Skip to main content
book cover for The Genius Bat

The Genius Bat

The Secret Life of the Only Flying Mammal

You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now

Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Oct 14 2025 | Archive Date Oct 28 2025

Description

An awe-inspiring tour of bat world by the world’s leading expert

With nearly 1500 species, bats account for more than twenty percent of mammalian species. The most successful and most diverse group of mammals, bats come in different sizes, shapes, and colors, from the tiny bumblebee bat to the giant golden-crowned flying fox. Some bats eat fruit and nectar; others eat frogs, scorpions, or fish. Vampire bats feed on blood. Bats are the only mammals that can fly; their fingers have elongated through evolution to become wings with a unique, super-flexible skin membrane stretched between them. Their robust immune system is one of the reasons for their extreme longevity. A tiny bat can live for forty years.

Yossi Yovel, an ecologist and a neurobiologist, is passionate about deciphering the secrets of bats, including using AI to decipher their communication. In The Genius Bat, he brings to vivid life these amazing creatures as well as the obsessive and sometimes eccentric people who study them–bat scientists. From muddy rainforests to star-covered night deserts, from guest houses in Thailand to museum drawers full of fossils in New York, this is an eye-opening and entertaining account of a mighty mammal.

An awe-inspiring tour of bat world by the world’s leading expert

With nearly 1500 species, bats account for more than twenty percent of mammalian species. The most successful and most diverse group of...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781250378446
PRICE $32.00 (USD)
PAGES 320

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Reader (EPUB)
NetGalley Shelf App (EPUB)
Send to Kindle (EPUB)
Send to Kobo (EPUB)
Download (EPUB)

Average rating from 10 members


Featured Reviews

This book was such a fun read! I love bats and they're super underappreciated, so this book was right up my alley. I really hope that people will read this book and start caring about bats more. They're so important!

The author is an ecologist and a neurobiologist, so he definitely knows his stuff about bats, but he's also a surprisingly good and engaging writer. The book was fast paced and very readable.

I think people who don't know much about bats would learn a lot from this book, but even people like me who already like bats can learn some new things. It's clear that a lot of research went into this book.

Bats are just so cool and adorable, it was so fun reading a book from someone who was passionate about them.

Was this review helpful?

I love bats, and this was so much fun to read. I love that we really dig into more of the scientific nature of bata.

Was this review helpful?

This was a very well done non-fiction book about bats. I think the author did a nice job of weaving in a little narrative of himself and other researchers and the places that they went to and what they were looking for and how they did their research. There were a few dry spots where some of the information went above my head, but that’s not a book problem, that is simply the limitations of my brain. I am no scientist. A very informative and enjoyable read!

Was this review helpful?

Yovel masterfully combines rigorous scientific research with compelling storytelling. He takes readers on a global journey—from rainforests to deserts, from remote guesthouses in Thailand to museum drawers in New York—introducing them to the dedicated scientists who study these fascinating creatures. Through vivid anecdotes and meticulous detail, Yovel paints a picture of bats not as mere flying mammals but as intelligent beings with intricate social structures and behaviors

Was this review helpful?

I have loved bats since I was a kid, but I've always found it difficult to learn more about them. Researching online, I get the same facts I learned as a kid, just the basics about the fascinating animals. My niece, who is six, now loves bats and I found myself once again wanting to find more information so I could share it with her. When I spotted this book, I knew I had to read it, and I'm so glad I did! I loved the historical aspect of learning about research done over decades by dedicated scientists and bat-lovers! I like how it switches from the past to the present and connects the research and knowledge in the field. Every chapter was fascinating and provided new information which I can't wait to share with my niece and anyone else who will listen! This book isn't recommended for young kids, but can provide some great information to adults who can then share the best bits with kids who want to learn more about the animals!

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: