The Genius Bat

Step into the shadows and listen

Usually, you'll hear a bat before you see it - the gentle flutter of wings, their high-pitched chatter as they dive and roll for insects. Only occasionally do you spot them, a blur against the evening sky, quickly fading into the dark.

Despite their elusiveness, bats are some of the most successful animals on Earth with nearly 1,500 known species. From the tiny bumblebee bat - who could rest comfortably on your index finger - to the giant golden-crowned flying fox, whose wingspan stretches well over one and half metres, they are evolutionary marvels, adapted to practically every environment. Reaching speeds of up to 100 mph, they leave cheetahs in the dust. And, while the notorious vampire bat feasts on blood, others are vegetarian, subsisting on fruit and nectar, pollinating vital crops - mangoes, bananas, guavas - in the process. Most remarkably, they are the only mammal that can fly.

Yossi Yovel, an ecologist and a neurobiologist, has spent his life trekking through muddy rainforests and camping in star-covered deserts in pursuit of bats' secrets. Only recently have we begun to understand the lives of these majestic and oft-maligned creatures and The Genius Bat draws on the latest research to shed light on their mysterious nocturnal lives - as well as the obsessive and eccentric people who study them. Eye-opening and entertaining, you'll never think of bats the same way again.