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.

With nearly 1,500 known species, bats are among the most successful mammals on earth. From the tiny bumblebee bat – which could rest comfortably on your index finger – to the giant golden-crowned flying fox with its 1.5-metre wingspan, they are evolutionary marvels, adapted to practically every environment. The only mammal that can fly, they can reach speeds of up to 100 mph, leaving cheetahs in the dust.

Yossi Yovel, an ecologist and neurobiologist, is passionate about deciphering their secrets. In The Genius Bat, he brings to life these amazing creatures as well as the obsessive and sometimes eccentric people who study them. From muddy rainforests to star-covered deserts, from guest houses in Thailand to museum drawers full of fossils in New York, this is an eye-opening account of a remarkable animal.

‘Engaging and wide-ranging ? The Age of Cats is a readable and informed exploration of the wildcat that lurks within Fluffy’ Washington Post

Why don’t lions meow? Why does my cat leave a dead mouse at my feet? And why is a pet ocelot a bad idea?

Jonathan B. Losos unravels the secrets of the cat using all the tools of modern technology, from GPS tracking (you’ll be amazed where they roam) and genomics (what is your so-called Siamese cat, really?) to forensic archaeology. He tells the story of the cat’s domestication (if you can call it that) and gives us a cat’s-eye view of the world today. Along the way we also meet their wild cousins, whose behaviours are eerily similar to even the sweetest of house cats.

Drawing on his own research and life in his multi-cat household, Losos deciphers complex science and history and explores how selection, both natural and artificial, over the millennia has shaped the contemporary cat.

Yet the cat, ever a predator, still seems to have only one paw out of the wild, and readily reverts to its feral ways as it occupies new habitats around the world. Looking ahead, this charming and intelligent book suggests what the future may hold for the special bond between Felis catus and Homo sapiens.

‘Weasely my favourite book of the year.’ Dave Goulson, author of Silent Earth

A COUNTRYFILE AND WATERSTONES  BEST NATURE BOOK OF 2023

Britain is teeming with wildlife, often in the most unexpected places. There are quarries where rare bats hang out with pot-smoking teens. In Glasgow’s urban parks water voles are thriving – without water. Our coastlines are bustling with grey and harbour seals.  

That’s the good news. The bad news is that a quarter of British mammals are at imminent risk of extinction.

Tim Kendall and Fiona Mathews take us on a safari unlike any other. Armed with binoculars, a Thermos and, regrettably, an inexhaustible supply of puns, they travel from Scotland to the Isles of Scilly in search of their elusive subjects.

You’ll find answers to questions you never thought to ask:

• Do pine marten droppings really smell like Parma Violets?
• Should we give squirrels access to family planning?
• And what do wild boar have in common with a certain royal?

Black Ops and Beaver Bombing is a celebration of Britain’s marvellous mammals, and a rallying cry to save them.

***

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE

‘A cracking book, which shares fascinating stories from the new frontlines of nature conservation… readable and entertaining. The passion and humour of the authors comes through on every page.’ Craig Bennett,  Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts

‘Elegiac, informative and funny; some truly magical encounters in the wild.’ Peter Fiennes, author of  Oak and Ash and Thorn

‘Spring has barely ticked over into summer, but I’ve already found the book that I’ll be recommending for the rest of the year.’ Countryfile

‘Packed full of useful information and acutely up to date? As she’s one of the ablest mammalogists of our age, it’s well worth listening to Fiona Mathews. I would heartily recommend this book to all.’ Derek Gow, author of Bringing Back the Beaver

The passing of the age of the dinosaurs allowed mammals to become ascendant. But mammals have a much deeper history. They – or, more precisely, we – originated around the same time as the dinosaurs, over 200 million years ago; mammal roots lie even further back, some 325 million years.

Over these immense stretches of geological time, mammals developed their trademark features: hair, keen senses of smell and hearing, big brains and sharp intelligence, fast growth and warm-blooded metabolism, a distinctive line-up of teeth (canines, incisors, premolars, molars), mammary glands that mothers use to nourish their babies with milk, qualities that have underlain their success story.

Out of this long and rich evolutionary history came the mammals of today, including our own species and our closest cousins. But today’s 6,000 mammal species – the egg-laying monotremes including the platypus, marsupials such as kangaroos and koalas that raise their tiny babies in pouches, and placentals like us, who give birth to well-developed young – are simply the few survivors of a once verdant family tree, which has been pruned both by time and mass extinctions.

In The Rise and Reign of the Mammals, palaeontologist Steve Brusatte weaves together the history and evolution of our mammal forebears with stories of the scientists whose fieldwork and discoveries underlie our knowledge, both of iconic mammals like the mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers of which we have all heard, and of fascinating species that few of us are aware of.

For what we see today is but a very limited range of the mammals that have existed; in this fascinating and ground-breaking book, Steve Brusatte tells their – and our – story.

Jonathan B. Losos unravels the secrets of the cat using all the tools of modern technology, from GPS tracking (you’ll be amazed where they roam) and genomics (what is your so-called Siamese cat, really?) to forensic archaeology. He tells the story of the cat’s domestication (if you can call it that) and gives us a cat’s-eye view of the world today. Along the way we also meet their wild cousins, whose behaviours are eerily similar to even the sweetest of house cats.

Drawing on his own research and life in his multi-cat household, Losos deciphers complex science and history and explores how selection, both natural and artificial, over the millennia has shaped the contemporary cat.

