The world wouldn’t be the same without bats

The importance of bats, their social lives, and why they are essential to the functioning of the world as we know it, have all been highlighted by a University of Chester Professor in a BBC Radio 4 programme and a new, engaging and accessible book.

Roosting rituals and dinner dates: bats have a social life

smiling woman with long blond hair waering a blue knitted sweater, holds a book with bats on the front and the title: 'The Social Lives of Bats' — Professor Christina Stanley with a copy of her new book, The Social Lives of Bats: From Roosting Rituals to Dinner Dates. Picture by University of Chester

Christina Stanley, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare, has just published The Social Lives of Bats: From Roosting Rituals to Dinner Dates, which brings together a group of scientists from around the world and their research on these fascinating mammals.

In this book, readers can learn about curious behaviours exhibited by some bat species, such as sharing blood with friends to save a life, or sleeping in leaf-homes that only last for a single day. They will understand bats can share information about food, learn important skills as youngsters within a noisy roost, and even use friendships in captivity as a way to de-stress.

The purpose of the book is to demystify the world of bats and improve their reputation. By introducing readers to each scientist co-author at the start of each chapter, Christina also aims to make scientists more relatable.

Bats are essential for many things

There are about 1,500 bat species worldwide; they play essential roles in ecosystems, agriculture and could revolutionise human medicine. Christina had the opportunity to discuss these points with actor and presenter Alan Davies in the first episode of new BBC Radio 4 series, Life Without, a programme which asks what would happen to the planet if one thing was plucked from existence – in this case, bats.

Within the programme – which can be found on BBC Sounds – Christina and Kate Jones, Professor of Ecology and Biodiversity at UCL, speak to Alan about how the world would suffer biodiversity loss, how it could be harder to fight infectious diseases, and how tequila might become a thing of the past.

Christina said:

I love talking about bats to anyone who’ll listen. They are one of the most misunderstood animals on the planet; it drives me mad that they are still associated mostly with disease and vampires. Their faces can sometimes be a bit off-putting, as bats often sport strange-looking structures to funnel the ultrasound they use to echolocate.
But bats show such endearing qualities, such as strong friendships and co-operation; once you understand the complexity of their social relationships, you can get past their appearance. I really hope this book and Radio 4 programme create more bat fans – they really need our help!

There is still so much we don’t know about bats

The book, written in an engaging and accessible style for a general audience and richly illustrated with superb photographs – many taken by photographer Daniel Hargreaves – of bat species around the world, is now available to purchase from Pelagic Publishing, NHBS (Natural History Book Service), Amazon, Waterstones and other booksellers.

It includes a chapter co-authored by Christina and two members of her research team, postdoctoral researcher Camilla Soravia and PhD student Lucy Morison, about their current work on lesser horseshoe bats.

Camilla said:

There is still so much to discover about bats. We often don’t know where they go when they leave the roost, or what they’re saying when they call to one another.
I’ve loved the opportunities to climb ladders, explore dark attics and catch glimpses of their hidden lives. I’ve especially enjoyed sharing that sense of discovery with students and through this book – I hope it brings people and bats closer together.

The University’s BAT Monitoring via novel Assays and smart Nano-electronics (BATMAN) Project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, is uncovering exciting insights into how lesser horseshoe bats cope with different types of disturbance from humans, especially in terms of light and noise. Their work has inspired a new review paper, published this month, written by Christina, Camilla, Lucy and Professor of Behavioural Endocrinology Tessa Smith.

For more information on courses that can be studied and other ongoing research at the University’s School of Natural Sciences, visit: https://www.chester.ac.uk/about/faculties/science-business-and-enterprise/school-of-natural-sciences/.