How Do Bats Find Their Way in the Dark?
Misconceptions
Bats are often thought of as mysterious, spooky creatures that are out to get us. When we watch their erratic flight patterns at night it looks as if they are heading right toward us. The truth is, bats are gentle creatures that want to avoid us as much as we want to avoid them. The old saying "blind as a bat" has been around for generations. However, that is not a completely accurate statement, as bats are not blind. Bats can see quite well, but since they are nocturnal and feed at night, there is another method by which they find their way during flight and locate their food.
Echolocation
Bats use a method called echolocation to find their way in the dark. Echolocation is quite an elaborate process. Bats emit a sound either through their mouths or their noses. These sounds travel outward, and when they hit an object, even one as small as an insect, the sound bounces back to the bat's ears. This is how they can tell how large an object or insect is, and how far away it is. That erratic flight pattern that we find so strange is the bat reacting to echolocation. Usually they are turning in flight to catch an insect.
Interesting Bat Facts
Bats are busy all night because they eat at least half their weight in insects. A female bat will eat her full body weight in insects when she is nursing young.
There are over 900 different species of bats worldwide and over 40 types in North America, and 40% of those are either on the endangered species list or close to it.
The Chinese view the bat as a symbol of good luck.
A small brown bat has a lifespan of over 30 years.
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