Bats
Subtitle: a world of science and mystery
By: M. Brock Fenton and Nancy B. Simmons
Contributors: Simmons, Nancy B., author
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 303
ISBN-13: 9780226065120
Subjects: Bats
Description: There are more than 1,300 species of bats - or almost a quarter of the world's mammal species. But before you shrink in fear from these furry "creatures of the night," consider the bat's fundamental role in our ecosystem. A single ten-gram bat may eat several thousand insects in a night. Throughout the tropics and subtropics, fruit and nectar-feeding bats are also crucial to the lives of plants, providing both pollution and seed dispersal. Bats: A World of Science and Mystery presents these fascinating nocturnal creatures in a new light. Lush, full-color photographs portray bats in flight, feeding, and mating in views that show them in exceptional detail. The photos also take the reader into the roosts of bats, from caves and mines to the tents some bats make from leaves. A comprehensive guide to what scientists know about the world of bats, the book begins with a look at bats' origins and evolution. It goes on to address a host of questions related to flight, diet, habitat, reproduction, and social structure: Why do some bats live alone and others in large colonies? When do bats reproduce and care for their young? How has the ability to fly - unique among mammels - influenced bats' mating behavior? A chapter on biosonar, or echolocation, takes readers through the system of high-pitched calls bats emit to navigate and catch prey. More than half of the world's bat species are either in decline or already considered endangered, and the book concludes with suggestions for what we can do to protect these species for future generations to benefit from and enjoy. From the tiny "bumblebee bat" - the world's smallest mammel - to the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox, whose wingspan exceeds five feet, Bats presents a panoramic view of one of the world's most fascinating yet least-understood species. -- from dust jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 284-286) and index.
Table of contents: title: It's a bat!; title: Ancient bats; title: Taking off; title: Echolocation: seeing with sound. Introduction ; Sounds and echoes ; Timing ; Signal strength ; Self-deafening ; Morphology and echolocation ; The unexpected ; Box 1. other echolocators ; Box 2. bat detectors; title: What bats eat . Introduction ; Skulls, jaws and teeth ; DNA barcoding ; Classifying bats by their diets ; Energetic realities and food consumption ; Hoary bats, a case study ; The impact of energy on diet ; Foraging and eating behavior ; Digestion and food passage ; Bats and pest control ; Bats and mosquitoes ; Limitations on bats' diets; title: Where bats hang out. Bats and their nests ; The roost needs of bats ; Sites used as roosts by bats ; Hollows ; Foliage ; Crevices ; Specialized ; Bats making roosts ; Some consequences ... HN3 O2 ; Hibernation ; Box 6.1 bat boxes and bat houses ; Box 6.2 ectoparasites of bats; title: Life histories of bats. Old bats ; Reproduction ; Implantation ; Pregnancy ; Birth ; Lactation ; Growth after birth ; Delays to get the timing right ; Big brown bats ; Vulnerabilities of bats ; Bat-eating bats; title: Behavior of bats. What is a colony of bats? ; Bat one roost? ; Activity patterns of bats ; Swarming behavior ; Signals of bats ; Olfactory signals ; Bat-to-bat acoustic signals ; Roosts ; Air traffic control ; Acoustic, olfactory, and visual signals ; Mother-young behavior ; Territorial bats ; Social systems around reproduction in bats ; Learning by bats ; Migrations of bats; title: Bats and diseases ; WNS White-Nosed Syndrome ; Transfer of disease-causing organisms from bats to humans ; Bat bites ; Bat bites and rabies ; Other lyssaviruses ; Other viruses ; Bats and diseases of humans ; Risk management; title: Bats and people. Bats in art ; Bats as symbols ; Bats on coins and stamps ; Bats and the military ; Bats in heraldry ; Myths about bats ; Vampires; title: Conservation of bats; title: What's next?