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The Secret Life of Bats
Fathom
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| Seminar Introduction |
 | | Phil Richardson |
Of the world's 4,800 or so species of mammals, nearly 1,000--almost one in five--are bats. They vary in size from minuscule, almost butterfly-sized creatures, to huge animals with wingspans of nearly two metres. Thanks to their mastery of powered flight, bats are distributed across much of the world. They feed mainly on insects and fruits, but some eat nectar, frogs, fish, other small mammals or even blood. Everyone reacts to bats, sometimes with horror but more often with fascination. Although they are linked in many people's minds with scary films, the truth about these amazing creatures' lives is very different. In this seminar, Phil Richardson, chairman of the Bat Conservation Trust in the UK, goes behind the scenes and reveals that bats have a complex lifestyle, a rich social life and senses that are almost beyond our comprehension.
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| Learning Objectives |
- Understand the system by which bats are classified and describe the evolution of the diversity we see today.
- Explain how bats' bodies are designed for flight.
- Grasp how echolocation works.
- Describe the range of sites in which bats roost.
- Analyse the problems that threaten bat survival and explain why the conservation of bats is important.
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| Sessions |
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| Credits |
Copyright The Natural History Museum.
 | Amazing, fascinating and bizarre are words that barely start to describe the bats of the world. Some are big, some are tiny, many eat insects and fruit, yet there are others with more unusual tastes in food such as the fisherman bat which uses its claws to catch fish or the unjustly demonized blood-eating vampire bats. Bats will not fly into your hair and they are not blind, though most find their food and avoid obstacles in the darkness of night not by vision but by using their remarkable and highly developed sense of echolocation. Their role in pollination is crucial to the environment in which they live. Bats are full of surprises. With such a large array of species, bat expert Phil Richardson takes you on a guided tour of the nocturnal world of bats: where they live, how they feed, and how they survive in almost every habitat on the planet. He uses his experience of bat watching around the world to bring these misunderstood creatures to life, describing their complex life cycles, explaining how you can watch and study bats and help conserve these often threatened mammals. Wherever you live, there are likely to be bats near you, so discover more with this highly readable and beautifully illustrated book.
Bats
Phil Richardson
Paperback (2002) |
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| Technical Requirements |
To appreciate this seminar experience, it is critical that you have the appropriate software, plug-ins, and network connections. Please take the time to download the latest versions of the plug-ins mentioned below if you do not already have them.Browser: Netscape versions 4.x up to 4.76, or Internet Explorer versions 4.x or later. Your browser must be JavaScript-enabled and must be set to accept cookies.
Network Connection: The recommended minimum connection is 56Kbps with a throughput of 34Kbps or more. A faster connection is encouraged to take better advantage of the media elements in the seminar. Plug-ins: If you do not have RealPlayer and Flash Player already installed, please download them from the following sites:
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