Bats can jam each other’s signals in race for food
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028408
BBC : At least one species of bat has been observed to emit sound signals that interfere with its competitors so it can snatch food. Aaron Corcoran of Wake Forest University in North Carolina decided to study Mexican free-tailed bats after noticing one member of the species appearing to jam the echolocating signal of another in the hunt for insects. Corcoran and colleagues illuminated the night sky and set up a camera to record the bats’ movements and microphones to record their sounds. They found that when hunting for food, the bats were able to produce just the right frequency to interfere with others’ signals. Corcoran says the finding was unexpected and he plans to look into whether the behavior is unique to that particular species.
