Books On Bats

Books on bats are a great way to get an insight into their hidden world and are even better when they've got drawings and/or bat images. I can't wait to read "Bats: Mysterious Flyers Of The Night" which looks really good.

If you've read it or any other books on bats (fictional or factual), please share your thoughts using the form at the bottom of the page. I'll start the ball rolling with reviews of two bat books that I've read:

"Bats"
by Phil Richardson (2nd Edition published in 2000)

"You may have wondered whether the blood rushes to the bat's head as it hangs: it's a very good question and I hear that bats are just as puzzled about why the blood doesn't drain from our heads when we get out of bed in the morning."

This is the sort of humour you'll find in this book on bats and coupled with the great cartoons, it makes it an enjoyable read.

Although the author does write a little bit about bats around the world, his main focus is on the 17 species of British insect-eating bats.

It's filled with lots of illuminating facts about among other things, their behaviour, habitats, anatomy, roosts, challenges that they face and advice on how to set up simple bat projects like roost monitoring.

Phil Richardson started the Northants bat group and his dedication to bat conservation shines through the pages of "Bats".

I found this book very easy to read and especially enjoyed the stories of his experiences like the bloke who couldn't believe his eyes when a bat that he was shown during the day didn't suddenly burn up and disappear.

Bats (WLL)
by Tony Hutson

One of the highlights of this book is its breath-taking photos. They're amazing and reveal bat-related sites and situations that you'd probably not get to see.

One of my favourites is of a greater Horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) closing in on a moth.

The pictures of bats also include part of the Texan Bracken Cave colony, which is made up of millions and millions of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis).

Although it has the same name as Phil Richardson's book, this one's focus is international, with many facts about both the Old and New World bats.

From echolocation to the adaptations that enable some bats to catch fish and others to feed on nectar, this book is packed with information that will lead to a greater understanding of this mammal and why their conservation is important.

Another great thing about Tony Hutson's book is the interesting bat facts that it contains, like the one about bat poop being used to make gunpowder during the American Civil War.

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