ScienceGrade 2nd· How Do Bats See in the Dark?

How Do Bats See in the Dark?

Words to Know

Echolocation: Finding things by listening to echoes; Bats use echolocation to fly in the dark.
Echo: A sound that bounces back to you; The bat listens for its squeak to echo back.
Ultrasonic: A sound too high for people to hear; A bat's calls are ultrasonic, so we can't hear them.
Adaptation: A special body power that helps an animal survive; Echolocation is a bat's amazing adaptation.

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What does “Echolocation” mean?

Bats find their way and hunt in the dark using echolocation: they make high-pitched sounds and listen to the echoes that bounce back off objects.
Source: U.S. National Park Service / Bat Conservation International
An echo is a sound that reflects off a surface and returns; bats use the timing of returning echoes to judge how far away and how big things are.
Source: National Park Service
Bats are NOT blind — most can see fine. Echolocation is an extra sense that works in total darkness.
Source: Bat Conservation International
As a bat closes in on an insect, it speeds up its calls dramatically — up to about 200 calls per second — in a burst called the "feeding buzz," giving it rapid updates on the prey's location.
Source: Science / Royal Society Biology Letters
Bats' echolocation calls are usually too high-pitched (ultrasonic) for humans to hear.
Source: National Park Service
Some other animals use echolocation too, including dolphins and toothed whales underwater.
Source: NOAA