Echolocation in Bats
In a process known as echolocation,some animals use reflected sound waves to assess their surroundings.Echolocation has been best studied in bats.Today the general consensus among scientists is that the functions of bat echolocation are primarily to acquire food (for example,flying insects)and secondarily to orient in darkness. Echolocation and other sounds are measured in frequency (vibrations per second),using a unit of measure called a hertz (Hz).Sounds emitted by bats can range between 100 and 200,000 Hz,but those used for echolocation are generally between 25,000 and 140,000 Hz. Because humans typically hear sounds between about 20 and 20,000 Hz,echolocation in bats is truly ultrasonic from a human standpoint.
