How Bats Stay On Target: Bio Sonar

How Bats Stay On Target: Bio Sonar

Http://www.livescience.com/15616-bats-sonar-sounds-nsf-ria.html

When Bats emit high frequency chirps and hears the corresponding echo from the sound hitting something it can see the land in front of it in great detail. Bats are highly sensitive to detail that they receive from these echoes and can detect the smallest differences. They can tell how far things are from them, how fast it is moving (if it is moving), about what size, and possible even what material it is all from the echo they get back from their chirps. Bats also prioritize what objects they are “seeing,” “hearing” based on what type of frequency they get back, this is called “auditory fingerprints.” Each bat has it’s unique chirp and can tell the difference between its echo and the echo of other bats. They can do this because the neurons in their brains are in tune to their frequency and pick it up specifically and not the chirps of other bats. It is amazing that bats are able to hone in on its prey, usually small bugs, in a swarm of other bats and catch it without getting confused.

This can affect people with hearing problems if scientists can find a way to connect bat hearing to human hearing.