There are over 1400 species of bats found around the world. And the way they navigate is hugely varied.
The vast majority are using, as you might expect, echolocation. That's where an animal uses reflected sound to navigate.
But echolocation is not the only sense that they use.
When it comes time to find and hunt their prey, bats will use their eyes. Some rely heavily on smell. And some have evolved the ability to eavesdrop on their future meals.
"And then these frog eating bats, for example, they are actually listening in on the mating calls of frogs that are much, much lower in frequency," says Rachel Page, a behavioral ecologist and staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
She's been studying fringe-lipped bats, native to Panama, for more than 20 years. They have enormous ears, which help them listen to frog calls and assess which frogs are toxic, and which could make a delicious snack.
What researchers like Page didn't know was how bats developed this ability to eavesdrop on frogs. Are they born with it? Do they learn to distinguish between poisonous and palatable frogs over time?
Her recent study offers some new clues.
Have a question about the animals all around us? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
Today's episode was produced by Rachel Carlson and edited by Berly McCoy. Tyler Jones checked the facts. Kwesi Lee was the audio engineer.
Copyright 2025 NPR