Yet the cat, ever a predator, still seems to have only one paw out of the wild, and readily reverts to its feral ways as it occupies new habitats around the world. Looking ahead, this charming and intelligent book suggests what the future may hold for the special bond between Felis catus and Homo sapiens.

A moving account of Madagascar told by a researcher who has spent over fifty years investigating the mysteries of this remarkable island.

Madagascar is a place of change. A biodiversity hotspot and the fourth largest island on the planet, it has been home to a spectacular parade of animals, from giant flightless birds and giant tortoises on the ground, to agile lemurs leaping through the treetops. Some species live on; many have vanished in the distant or recent past. Over vast stretches of time, Madagascar’s forests have expanded and contracted in response to shifting climates, and the hand of people is clear in changes during the last thousand years or so. Today, Madagascar is a microcosm of global trends. What happens there in the decades ahead can, perhaps, suggest ways to help turn the tide on the environmental crisis now sweeping the world.

The Sloth Lemur’s Song is a far-reaching account of Madagascar’s past and present, led by an expert guide who has immersed herself in research and conservation activities with village communities on the island for nearly fifty years. Alison Richard accompanies the reader on a journey through space and time-from Madagascar’s ancient origins as a landlocked region of Gondwana and its emergence as an island to the modern-day developments that make the survival of its array of plants and animals increasingly uncertain. Weaving together scientific evidence with Richard’s own experiences and exploring the power of stories to shape our understanding of events, this book captures the magic as well as the tensions that swirl around this island nation.

DK’s Animal features stunning wildlife photography of more than 2,000 of the world’s most important wild mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and other invertebrates, written by 70 natural history specialists. Each animal species comes with a description, photo, distribution map, and statistics, including its conservation status.

Whilst also explaining animal biology in beautiful visual detail, Animal contains a chapter of portraits of the different types of environment that animals inhabit. For anyone who wants a reliable and enthralling reference, in which you can find the answers to everything – from why zebras are striped to how the sunbear got its name – this awe-inspiring animal book is your go-to guide!

Step inside the pages of this amazing animal encyclopedia:

– A visual catalogue containing descriptions of over 2,000 animal species, with distribution maps and striking photos.
– Each catalogue is organised into taxa (the groups of related species that scientists use to classify animals). Each taxon has an introduction explaining which animals belong to the group and what they have in common.
– Researched, written, and authenticated by a team of over 70 zoologists and naturalists from around the globe.
– Introductory chapter describes animal biology in beautiful visual detail.
– Habitats chapter provides visual portraits of the different types of environment that animals inhabit.

A must-have volume for animal lovers of all ages, whether you’re a habitual viewer of wildlife documentaries, or an enthusiastic visitor of zoos and safari parks, Animal has something for everyone to explore and love, and is sure to delight!

‘In this terrific new book, Steve Brusatte . . . brings well-known extinct species, the sabre-toothed tigers and the woolly mammoths, thrillingly back to life’ – The Times

The passing of the age of the dinosaurs allowed mammals to become ascendant. But mammals have a much deeper history. They – or, more precisely, we – originated around the same time as the dinosaurs, over 200 million years ago; mammal roots lie even further back, some 325 million years.

Over these immense stretches of geological time, mammals developed their trademark features: hair, keen senses of smell and hearing, big brains and sharp intelligence, fast growth and warm-blooded metabolism, a distinctive line-up of teeth (canines, incisors, premolars, molars), mammary glands that mothers use to nourish their babies with milk, qualities that have underlain their success story.

Out of this long and rich evolutionary history came the mammals of today, including our own species and our closest cousins. But today’s 6,000 mammal species – the egg-laying monotremes including the platypus, marsupials such as kangaroos and koalas that raise their tiny babies in pouches, and placentals like us, who give birth to well-developed young – are simply the few survivors of a once verdant family tree, which has been pruned both by time and mass extinctions.

In The Rise and Reign of the Mammals, palaeontologist Steve Brusatte weaves together the history and evolution of our mammal forebears with stories of the scientists whose fieldwork and discoveries underlie our knowledge, both of iconic mammals like the mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers of which we have all heard, and of fascinating species that few of us are aware of.

For what we see today is but a very limited range of the mammals that have existed; in this fascinating and ground-breaking book, Steve Brusatte tells their – and our – story.

A moving account of Madagascar told by a researcher who has spent over fifty years investigating the mysteries of this remarkable island.

Madagascar is a place of change. A biodiversity hotspot and the fourth largest island on the planet, it has been home to a spectacular parade of animals, from giant flightless birds and giant tortoises on the ground, to agile lemurs leaping through the treetops. Some species live on; many have vanished in the distant or recent past. Over vast stretches of time, Madagascar’s forests have expanded and contracted in response to shifting climates, and the hand of people is clear in changes during the last thousand years or so. Today, Madagascar is a microcosm of global trends. What happens there in the decades ahead can, perhaps, suggest ways to help turn the tide on the environmental crisis now sweeping the world.

The Sloth Lemur’s Song is a far-reaching account of Madagascar’s past and present, led by an expert guide who has immersed herself in research and conservation activities with village communities on the island for nearly fifty years. Alison Richard accompanies the reader on a journey through space and time-from Madagascar’s ancient origins as a landlocked region of Gondwana and its emergence as an island to the modern-day developments that make the survival of its array of plants and animals increasingly uncertain. Weaving together scientific evidence with Richard’s own experiences and exploring the power of stories to shape our understanding of events, this book captures the magic as well as the tensions that swirl around this island nation.