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The Secret Lives of Bats

My Adventures with the World's Most Misunderstood Mammals

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The Secret Lives of Bats

By: Merlin Tuttle
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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About this listen

A lifetime of adventures with bats around the world reveals why these special and imperiled creatures should be protected rather than feared.

From menacing moonshiners and armed bandits to charging elephants and man-eating tigers, Merlin Tuttle has stopped at nothing to find and protect bats on every continent they inhabit. Enamored of bats ever since discovering a colony in a cave as a boy, Tuttle saw how effective photography could be in persuading people not to fear bats, and he has spent his career traveling the world to document them.

Tuttle shares research showing that frog-eating bats can identify frogs by their calls, that vampire bats have a social order similar to that of 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.

Sharing highlights from a lifetime of adventure and discovery, Tuttle takes us to the frontiers of bat research and conservation and forever changes the way we see these poorly understood yet fascinating creatures.

©2015 Merlin Tuttle (P)2021 Tantor Animals Biological Sciences Biology Ecology Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science
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Who knows much about bats? Merlin Tuttle has devoted his life to the study of bats around the world, which has involved various secondary skills including speleology, climbing, photography and diplomacy. He’s a very engaging storyteller and there is so much fascinating information here about the lives of these mysterious and delightful creatures.

Fascinating in terms of biology and a superb scientist’s autobiography

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Loved this. I was already a bat lover, but the combination of bat ecology, conservation and adventure story (the author's exploits were enthralling and often funny) must be of interest to anyone. I wish it had been Merlin reading it, but other than that, it was perfect.

Brilliant

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A thumbs up from a bat is a bigger deal than you think it is.

Who’d have thought?

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This audible book brought tears of laughter and appreciation! I highly recommend it to any chiropterophiles!

Bat man

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The author's unwavering passion and efforts to conserve bats, which have spanned decades, are evident in every sentence. This book, written before the pandemic, prompts me to dispair how many bats have been culled due to human panic and misinformation. I shudder to think. The author's approach to those who kill bats, which is to talk to them and listen to them, and educate them, is not just enlightening, but also a testament to his deep commitment. It would be beneficial if we could adopt a similar approach in our polarised world.

Awe-inspiring conservation efforts

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