Echolocation essay

An essay about caves and the origins of echolocation. Human-engineered sonar can detect submarines, but echolocating bats can detect miniscule flying insects, minnow fins protruding from a water surface, the tiny water ripples made by a calling frog, even the gossamer strands of spider webs.

Most echolocating bats produce the echolocation sounds with their larynx, just like when you speak or sing. The local bats of the Eastern USA all scream loudly through their tiny mouths, but some bats in other parts of the world also send the signals out through their nose– which is one reason why their faces are often so weird-looking.

The hard solid walls of some caves can produce crisp clear echoes compared to a cluttered leafy forest or open air. Actually, the easiest environment for echolocating would be inside a building with flat smooth solid walls. But alas, caves are the closest thing that Mother Nature gave bats.