Bats

There are more than 1,300 species of bats - or almost a quarter of the world's mammal species. But before you shrink in fear from these furry "creatures of the night," consider the bat's fundamental role in our ecosystem. A single ten-gram bat may eat several thousand insects in a night. Throughout the tropics and subtropics, fruit and nectar-feeding bats are also crucial to the lives of plants, providing both pollution and seed dispersal. Bats: A World of Science and Mystery presents these fascinating nocturnal creatures in a new light. Lush, full-color photographs portray bats in flight,…