Bats – Living in a Dark World of Echoes

New popular science book illustrated with more than 100 photos provides insights into how bats lead their lives, and shows how these intriguing animals use sounds and smells to find their way around in the dark

Heidelberg | New York, 28 May 2018

Bats have fascinated human beings for hundreds of years. Often perceived as strangely different from other animals, bats are characterized by unique sensory organs and a peculiar shape. They are nocturnal animals and the only mammals capable of flying – which might be why they are frequently associated with vampires and other mythical figures.

A new book by the Swedish scientists Johan Eklöf and Jens Rydell delves into the lives of bats and explores their origins and habits. Bats – In a World of Echoes provides its readers with detailed information on the long evolution of bats, their morphology and flight patterns, and their exceptional ability to use their senses to navigate in the dark. Appealing to everyone interested in bats, from scientist to the general public, this book reveals how bats hunt and feed, hibernate and migrate, and how they live together in colonies. More than 100 photos of bats and their habitats allow the reader to find out about the lives of these rarely sighted animals.

“Even though bats live in our houses and hunt in our gardens, most people have never encountered a bat up close,” Eklöf says. “We usually see them flitting and darting about, silhouetted against the night sky. However, being able to navigate and hunt in the dark has made bats one of the most successful orders of mammals. This book aims to bring bats out of the shadows to demonstrate just what amazing animals they really are.”

Johan Eklöf is a zoologist and copywriter who received his Ph.D. in zoology from Göteborg University in 2003. He has written fictional as well as non-fictional books on bats and animal evolution. In 2016, he received a scholarship from the Swedish Writers’ Union to explore the field of bat mythology.

Jens Rydell is a scientist and nature photographer who received his Ph.D. in ecology from Lund University in 1990. He is the author of many scientific papers on bats and insects. His current work specializes in bat ecology and conservation and has recently focused on the effects of wind power and artificial lighting on bats. In 2017, he was awarded the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences conservation prize.

Johan Eklöf, Jens Rydell
Bats
In a World of Echoes
2017*, 168 p. 140 illus. in color
Hardcover € 40.65
ISBN 978-3-319-66537-5
Also available as an eBook

* Published in May 2018, copyright year 2017.