Description

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Bat biologist Barbara A. Schmidt-French and writer Carol A. Butler offer a compendium of insightful facts about bats in this accessible and expertly written question-and-answer volume. Numbering more than one thousand species in our world today, bats in the wild are generally unthreatening. Like most other mammals, bats are curious, affectionate, and even playful with one another.

Highly beneficial animals, bats are critical to global ecological, economic, and public health. Do Bats Drink Blood? illuminates the role bats play in the ecosystem, their complex social behavior, and how they glide through the night sky using their acute hearing: echolocation skills that have helped in the development of navigational aids for the blind. Personal in voice with the perspective of a skilled bat researcher, this book explores wide-ranging topics as well as common questions people have about bats, providing a trove of fascinating facts.

Featuring rare color and black-and-white photographs, including some by renowned biologist, photographer, and author Merlin Tuttle, Do Bats Drink Blood? provides a comprehensive resource for general readers, students, teachers, zoo and museum enthusiasts, farmers and orchardists, or anyone who may encounter or be fascinated by these extraordinary animals.

About the Author

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BARBARA A. SCHMIDT-FRENCH is a biologist, bat rehabilitator, and the science officer at Bat Conservation International. She is the coauthor of Medical Reference for the Rehabilitation and Captive Care of Insectivorous Bats.
CAROL A. BUTLER is the coauthor of Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History(Rutgers University Press) and the coauthor/photographer of Do Butterflies Bite? Fascinating Answers to Questions about Butterflies and Moths and future Rutgers Animal Q&A books, including Do Hummingbirds Hum? and Why Do Bees Buzz?

Praise For…

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Do Bats Drink Blood? is an excellent resource for the many questions people of all ages have about bats. It introduces a group of animals that includes almost a quarter of the world's mammalian species. Too often feared, bats are essential to healthy ecosystems and human economies. Schmidt-French and Butler cover a wide range of topics for curious readers.
— Merlin D. Tuttle

Rooted in the scientific literature with colorful examples from their own work, the authors take us on a trip through the fascinating world of bats. From how bats find and eat their food to where they live and how they get there, the book is a quick reference and an entertaining read for naturalists, educators and the public alike.
— Nickolay Hristov

In selecting a varied assortment of questions that cover a fairly broad range of bat-related issues, the authors provide an excellent resource for general readers interested in learning more about this fascinating and unique group of animals. Written in clear and concise language that is largely free of technical jargon and easily understood by general readers, this interesting and engaging book will appeal to a wide range of nature enthusiasts.
— National Speleological Society Newsletter

Bat biologist Schmidt-French and writer Butler have combined their talents to produce a fascinating question and answer book about bats. This is a fun book for the whole family and a scientifically accurate one as well.
— Wildlife Activist