The Weird and Wonderful World of Bats: Demystifying These Often-Misunderstood Creatures

Bats have an undeserved bad reputation. It’s time to clear the air--with science.
These woefully misunderstood creatures dwell in darkness, inspire fear, and threaten danger. They’ve been viewed as the pawns of evil deities and taken the undeserved blame for the spread of deadly viruses. In The Weird and Wonderful World of Bats, behavioral and bat ecologist Alyson Brokaw provides a fresh introduction to these curious flying mammals, diving in-depth into how they experience the world through unique senses, where and how they fly, the origins of their complex relationships with humans, and how we can learn from them--not only to coexist but potentially grow healthier and wiser together. Over 180 personality-filled photographs showcase the rich diversity of bats from all over the world.

Behavioral ecologist and science communicator Alyson F. Brokaw’s professional passion is communicating about the diversity and biology of bats, as well as combating myths that they are scary or dangerous. Her affinity for these amazing creatures led her to study how they use their sense of smell during hunting and social communication as she earned her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Texas A&M University. Since then, she has studied wildlife around the world, including Mexico, Belize, Panama, Argentina, and Tanzania, while also publishing multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals on bat behavior and other topics. She is a narrator for March Mammal Madness and an active science communicator on social media (where her handle is @alyb_batgirl). When not talking your ear off about bats, she can be found chasing down discs on the ultimate frisbee field, cuddling with her dog, or with her nose buried deep in a fantasy novel. Learn more about Alyson and her research on her website www.alysonbrokaw.com.