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How do bats see in the dark?

The short answer

With sound. Bats make squeaks too high for us to hear and listen for the echoes. And no, bats are not blind.

Fact-checked Checked against 10 sources
Watch it in about a minute, here or on YouTube

Bats can catch a tiny moth in total darkness. Their secret is a shout you cannot hear.

What is the secret?

A bat makes squeaks so high that we cannot hear them. The sound hits a moth and bounces back as an echo.

Illustration from the video: What is the secret?

How does it find the moth?

The bat listens to the echo and knows where the moth is. The faster the echo comes back, the closer the moth is.

Illustration from the video: How does it find the moth?

How does it catch it?

Near the moth, the bat squeaks faster and faster. Then it catches the moth in the air.

Illustration from the video: How does it catch it?

Are bats blind?

And no, bats are not blind. In fact, many fruit bats have big eyes and see very well.

Illustration from the video: Are bats blind?

Sources

  1. Ask A Biologist (Arizona State University): Echolocation
  2. National Park Service: Echolocation
  3. Britannica: Bat, Orientation
  4. Wikipedia: Animal echolocation
  5. HBCSE TIFR Small Science: What can a bat tell from its echo
  6. How It Works: Bat sonar
  7. Live Science: Are bats really blind?
  8. Cleveland Zoological Society: Do all bats use echolocation?
  9. Australian Museum: Flying-foxes
  10. Britannica: Flying fox

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