be inspired...'

Birds, Autumn 2002
'This beautifully illustrated softback...reveals a complex lifestyle and social life and senses that are practically impossible for us to imagine.'

Journal of Biological Education (2002) 36 (4)
'...a must for any biology teacher with an imminent field trip, and also provides valuable substance for classroom-based projects.'

Customer Reviews

An informative and entertaining insight
I found Phil Richardson's book to be a highly informative and entertaining introduction into the little known of world of a much misunderstood mammal. The style of writing is ideal for anyone with no or little knowledge of the subject and certainly never becomes too technical for the uninitiated.

The entertainment side comes from the inclusion of various amusing anecdotes of Phil's activities with the Northamptonshire Bat Group and Phil's own batty cartoons.

On the serious side, a wide range of information is offered on bat life. This ranges from the differing species in the UK, use of echo location, bat roosts, various aspects of bat behaviour, bat droppings, the work of bat groups, how bats are protected by law and much more besides.

I do feel that, due to the highly reclusive nature of bats, there is plenty of information on offer here that can be a real eye opener to anyone with even a passing interest in wildlife issues.

Two books on Bats; Jan 2008
There are two books on bats by Phil Richardson and both have the same title: "Bats". This has caused a certain amount of confusion and if either of these books are accessed on Amazon, one arrives at the same series of reviews where it is not always clear which book a review refers to. I certainly was confused. Both books are available at present.

The first book was published by Whillet Books in 1985. It was reprinted several times and a revised edition appeared in 2000, which has also been reprinted. It is a very good introduction to bats particularly the 16 species that live in the U.K. The writing is lighthearted and the zany illustrations by Guy Troughton complement the writing excellently. The book is given a very direct feeling by the accounts of the author's hands-on experiences in the field with the Northampton Bat Group. He explains many behaviours but is not afraid to discuss the things that are not understood. If you live in Britain and want an introduction to the bats that live here it is a must.

The second book was published in London in 2002 by the Natural History Museum and reprinted in 2004. This book complements the first excellently but has a completely different feel. Gone is the humour, and the drawings are mainly replaced with excellent photographs. Though British bats have a place, the author looks, mainly, at the differences in behaviour and structure that occur in the 900 odd species that do not occur in the British Isles. Like the first book, echolocation, bat detectors and general construction are considered, but as bats that live in warmer parts of the world do not need to hibernate they can have a very different life style and eat a wider range of food. Almost 1 in 5 of all mammals are bats and if you want an introduction to their diverse world you will not regret buying this book.

An engaging lucidly written, well illustrated introduction.
Like his first book on Bats in the Whittet series, Phil Richardson manages to impart a vast amount of information in attractive, lucid text.
The colour illustrations and layout are to a very high standard. A natural gift to anyone showing an interest in wildlife, especially mammals.