Acoustic cognitive map–based navigation in echolocating bats
Bats are known for their ability to use echolocation for obstacle avoidance and orientation. However, the extent to which bats utilize their highly local and directional echolocation for kilometer-scale navigation is unknown. In this study, we translocated wild Kuhl's pipistrelle bats and tracked their homing abilities while manipulating their visual, magnetic, and olfactory sensing and accurately tracked them using a new reverse GPS system. We show that bats can identify their location after translocation and conduct several-kilometer map-based navigation using solely echolocation. This proposition was further supported by a large-scale echolocation model disclosing how bats use environmental acoustic information to perform acoustic cognitive map-based navigation. We also demonstrate that navigation is improved when using both echolocation and vision.
Authors
- Iain D. Couzin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8556-4558)
- Yossi Yovel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5429-9245)
- Omer Yinon
- Lee Harten (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0515-5752)
- Eran Amichai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3955-9317)
- Aya Goldshtein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2291-2222)
- Yotam Orchan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8217-9910)
- Sivan Toledo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9524-7115)
- Ran Nathan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5733-6715)
- Arjan M. Boonman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3686-1246)
- Xing Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1500-5229)
Institutions
- Dartmouth College (US)
- Tel Aviv University (IL)
- University of Konstanz (DE)
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IL)
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2024-10-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adn6269
- Citations
- 16
- Primary Topic
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 16.47