Bats Navigate Home with Eyes Closed: Study Reveals Acoustic Map Use

Tel Aviv University, Israel – A groundbreaking study from Tel Aviv University has shed light on the navigation capabilities of bats, revealing that these creatures can find their way home even when blindfolded. The research, led by Aya Goldshtein, Lee Harten, and Professor Yossi Yovel, challenges the long-held belief that bats rely solely on their vision for long-distance navigation.

The study focused on wild Kuhl's pipistrelle microbats (Pipistrellus kuhlii), which were taken several kilometers away from their roost. Despite being blindfolded, these small insectivores, weighing about the same as a cigarette with a wingspan of approximately 25 cm, successfully navigated back home. This was achieved by creating sonar-based maps in their brains, a process the researchers describe as "acoustic cognitive map-based navigation."

To conduct the experiment, bats were initially captured at their roost using nets. They were then transported to a new location, about 3 kilometers away, in a darkened container to block out visual and olfactory cues. Before release, their eyes were covered with felt to prevent any visual aid. Additionally, tiny magnets were glued onto their heads to disrupt any potential geomagnetic navigation, a technique sometimes theorized for other animals like cats.

The results were clear: 95% of the bats made their way back home, despite the sensory impairments. This suggests that bats might be using echolocation not just for hunting but also for mapping their environment on a larger scale than previously thought.

Prof. Yovel commented on the findings, "While we did not entirely rule out the magnetic hypothesis, it seems unlikely given the scale at which bats operate. Echolocation provides them with a detailed acoustic map of their surroundings, which they can use for navigation over long distances."

The experiment also noted that control bats without blindfolds returned home more efficiently, indicating that while echolocation is powerful, vision aids in faster navigation. However, the ability of bats to navigate acoustically opens up new understanding of their sensory capabilities.

The study, published in the latest issue of Science, not only enhances our understanding of bat navigation but also poses questions about how other animals, like cats, find their way back home. The research team used surgical cement for temporary attachments, ensuring no long-term harm to the bats, who removed their blindfolds once safely back at the roost.

This discovery adds a fascinating layer to the complex world of bat biology, proving once again that these often-misunderstood creatures possess remarkable abilities adapted to their nocturnal lifestyle.