The Bat’s Echo: What Nature’s Most Astonishing Animal Teaches Us About Ourselves

What comes to mind when you think of bats? Vampires, disease, Halloween, blood-sucking? Perhaps less likely is a creature that holds the key to us living longer and healthier lives, or an answer to environmental destruction, an aid in sustainable farming and even a pandemic preventer. Yet bat scientist Sonja C Vernes shows us that such issues and more are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these misunderstood mammals, who should instead be considered our new best friend. The Bat’s Echo uncovers the special relationship between us and bats. From the ‘Tequila bats’ of Mexico that pollinate the agave plant which produces the popular tipple, to the Wrinkled-Lipped Bats who have provided a source of revenue for Buddhist monks in a Thai temple, Vernes journeys around the world to explore their wonders, including a stop at her own bat cave in Scotland, where a colony of Pale Spear-nosed bats are helping untangle childhood speech disorders. With over 1,500 species, one in four mammals on Earth is a bat. Their diversity is astounding, as are the possibilities for our own lives if we can learn to appreciate and nurture their brilliance. Capturing the latest scientific research alongside entertaining stories from over a decade of working with this most unique animal, Vernes suggests that whether you are a ‘dog person’ or a ‘cat person’, by the end of this book you will certainly be a ‘bat person’.