How bats detect flying insects

AUG 01, 1980

During their evolution, the echolocating bats have developed an “auditory fovea” to fully exploit the capacities of their ears, which permits them to find and feast on the rich variety of insects that fly at night

DOI: 10.1063/1.2914210

Gerhard Neuweiler

In the process of evolution every possible niche for survival has been exploited by some animal species. Whenever there is a biological area that produces a surplus it becomes advantageous for some species to adapt itself to make use of that surplus; many species have thus become endowed with highly specialized skills that have given them exclusive access to some hidden treasures.

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More about the authors

Gerhard Neuweiler, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universitat, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.