Describes the main types of bats and discusses their physiology, feeding, roosting, reproduction, echolocation abilities, and other behavior.

Go on an adventure in the shadows with award-winning author and illustrator Charlotte Milner. Discover why these mammals are essential to the world we live in, learn just how much they matter, why they are under threat, and what we can do to help. Bright, bold, and beautiful illustrations accompany fascinating fun facts about these furry flying mammals in this adorable kids' book. Did you know that there are two main groupings of bats, or that the bat is the only mammal that can fly? Children will be fascinated by the beautiful illustrations and learn plenty of bat facts on every page. From the way they fly, to how they communicate with each other, how bats hunt, and why they sleep upside-down, each of the world's 1,300 types of bat is unique and utterly fascinating. Bats are also incredibly important to the environment, from gobbling up pests to spreading seeds through the forests. They also pollinate over 500 different species of plants throughout the world, including fruits such as mangoes and bananas. A beautiful educational book with an important message. While learning about these elusive creatures, there are also fun activities for kids so they can learn how to support bats, including growing a bat-friendly garden to help them thrive. Bats make the world a better place, making this nature book for kids an essential tool in encouraging the protection of bats for generations to come. Following on from The Bee Book and The Sea Book, Charlotte Milner continues to highlight critical environmental issues faced by our planet. The Bat Book is perfect for teaching little animal-lovers all about these clever creatures who do so much for our world. Explore The Upside-Down World Of Bats! Discover how much they matter, why they are declining, and what we can do to help. This charming celebration of bats shows children just how extraordinary these animals are and is a reminder that it is up to us to care for our planet and its creatures. It's perfect for school projects about bats, mammals, ecology, or endangered animals. It also cleverly uses the subject to cover broader topics such as plant reproduction, ecosystems, and more. The Bat Book may be small, but it is mighty. Find out more about natures secret friends, like: - Where bats live - What bats look like - Why bats are important - Growing a bat-friendly garden - Myths about bats and much, much more! This delightful book is one of three children's books on conservation and includes The Sea Book and The Bee Book for your little ones to enjoy.

Bat detector surveys are carried out by ecological consultants, researchers, conservationists and hobbyists. Understanding and categorising non-bat sounds in surveys offers the potential of knock-on benefits for informing development projects (e.g. other important records discovered within a site), as well as the possibility of associated conservation benefits. In recent years the number of people carrying out these surveys and recording calls with bat detectors has grown considerably. These surveys often generate vast amounts of audio recordings, resulting in the heavy workload associated with completing the sound analysis and reporting process. Those carrying out analysis can be distracted, intrigued or delayed owing to the occurrence of recordings that are unfamiliar and not identifiable to them. These recordings can relate to ‘difficult to ID’ bat species, but also, often, sounds not related to bats. This can be especially true when noise triggers such as insects, small mammals or birds look like bat-related noise. Therefore, only knowing what bats sound like is not enough. It is extremely useful to know what other sources of noise look and sound like within the same soundscape. This resource will help bat workers, in whatever environment they are in, to be more confident in recognising, categorising and dismissing other sounds. The book includes a substantial downloadable sound library (.wav format) that readers can listen to by ear or process through sound analysis software. Is That a Bat? also caters for sounds that are also heard by ear alone, in the field, during the hours of darkness. These scenarios often have bat surveyors intrigued or confused as to what they are listening to. Occasionally, knowing what these sounds are could be important, or at the very least, of interest. The first chapter caters for the subject overall, including suggestions from the author as to why the subject matter is of value. It also discusses bat-related calls (including social calls) with a view to offering comparisons against the other sources of sound discussed in separate chapters. Continuing through the book, there are chapters covering the following: small mammals; amphibians; insects; birds; electrical/mechanical noise; and other noise/nuisances. Within each chapter there are sub-sections about bat detector recorded sound, sound by ear, as well as advice on techniques and methods to reduce or increase the likelihood of recording other sounds. The book concludes with associated appendices, including a ‘Problem Solving Key’ to help those encountering an unfamiliar sound to narrow it down to the likely source. With technology advancing at pace, the technical ability of the analyst is of huge importance. With a wider perspective and more knowledge, those responsible for interpreting field encounters can be more confident when making decisions about sources of sound. Apart from that, ‘knowing stuff’ makes the job far more interesting and gives the bat worker a greater appreciation of the natural world within which they are working.

"Tuttle's account forever changes the way we see these poorly understood yet fascinating cratures." -- page 4 of cover.

This extravagantly illustrated handbook features the work of famed nature photographer Merlin D. Tuttle and in-depth profiles of megabats and microbats.

Playing a variety of sports, an assortment of animals introduces words that sound and are spelled the same but have different meanings, such as "bat," a flying mammal, and "bat," an implement for hitting a baseball. Full color.