Bats

Looks at the history of bats, describes their characteristics and behavior, and discusses echolocation, migration, social organization, bats in art, and misconceptions about bats

YA-- There are more than 900 living species of this misunderstood creature, but certain characteristics, such as echolocation, are not shared by all of them. Readers learn that tidbit and many others in this large and lavishly illustrated book. Fenton admirably presents just about all anyone could ever need or want to know about bats in 13 chapters; 20 informational boxes; an appendix of scientific names; an extensive bibliography of general works, works for children, and even bat newsletters; and a detailed index. The format is accessible and the information is clearly presented. Similar to Schober's Lives of Bats (Arco, 1984; o.p), this book should be extremely useful for reports and will be fascinating leisure reading.
- Susan H. Woodcock, Potomac Library, Woodbridge, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In recent years, a number of books about bats have been published, but most have limited their scope in some way, whether to a category of bat, type of bat activity, region of the world, or level of intended audience. Bats , written by a bat scholar and author of books and numerous scientific articles about these flying mammals, covers all kinds of bats from a worldwide perspective, all aspects of their lives, and their relationships with humans. Intended as a general introduction for the general reader, this book discusses the origins of bats, their anatomy, echolocation capabilities, eating habits, social organization, and classification. It also includes chapters on bats and public health, bat conservation, people's images of bats, and vampire bats. The many color photographs and illustrations help make this an attractive, interesting, and informative volume that will be a worthy addition to school, public, and undergraduate college libraries.
- William Wiese, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.