Bill Schutt
AUTHOR

Bill Schutt

Bill Schutt is a vertebrate zoologist, best-selling author, Emeritus Professor of Biology at Long Island University, and Research Associate at American Museum of Natural History.

Schutt is the author of seven books, including "Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History” and the R.J. MacCready thriller series which includes "Hell's Gate" and "The Himalayan Codex" (coauthored by J.R. Finch). Bill's first children's book, "Desi the Vampire Bat" (The Creative Company) and his next popular science book, "Feet First: A Natural History From Fins to Fetishes" (W.W. Norton) will be published in 2027. Both books will be illustrated by award-winning artist, Patricia J. Wynne.

Bill Schutt was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island. After graduating from Lindenhurst High School, he attended Southampton College before graduating from C.W. Post (Long Island University) with a BA in Biology. Schutt then attended SUNY Geneseo where he earned an MA in Biology under the guidance of Edwin J. Spicka.

Schutt enrolled at Cornell University under the mentorship of John W. Hermanson where he began studying various aspects of anatomy, evolution, and behavior in bats. Initially, Schutt investigated the passive digital lock, a ratchet-like mechanism that allows some bats to hang for extended periods of time without muscle fatigue. Gradually, Bill became more involved in the study of vampire bats - their anatomy, evolution, behavior, and especially, their ability to move efficiently on the ground. Schutt collected over two dozen vampire bats in Trinidad and maintained them at Cornell for three years. Among other studies, Schutt and his coworkers used the force platform and a hi-speed camera to measure the forces generated during flight-initiating jumps by the common vampire bat. After graduating with a Ph.D. from Cornell in 1995, Bill taught for three years at Bloomfield College in New Jersey while simultaneously working on a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the American Museum of Natural History with Nancy Simmons.

In 1998, Bill Schutt accepted a faculty position at Southampton College (Long Island University). In 2005, he transferred to his undergraduate alma mater, LIU-Post, where he was a Professor of Biology (teaching undergraduate courses in Human Anatomy and Physiology, Comparative Anatomy, and Vertebrate Paleontology) until he took an early retirement in 2020 (after 22 years at LIU). Bill is now a full-time author and maintains strong ties to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), where he is a longtime Research Associate in the Department of Mammalogy.

Bill Schutt has been a member of the North American Society for Bat Research (NASBR) for over three decades, serving on their Board of Directors for eight years.

Bill lives in New York with his wife.

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Bestsellers

Product list
  • Cover of Bite
    Sample

    • Bite

    • An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans
    • By: Bill Schutt
    • Narrated by: Charles Constant
    • Length: 7 hrs and 46 min
    • Release date: 13/08/2024
    • Language: English
    • No ratings

    €16.25 or free with trial. Auto-renews at €5.99/month after trial. See eligibility.

  • Cover of Pump
    Sample

    • Pump

    • A Natural History of the Heart
    • By: Bill Schutt
    • Narrated by: LJ Gasner
    • Length: 7 hrs and 50 min
    • Release date: 15/07/2022
    • Language: English
    • No ratings

    €16.79 or free with trial. Auto-renews at €5.99/month after trial. See eligibility.

  • Cover of Hell's Gate
    Sample

    €17.99 or free with trial. Auto-renews at €5.99/month after trial. See eligibility.

  • Cover of The Darwin Strain
    Sample

    €20.99 or free with trial. Auto-renews at €5.99/month after trial. See eligibility.

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