Review
"The text is written in a concise, down-to-the-point style; it supplies a wealth of information. ...Mammalogists in general and especially chiropterologists will certainly thoroughly welcome this publication."
-P. Langer in INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY (2000)
"The book is successful, making a large amount of detailed information readily available to naturalists and biologists who work with bats. ...I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in bats in general, and long-eared bats in particular."
-M.B. Fenton, York University, in THE QUARTERLY REVIEW OF BIOLOGY
"While a good deal of the contents will be familiar to active bat workers, everyone is sure to encounter plenty of nuggets of information which are new to them. This is a very worthwhile distillation of current knowledge, presented in an accessible and readable style."
—MAMMAL NEWS
From the Back Cover
The Brown and Grey Long-eared Bats (
Plecotus auritus and
austriacus) are amongst the commonest European bat species and familiar to most naturalists, easily spotted on the wing by virtue of the long ears after which they are named. In fact in Britain the Brown Long-eared Bat is the second commonest bat after the Pipistrelle. They are attractive creatures and favour human habitation and other buildings as roost sites, adding to their familiarity with man.
Bats vary a good deal in their ecology and nowhere is this better demonstrated than in these species. Each shows special features and behaviours that suit them to their partcular favoured habitats and food supply. In this book, Susan Swift first explains the characteristics of Long-eared Bats and how to tell the various species apart. She then describes all aspects of their ecology and behaviour, showing how modern research techniques have shone light on their fascinating lives. She examines their anatomy and how this is adapted to lifestyle. How their foraging behaviour is aided by their huge ears, and how the habit of foliage gleaning affects their diet and activity cycles. How their high reproductive energy requirement are reconciled to the short summers and fluctuating food supplies of northern latitudes. Predatoin, hibernation and mating systems are also described.
Their complex social systems influence their choice of roost and breeding sites and have implications for their conservation as the availability of such places becomes crucial to their future. The full range of conservation issues relating to Long-eared bats is discussed in detail and practical conservation measures proposed.
Comparisons with other long-eared bat species around the world, a full bibliography and a fine selection of colour photographs complete this marvelous book.
