Bat Ecology
Bat Ecology

Author: Thomas H. Kunz

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 799

ISBN-13: 0226462072

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In recent years researchers have discovered that bats play key roles in many ecosystems as insect predators, seed dispersers, and pollinators. Bats also display astonishing ecological and evolutionary diversity and serve as important models for studies of a wide variety of topics, including food webs, biogeography, and emerging diseases. In Bat Ecology, world-renowned bat scholars present an up-to-date, comprehensive, and authoritative review of this ongoing research. The first part of the book covers the life history and behavioral ecology of bats, from migration to sperm competition and natural selection. The next section focuses on functional ecology, including ecomorphology, feeding, and physiology. In the third section, contributors explore macroecological issues such as the evolution of ecological diversity, range size, and infectious diseases (including rabies) in bats. A final chapter discusses conservation challenges facing these fascinating flying mammals. Bat Ecology is the most comprehensive state-of-the-field collection for scientists and researchers. Contributors: John D. Altringham, Robert M. R. Barclay, Tenley M. Conway, Elizabeth R. Dumont, Peggy Eby, Abigail C. Entwistle, Theodore H. Fleming, Patricia W. Freeman, Lawrence D. Harder, Gareth Jones, Linda F. Lumsden, Gary F. McCracken, Sharon L. Messenger, Bruce D. Patterson, Paul A. Racey, Jens Rydell, Charles E. Rupprecht, Nancy B. Simmons, Jean S. Smith, John R. Speakman, Richard D. Stevens, Elizabeth F. Stockwell, Sharon M. Swartz, Donald W. Thomas, Otto von Helversen, Gerald S. Wilkinson, Michael R. Willig, York Winter

The Secret Lives of Bats
The Secret Lives of Bats

Author: Merlin Tuttle

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Published: 2015-10-20

Total Pages: 319

ISBN-13: 0544390431

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Stories and science surrounding the beloved bat, from an ecologist who has dedicated his life to the curious creature. Few people realize how sophisticated and intelligent bats are. Merlin Tuttle knows, and he has stopped at nothing to find and protect them on every continent they inhabit. Sharing highlights from a lifetime of adventure and discovery, Tuttle takes us to the frontiers of bat research to show that frog-eating bats can identify frogs by their calls, that some bats have social sophistication similar to that of higher primates, and that bats have remarkable memories. Bats also provide enormous benefits by eating crop pests, pollinating plants, and carrying seeds needed for reforestation. They save farmers billions of dollars annually and are essential to a healthy planet. Tuttle’s account forever changes the way we see these poorly understood yet fascinating creatures. “Grips and doesn't let go.”—Wall Street Journal “It’s a terrific read.”—Huffington Post “A whirlwind adventure story and a top-shelf natural history page-turner.”—Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus “One of the best, most interesting books I’ve ever read.”—Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Life of Dogs

Handbook of Mammals of the South-Central States
Handbook of Mammals of the South-Central States

Author: Jerry R. Choate

Publisher: LSU Press

Published: 1994-11-01

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 9780807118191

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Authoritative yet easy to use, Handbook of Mammals of the South-Central States will be a close companion of field biologists and a ready reference for the naturally curious. Containing a wealth of information about mammalian wildlife in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, the book describes in detail ninety-five native mammals and eight introduced species that live in that region. The south-central United States is both diverse and complex ecologically, including within its range coastal and inland swamps, mountain peaks, forests, grasslands, sand dunes, and rich agricultural lands. In the books' introduction, the authors describe those environments--their physiography, drainage patterns, climates ,soils and vegetation--and explain how they determine which species can exist there. They also discuss other facts--such as geographical history, competition between species, and the effects of man--that determine which species actually do occur in a particular area. The authors furnish a checklist of the 103 mammals, arranged in phylogenetic sequence, with keys to identifying the orders, families, and species. An up-to-date account of each species follows, supplying details about the animal's distribution throughout the seven states; its physical description, including seize, color pattern, and features distinguishing it from related species; and its natural history, including preferred habitat, diet, activity patterns, resting or nesting sites, reproduction, and population densities. A photograph, distribution map, and list of selected references complete each account. Handbook of Mammals of the South-Central States is the first comprehensive guide to focus on this region's mammalian fauna. Students will appreciate its accessible format, glossary of terms, index to scientific and vernacular names of the mammals, and selected bibliography. Amateurs and professional naturalists alike will rely on it to identify mammals in the field, laboratory, and classroom.

Mammals of the Eastern United States
Mammals of the Eastern United States

Author: John O. Whitaker

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2019-05-15

Total Pages: 623

ISBN-13: 1501744917

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"The authors have done a superb job of distilling a vast amount of information on the biology of the terrestrial mammals of the eastern United States in a style that will not only satisfy the expert's need for accurate data but will also appeal to students and others interested in natural history." —James N. Layne, Archbold Biological Station In their definitive work on eastern mammals, John O. Whitaker, Jr., and W. J. Hamilton, Jr., vividly convey their sheer delight at the variety and abundance of mammalian life. They have brought together a wealth of biological information and applied a biological subspecies concept to the mammals of the eastern United States. Their research extends "from the high reaches of Mount Katahdin in northern Maine, where water shrews and moose hold company," to the unglaciated hills of southern Indiana, where pygmy shrews (each weighing less than a dime) lived undetected until 1981. From there, they reach to "the cypress swamps of lower Florida, where the spoor of the mountain lion may be seen."*Describes the animals, their behavior, and dispersion in all 27 states east of the Mississippi River.*Almost entirely rewritten, this edition provides an abundance of scientific information in combination with anecdotes, field notes, and an underlying reverence for the fragile diversity of animal life. *Illustrations include 110 range maps, 167 black-and-white photographs, and 92 color images.*Covers 121 species, 17 more than in the previous edition. *Uses a biological subspecies concept, showing the results of evolution through differentiation. *Provides keys to orders and genera, anatomical line drawings. *Summarizes information on endangered and threatened species for each of the eastern states. *Lists state mammal books in the literature section.

Reproductive Biology of Bats
Reproductive Biology of Bats

Author: Elizabeth G. Crichton

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2000-06-12

Total Pages: 523

ISBN-13: 0080540538

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The Reproductive Biology of Bats presents the first comprehensive, in-depth review of the current knowledge and supporting literature concerning the behavior, anatomy, physiology and reproductive strategies of bats. These mammals, which occur world-wide and comprise a vast assemblage of species, have evolved unique and successful reproductive strategies through varied anatomical and physiological specialization. These are accompanied by individual and/or group behavioral interactions, usually in response to environmental mechanisms essential to their reproductive success. - Is the first book devoted to the reproductive biology of bats - Contains in-depth reviews of the literature concerned with bat reproduction - Contributors are widely recognized specialists - Provides a powerful database for future research