Western professor gives bats image boost in new book

Big brown bats are species commonly found on campus. (All photos courtesy of Brock Fenton) A Miscellany of Bats by Brock Fenton and Jens Rydell will be released in April 2022 For many people, the mention of flying bats conjures up visions of blood-sucking, big-eyed creatures of the dark that mark the arrival of Count Dracula and his minions of vampires. For researcher Brock Fenton , however, bats are one of nature's most fascinating creatures, and he has gone to the bat caves and back to shed light on the myths and misconceptions about these wonderful, winged mammals. "They are much more complicated and dynamic than we thought," said Fenton, professor emeritus in Western's department of biology, who has been researching the behaviour and ecology of bats for more than 50 years. In a new book he co-authored with the late Jens Rydell , a Swedish scientist and bat photographer who passed away earlier this year, Fenton demystifies bats through research stories and spectacular photographs collected over more than two decades. A Miscellany of Bats, published by Pelagic Publishing, is set to be released in April 2022. (See slideshow below for a sneak peek of some amazing imagery for the book) Small wonders The intention of the book, Fenton said, is to make bats more accessible to the average reader.