Tony Hutson illuminates the nocturnal world of bats and examines how they have adapted to habitats in every corner of the world. Beginning with the fossil record and what it reveals about their relationship to other mammals, Hutson discusses their unique aerodynamics and their extraordinary feats of echolocation. He discusses their life cycle, diet and foraging strategy, breeding, roosting, and migration patterns as well as their predators, parasites, and 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.

About the Author
Tony Hutson is a specialist in international bat conservation, currently working on a range of research, conservation and consultancy projects. He was formerly the Bat Conservation Officer with the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society then Conservation Officer for the Bat Conservation Trust, London.


Book Information
ISBN 9780565095284
Author Tony Hutson
Format Paperback
Imprint The Natural History Museum
Publisher The Natural History Museum