Acoustic cognitive map–based navigation in echolocating bats

Author

Aya Goldshtein
Xing Chen
Eran Amichai
Arjan Boonman
Lee Harten
Omer Yinon
Yotam Orchan
Ran Nathan
Sivan Toledo
Iain D. Couzin
Yossi Yovel

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Publication Date

11-1-2024

Publication Title

Science

Volume Number

386

Issue Number

6721

Abstract

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.

Document Type

Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adn6269

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Goldshtein, Aya; Chen, Xing; Amichai, Eran; Boonman, Arjan; Harten, Lee; Yinon, Omer; Orchan, Yotam; Nathan, Ran; Toledo, Sivan; Couzin, Iain D.; and Yovel, Yossi, "Acoustic cognitive map–based navigation in echolocating bats" (2024). KIP Articles. 10557.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/10557