Bats: An illustrated guide to all species

by Marianne Taylor

"Meshing deft scientific text with Tuttle’s sumptuous images, it’s a superb introduction to the baroque morphologies and flying prowess of these beguiling beasts."- Nature Bats: An Illustrated Guide to All Species looks in detail at the more than 1,300 species known today. Nocturnal, fast-flying and secretive, they are endlessly fascinating, yet extremely difficult to observe and catalogue. The diversity of bats is both rich and underestimated and the threats they face from humans are very real. This guide illuminates the world of bats and reveals their true nature as intelligent, social and deeply misunderstood creatures.This extravagantly illustrated handbook features the work of famed nature photographer Merlin D. Tuttle and in-depth profiles of 288 bats, from the Large Flying Fox, which has a wingspan of more than five feet, to the Bumblebee Bat, contender for the world’s smallest mammal. Bats includes close-up images of these animals’ delicate and intricate forms and faces, each shaped by evolution to meet the demands of an extraordinarily specialized life, and a thorough introduction which explores their natural history and unique adaptations to life on the wing. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Nature, Biology, Reference, Wildlife

400 pages, Hardcover

Published April 11, 2019

Reviews

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bats are good.

[Annabel_Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUST HAVE for bat lovers!

A quick (50ish pages plus many illustrations) biological introduction to bats in general preludes a guide to all living bat species--EACH OF THEM PHOTOGRAPHED IN FULL COLOR. I've never come across such a complete guide before, it's an amazing resource and also presented in an entertaining and readable fashion even for armchair zoologists.

The only thing that could have made it better would be an appendix of known extinct bat species as well, considering there are (sadly) a good number that have died out within the last few decades.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

It probably isn’t fair to say that this book is an illustrated guide to all bat species. While it’s true that all of the known species are named in the text, there are only detailed descriptions of a handful of them and there are photographs of an even smaller number of carefully chosen representative species. That being said, the photographs themselves are absolutely stunning, capturing a wide array of bats in all their bizarre and beautiful glory. It would have been nice if there had been multiple images — a closeup and a picture of the bat in flight or in the roost, for example — for each species, but I definitely enjoyed the portraits and the fact that they provided a much more intimate view of bats than is typically available.

My biggest problem with the book — apart from the fact that my favourite species, my beloved Daubenton’s bat, apparently didn’t warrant a photograph! — is a rather shallow one, but I’m going to include it because it did affect my enjoyment of the book. The pages are printed on a strange sort of paper that shows every smudge and fingerprint in vivid — and, above all, distracting — detail. It was impossible to keep the book as beautiful as the photographs inside.

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already loved bats before this book. But oh my. This book is beautifully illustrated, each bat is described in detail with love and admiration, all throughout never losing its scientific standard.
If you aren't already in love with bats, after this book you will.

[Hayden Rawlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing in this world could have prepared me for the visored bat. I can’t believe I’m alive at the same time as them. What a wild world we live in.

[Henry B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came here for cute bat pictures and oh boy did I get them.

A glossary and organizational tables would have been appreciated; there is also a bothersome number of minor typographical errors.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not given bats much thought before I read this book. I assumed there had to be one species of bat that lived who knows where. I was wrong. There are over 1,300 species of bats. A few of the species are even colorful.
I enjoyed looking at the pictures in this book. It was fun to read the description of each species. I only wish I had a better memory so I could remember everything I read.
Even after reading this book if I ever say a bat I would cover my head and run. I skittish around flying things. Birds also scare me. No bat or bird has ever harmed me. So I am not sure how I got to be scared of them.
I would be like john Candy and Dan Aykroyd in the movie The great outdoors. There was a scene where the two actors have to get a bat out of there cabin. They put on a lot of improvised protective gear. That would be me if I had to get a bat out of a rented cabin. But, I bet the bat would be more scared of me than I was of it.
Its amazing to me that anything is know about bats considering that they are active mostly at night. I think some bats are active in the daytime. I am probably wrong about that.
Even if you don't want to read the text I think that this book is worth looking though for the wonderful color pictures of bats.
I like batman so why am I scared of bats. Go figure. Batman protects. He does not injure.
I was surprised to learn that different species of bats eat different things. Some bats eat insects, other eat nectar, others invertebrates, others eat fruit. I was already aware that bats pollinated plants.
This book makes me want to get a bat detector and night vision goggles and head out into the night so I can see some bats. Maybe I would find a new species and have it named after me.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

