Flying Mammals

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This slim volume tackles the only group of mammals that can fly. Divided into large fruit bats and smaller insect-eating bats, this quick identification guide covers Africa’s 12 bat families. An informative introduction touches on evolution, flight, echolocation and reproduction, demystifying an animal that is all too often misunderstood. The text describes the facial characteristics and wing shapes common to each family and points out features that can help to distinguish between them. But it is the photographs and annotated line drawings that are most useful for identification, pinpointing key diagnostic attributes. They include bats in flight, close-ups of facial structures and wings, and roosting sites. An added extra is a photographic section showing the skulls of a variety bats.