Nature Notebook
The aerobatic display of a hunting bat is another of the many summer wonders. Every school child knows that bats hunt their prey by echolocation. Most people assume that bats are the only animals that echolocate.
However, dolphins, porpoises and other members of the whale family use echolocation to navigate through the oceans. The naval service studied this phenomenon to develop sonar systems for its ships. Birds that nest in caves, such as the oilbird of Venezuela and the cave swiftlet of southern India, use echolocation to find their way in the complete darkness of their home.
