Bats in Question The Smithsonian Answer Book

by Wilson, Don E.; Tuttle, Merlin D.

• ISBN13: 9781560987390
• ISBN10: 1560987391
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-05-17
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books

Summary

Long the subject of myth and superstition, bats have been among the most misunderstood of mammals due to their nocturnal habits, capacity for flight, and strange appearance. Seeking to dispel the myths associated with these remarkable creatures and arguing for their key role in a balanced ecosystem,Bats in Questioncovers all aspects of bat biology in a practical question-and-answer format. Describing where bats live, how they use echolocation to navigate, and even why they hang upside down, the book also gives the conservation status of all 925 bat species. Don E. Wilson traces the evolution of bats and shows their remarkable diversity by describing each of the major groups in terms of their different body structures and habitats. He sheds light on bats' complex social systems, extraordinary variation in size, and food preferences that encompass plants, insects, and mammals. The book also explores cultural attitudes about batstelling how, until recently, bats had been relegated to the world of vampires and how they have emerged to take their place in public awareness as important and fascinating members of our ecosystems.

Author Biography

Mammalogist Don E. Wilson is Director of Biodiversity Programs at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and is a member of the Scientific Board of Directors of Bat Conservation International. He is the editor of Mammal Species of the World (1993) and Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Mammals (1996), both published by Smithsonian Institution Press.

An internationally recognized wildlife photographer and authority on bats, Merlin D. Tuttle is the founder and executive director of Bat Conservation International. He is the author of America's Neighborhood Bats (1988).

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xii
Introduction	xiv
Bat Facts	1	(78)
What Are Bats?	1	(1)
How Are Bats Classified?	2	(1)
How Are Bats Alike?	2	(12)
How Do Bats Differ from Birds?	14	(1)
How Do Bats Differ from Other Mammals?	15	(1)
What Is Echolocation?	15	(3)
How Do Bats Fly?	18	(2)
How Fast Can Bats Fly?	20	(1)
Do Bats Fly in Flocks?	21	(1)
Do Bats Sleep?	21	(2)
Are All Bats Brown?	23	(5)
Do Bats Make Sounds?	28	(1)
What Are the Largest and Smallest Bats?	29	(1)
How Long Do Bats Live?	30	(1)
Where Do Bats Live?	30	(2)
Where Do Bats Commonly Roost?	32	(1)
Why Do Bats Live in Colonies?	32	(1)
What Is the Largest Bat Colony?	33	(1)
What Is a Bat Gate?	34	(1)
What, Besides Caves, Do Bats Use for Shelter?	35	(1)
Why Do Bats Hang Upside Down?	36	(2)
How Do Bats Reproduce?	38	(4)
How and Where Do Mother Bats Give Birth?	42	(1)
How Many Babies Do Bats Produce in a Litter?	43	(2)
How Long Do Mother Bats Suckle Their Young?	45	(1)
How Fast Do Bats Grow?	45	(1)
How Do Mother Bats Find Their Young?	46	(1)
What Do Bats Eat?	47	(14)
How Do Bats Find Food?	61	(2)
How Smart Are Bats?	63	(1)
What Do Bats Do in Winter?	64	(1)
Why Do Some Bats Hibernate?	64	(3)
What Do Bats Do When They Hibernate?	67	(1)
Why Do Some Bats Migrate?	68	(1)
Do Bats Feel Pain?	69	(1)
Do Bats Have Enemies?	70	(2)
Do Bats Get Sick?	72	(7)
Bat Evolution and Diversity	79	(34)
When Did Bats Evolve?	79	(2)
Where Are Fossil Bats Found?	81	(1)
How Many Species of Bats Are There?	81	(1)
What Characterizes the Major Groups of Bats?	82	(31)
Flying Foxes	84	(1)
Blossom Bats	85	(2)
Mouse-Tailed Bats	87	(1)
Hog-Nosed Bats	88	(1)
White Bats	88	(1)
Slit-Faced Bats	88	(1)
Old World False Vampire Bats	89	(1)
Horseshoe Bats	89	(1)
Roundleaf Bats	90	(1)
Bulldog Bats	91	(2)
Naked-Backed Bats	93	(1)
Spectral Vampire Bats	93	(1)
Nectar-Feeding Bats	94	(3)
Flower Bats	97	(1)
Long-Tongued Bats	97	(1)
Short-Tailed Fruit Bats	97	(2)
American Epauletted Bats	99	(1)
Tent-Making Bats	100	(1)
Vampire Bats	101	(1)
Funnel-Eared Bats	102	(1)
Thumbless Bats	103	(1)
Sucker-Footed Bats	103	(1)
Disk-Winged Bats	104	(2)
Painted Bats	106	(1)
Little Brown Bats	106	(1)
Tube-Nosed Insectivorous Bats	107	(1)
Long-Fingered Bats	108	(1)
Short-Tailed Bats	108	(1)
Free-Tailed Bats	109	(4)
Bats and Humans	113	(19)
Do Bats Fly into People's Hair?	113	(1)
Are Bats a Threat to Humans?	114	(1)
Do Bats Carry Diseases?	114	(1)
Why Do Bats Like Buildings?	115	(1)
What Should I Do If a Bat Gets in My House?	115	(1)
How Can Bat Problems Be Avoided?	115	(1)
Are There Any Effective Bat Repellents?	116	(1)
How Can I Attract Bats?	116	(1)
What Should I Do If I Find a Sick Bat?	117	(1)
Why Do People Dislike Bats?	118	(1)
What Different Cultural Attitudes Are There about Bats?	119	(1)
What Are Some Myths and Legends about Bats?	119	(1)
What Good Are Bats?	120	(4)
How Can I Become a Bat Biologist?	124	(1)
How Do Scientists Catch Bats?	125	(1)
What Is Left to Learn about Bats?	126	(2)
Where Can I Get More Information about Bats?	128	(4)
Appendix: Conservation Status of Bats of the World (Order Chiroptera)	132	(21)
General Bibliography	153	(1)
Subject Bibliography	154	(9)
Taxonomic Index	163	(3)
Subject Index	166