This bat flies in complete darkness

Bats can determine an object’s distance, size, shape, texture, and even velocity in complete darkness

New Delhi | Updated: August 19, 2025 06:30 PM IST

2 min read

Learn how echolocation enables these nocturnal flyers to navigate, hunt, and even map their world in total darkness. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Imagine navigating a pitch-black world with complete confidence. That’s exactly what many bat species can do, thanks to echolocation, a highly refined form of biological sonar.

Most microbats emit high-frequency ultrasonic calls (often between 20–200 kHz) using their larynx and emit them either through the mouth or nose. These pulses bounce off objects, producing echoes that their brains instantly decode to map their surroundings.

Bats can determine an object’s distance, size, shape, texture, and even velocity in complete darkness. Some can detect wires as thin as 0.08 mm, thinner than a human hair, and catch tiny flying insects in flight, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

With echolocation, bats are both avoiding obstacles and expertly hunting. They fly at speeds up to 40 m/s, covering extensive nightly ranges to locate and capture prey. Their ears are sculpted to funnel sound and discern minuscule delays in echo return, which gives bats a detailed “sound picture” of their environment quicker than most visual predators could react.

Most microbats emit high-frequency ultrasonic calls (often between 20–200 kHz) using their larynx and emit them either through the mouth or nose (file)

Advanced mental mapping and precision

Some bats build what researchers term an “acoustic cognitive map”, a mental audio layout of their territory built solely from echolocation echoes. In studies, even when displaced kilometres from home, bats like Kuhl’s pipistrelle find their way back using these sonar landmarks, sometimes integrated with vision when available.

Moreover, some bats can detect and classify motionless prey using echolocation alone. The Micronycteris microtis (common big-eared bat) can distinguish stationary insects on vegetation—even amid echo clutter—by hovering and scanning brief ultrasonic calls, forming a precise acoustic image for prey identification, as per WIRED.

In an intriguing twist, certain fruit bats have been discovered using sonar clicks produced by their wings, not their vocal organs. Though rudimentary, this wing-click echolocation lets them navigate in complete darkness, though they’re less precise than voiced echolocators and may collide with smaller obstacles.

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