Bats, particularly microbats, are known for “seeing” with their ears. Contrary to popular belief, bats are NOT blind. Despite their small eyes, microbats can use their eyesight for avoiding large objects, gauging their height above the ground and finding their way across a landscape by navigating visually, using prominent landmarks. However, the eyes of a microbat are not as well developed as a megabat’s eyesight.
 
The microbat’s most important and unique sense is its hearing. Their hearing is more acute than any other animal. This is through their amazing sonar system called echolocation. With this system, bats emit ultrasonic pulses through their mouths or noses (like with horseshoe bats), so high-pitched that a human can’t hear them. Sometimes, the bats will send out these pulses of sound as many as 500 per second. The bat’s echolocation system is so precise that it can detect anything that can be no wider than a human hair! This system earns its name because the bat will pick up the pulses as soon as it rebound, or echoes, off an insect or any other organism or object. When the bat hears the echo, it can tell exactly where its target is located. Microbats usually have a lobe of skin in their ears called a tragus, which helps their aural perception. The only exception is the horseshoe bat, which emits its pulses through its nose. It has folds of skin around the nose which help focus the sound. Microbats are among the few mammals that use echolocation, but their precision makes them one of the most skilled nocturnal animals ever.
 
Okay, this may or may not be my last bat vector before my Bat Appreciation Day tribute. I actually finished this days ago, but what really kept me from uploading this was the issue of giving this guy sonar waves. I spent all day and night yesterday working on the waves, but they weren’t accurate despite every method I used. To fade in method didn’t work so much. Plus, I was unsure about the ear angles. But finally I decided to go along with this. I will see if I can try again and upload a vector of the bat using sonar, with the sonar waves. Anyway, I’m still at work with my tribute, so prepare yourselves. And I’m planning on including a surprise guest too. Get ready to get batty!
 
Traced from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 2 Episode 7, “May the Best Pet Win!”
 
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic created by Lauren Faust and owned by Hasbro
 
Free to use with credit.