Do you think identifying bats in Europe or in North America is difficult? Well, try it in the Amazon. The planet’s green lung is home to the most diverse bat communities on the planet with more than 160 species currently described. Local species richness often surpasses 100 and for many, their identification in the field is, to say the least, challenging. This task will now become easier with the publication of the Field Guide to Amazonian Bats, a landmark handbook aimed at facilitating species identification in the field. Its new digital dynamic format, continuously updated, might be the future for field guides for the most unexplored regions in the world.
As one of the first interactive online field guides for bats, the authors’ aim is to continuously update and improve it. The field guide provides an essential tool, not only for researchers, but also for bat conservationists, consultancies and anyone interested in Neotropical bats in general, and Amazonian bats in particular. The book is published online as an open access e-book free of charge in www.tropicalconservation.net.
Bat Conservation International is proud to be one of many supporters of this unique project.
