What Secrets Are Hidden Inside The Call Of A Bat?
A little brown bat with White-nose syndrome photographed in 2008. Photo courtesy Ryan Von Linden, USFWS, New York Department of Environmental Conservation
The fungal disease White-nose syndrome has killed off millions of bats across America.
Since it was first identified in 2006, it’s appeared on bats in more than 30 states, including all of New England, Quebec, and the Maritimes.
Now, scientists are trying to learn more about the impact of this devastating disease, by listening to the calls of the bats left behind.
If a bat flies in a forest and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?
Well, not a sound our ears can hear.
Bats use echolocation to navigate and find food. It’s similar to sonar, with a bat sending out sound pulses and then listening to the echoes that bounce back.