Bats have long been the focus of fascination, and sometimes fear: they move faultlessly through the darkness and spend the day hanging upside down in gloomy caverns and cracks – most at home where humans are least comfortable. Bats also represent a hugely important, numerous and varied group, accounting for 20% of all mammal species worldwide. Covering their biodiversity, ecology and natural history, A Miscellany of Bats offers a hoard of insights into the lives of these creatures. For over a quarter of a century Brock Fenton and the late Jens Rydell collaborated on projects involving bats. Here they bring together a collection of stories and anecdotes about bat research, brought to life by stunning photographs of these animals in action. Key topics include flight and echolocation, diet and roosting habits, and the complex social lives of bats. Jens and Brock also address issues of conservation and the interactions between bats and people, ranging from matters of disease to bats’ role as symbols, and our fixation with vampire bats. They explore how echolocation and flight shape batkind, from their appearance to where they go and why. Overall, this book is an entertaining and personal vision of bats’ central place in the universe. More than 150 species are covered.

This comprehensive book about the lives of bats is about a group of peculiar, mythical and fascinating animals. They are mammals, just like us, but still so different. The book covers bats from Latin American Maya temples to Swedish potato cellars; from the plains of Kenya to the Taiwanese mountains. We perceive their shadows flitting by in the summer nights, hear their mating calls in the darkness of autumn and see their silhouettes in the dim street light. The bats live in our houses and forage in our gardens and parks. But who are they and how do they lead their lives? The text and exquisite photos give an unsurpassed insight into the world of sounds and smells that bats encounter each night. We are told about how their senses, way beyond our human perception abilities, shape their lives. We get to know more about their habits, their long evolution and their cohabitation with humans, and how important they are to the environment. You will never again feel lonely in the darkness of the night.