2023 Bernstein Prize for Nonfiction Winner

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.

Rights sold:

US: St. Martin’s Press (NA); Czech Republic: Euromedia; Israel: Kinneret-Zmora; Italy: Adelphi; Japan: Kawade Shobō Shinsha; Korea: Across; Poland: CC Press; Russia: AST; UK: Oneworld Reviews: 

★"Yovel's passion and curiosity will leave readers with a greater appreciation for the wonders and mysteries of the bat world. This is a revelation." ―Publisher's Weekly (starred)

"Brings the poster-species of Halloween out of the shadows, so we can better appreciate the flying mammal." ―National Geographic Traveler

"Endearing photos of bats show clever adaptations like long tongues...In his book The Genius Bat, ecologist Yossi Yovel explains why these mammals are a vital part of ecosystems, pollinating plants and keeping insect populations in check." ―New Scientist

"By page eight, I was a confirmed batman... In all this batty marvellousness, nothing intrigues more than the evolutionary ‘arms race’ between bats and insects... This book, it must be stated, is no dry-as-dust science text. Prof Yossi Yoval is out in jungle, desert and tropical island, the Indiana Jones of chiropterology. It’s bonkersly interesting." ―Country Life

"In this dynamic and informative account of the genius of bats, Yovel’s passion for and knowledge of the topic are inspiring and evident throughout." ―Booklist

"Yovel’s enthusiasm for these little creatures is infectious." ―Library Journal

“A marvelous book. If you are at all curious about bats and the scientists who study them, this is the book for you.” ―Nancy Simmons, Curator of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History

"You will never think of bats (or zoologists) in the same way. The book is a masterpiece of storytelling.” ―Ron Milo, Weizmann Institute, author of Biology by the Numbers

“In this excellent book, Yovel draws you into the lives of bats. He provides many astonishing details of what bats do and why.” ―Brock Fenton, Emeritus Professor, Western University, Ontario, author of A Miscellany of Bats

"Follows the secret lives of these flying creatures, and not least the crazy people who study them. Full of knowledge and amazing details, and written almost like a thriller; the enthusiasm is evident in every sentence." ―Udi Ben Saadia, Walla News

"A love story for the only mammal endowed with the ability to fly. The book is fascinating throughout, and it combines stories of exotic journeys to distant islands that resonate like adventures from world literature." ―The Bernstein Literature Prize Committee

"Fascinating...Yovel clearly explains bats' vital contributions to a healthier planet... and provides an insider view of what motivates scientists to study bats." ―Merlin Tuttle, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin

"Accessible, engaging, and inspiring." ―Winifred Frick, Chief Scientist, Bat Conservation International