Because bats use a form of sonar to navigate through dark caves, some people assume that bats are blind. In reality, bats can see quite well—even in the dark.
Fruit-eating bats have large eyes that help them spot food. Other bats, however—those that hunt at night for food—rely on their ears, using a technique called echolocation.
Bats send out streams of high-pitched sounds through their mouths or noses. These sounds bounce off nearby objects and send back echoes. By listening to these echoes, bats can figure out the location, distance, size, texture, and shape of an object. But that doesn’t mean they can’t see the way we can!
Michele C. Hollow writes about pets and wildlife. She owns the popular animal advocacy site Pet News and Views, and is the author of The Everything Guide to Working with Animals. You can follow her @MicheleCHollow.