Hunting bats aim both ears at prey to hear it through surrounding noise

What is it about?

Bats hunt in darkness by calling and listening for echoes from prey. Scientists previously thought that bats locate prey mainly by comparing how loud an echo is at each ear. Using high-speed cameras, microphones, and computer models, we studied three bat species as they caught prey in flight. We found that the bats aimed both ears directly at their target. This reduces the loudness difference between the ears, but makes faint prey echoes easier to hear while filtering out unwanted echoes from the surrounding environment. During fast pursuits, bats therefore appear to favor a clear, focused signal over the strongest possible left-right localization cues.

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Photo by Clément Falize on Unsplash

Photo by Clément Falize on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our findings challenge a long-standing explanation of how bats locate objects using sound. Ear positions measured in stationary or deceased bats do not necessarily reflect how bats use their ears while flying. In flight, bats coordinate their ears with the sonar beam they emit, creating a narrow acoustic field of view focused on the prey. This strategy may explain how bats rapidly track weak echoes in cluttered environments and shows why sensory systems must be studied during natural behavior. The findings could also inform the design of sonar systems that need to detect and track targets amid noise.

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