buy

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful guide to bats. Each bat had a detailed, yet brief, description of its appearance, habitat, roosting and breeding habits, and its endangered status. The photography by Merlin Tuttle was beautiful and captivating, like always. If you are a fan of bats and are looking for a guide on them, I highly suggest this book.

You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

[Niko · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books. I love bats and this book was perfect for me when I just discovered bats and wanted to learn about them, and still is useful now, when I know quite a lot about them already.

Would highly recommend! it has absolutely beautiful pictures and the writing is great for beginners as well.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photos are tbh poor quality but there are a lot of them. It’s a smallish book in dimensions. So if you don’t need much detail, it’s a decent reference. There are a lot of portraits, some hanging & crawling shots, and a fair number of flying pictures which are the best. You can get a reasonable idea of wing structure & flight mechanics.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love seeing all the different ways bats evolved to take advantage of their unique ecological niche! The wild variety in their face morphology is the best, and they're all very cute. Even the ones that look like wantons with leaves for ears and lint clinging to them.

[Steve Willey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Interesting book about a VERY misunderstood animal. A lot of amazing facts and statistics about behaviors and habitat. Photographs and range information. This is a comprehensive guide to bats. If you like interesting an amazing creatures you will enjoy this book.

[Wyrd Witch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what it says on the title! I wanted to know more about different bat species, and I finally do. It's impressive how much information they fit into every page. And the photos! Merlin Tuttle has done an excellent job photographing each unique bat species from around the world.

[Maven Witch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful, beautiful book. The photos captured are absolutely stunning! The first 50 or so pages discuss bats as a whole, then the rest is an encyclopedia of all known species. What an incredible achievement to collect all of these wonderful animals into one volume.

[Gina Zappa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smithsonian Books are always winners in my book, and this was wonderful! I found this book so fascinating, and I learned so many new bat facts! The pictures were gorgeous, bats = CUTEST!

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful reference book for adults who have a serious interest in bats. Tuttle has spent decades studying these mammals, and this book is full of his photos.

[Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of cool and weird bats from around the world with pictures, (tiny) range maps and lots of info. Organized by family, this is a great book for those interested in bats of all types.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and informative "deep dive" into an animal I had limited knowledge of. Well laid out and detailed illustrations.

[Violet Jo Swanson-Peet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book. I think I like bats now.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book. Plenty of photographs. The majority of the bats are so so tiny. I am amazed at how many bats are to be found in the Americas.

[Erin]

Idk how to rate this but one million stars for Merlin tuttles insane photography

[Tish]

A wonderful comprehensive book on bats and bat species around the world. Gorgeous pictures.

[Ronda Canary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like bats and learned so much from this book. There are so many different kinds of bats. What a cool world we have.

[Mango · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bats are the best. This book is gorgeous and informative. can't recommend it enough

[Karlissa J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful visual guide to a vast variety of bats! Each family of bats begins with an introductory overview of what makes that family unique.

[Sacha]

Enjoyed thumbing through this gorgeous book at the library.

[LaNaria]

I simply wanted to read more about bat facts. This book is particularly thick, though. So it has been a challenge.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, such a beautiful book. I loved the knowledge on bat conservation and debunking myths on bats 🦇 and humans.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK I looked at the pictures...does that count as reading? Great, encyclopedic source on all variety of bats and flying foxes...beautiful photographs.