A new study shows that bats are born with a ‘superpower’ of incredibly accurate time sensing.
Little is known about falling species
The researchers found that from their first flight, these echolocating mammals somehow knew exactly how long it would take for the sound waves of their calls to echo from their prey. again. An innate reference point related to the speed of sound allows bats to judge distance in units of time, as opposed to spatial units like humans. Unlike humans who rely heavily on sight, various types of bats “see” the world around them with their ears. However, just as our eyes can fool ourselves, bats don’t always decode their echoes correctly. 
Illustration. For the test, the team housed six newborn bats in normal atmospheric conditions, as well as five newborn bats in helium-enriched air. This will increase the speed of the sound. These two groups were then tested for echolocation in their respective environments. When approaching a food target, helium-enriched airborne bats displayed echolocation patterns and normal airborne bat-like flight behavior. When a bat flies and lands somewhere, it requires precise coordination between its call to attract and its body. As the creature gets closer to its target, the bat’s echolocation speed increases, and when landing slows, it rolls its body, straightening its legs. However, in an environment where the speed of sound travels faster, this all happens much faster, causing the bats to land ahead of their target. Despite many attempts, the bats still managed to approach the target using the normal sound reference speed. The problem is that bats never learn from their mistakes. Even when adult bats were conditioned in a helium-enriched environment for several days, the researchers found that they were unable to change this fixed reference point. This is surprising, since sensory learning is an advantage for many animals, especially those with the ability to change conditions. Little known secrets about bats According to the analysis results of scientists, in the feces of bats there is a lot of potassium nitrate salt, also known as salt pepper. This chemical is the main ingredient in many fertilizers. At the same time, it is also used to make explosives and detonators. In the past, especially during the American Civil War, bat droppings were considered an important resource for both sides. Because from this waste, one can extract salt and pepper (which is quite scarce) to supply the army. When it comes to bats, most of us probably think of animals with a “unique” way of sleeping upside down. According to scientists, this unusual sleeping position of bats actually has its own purpose. Specifically, unlike birds or insects, the leathery wings of bats are not strong enough to easily lift them from the ground to the air. Therefore, when resting, bats always choose an elevated position so that when they need to fly, they just drop down, taking advantage of air resistance to support take-off. However, according to statistics, there are 6 species of bats that do not hang upside down when sleeping. Most of them have suckers on their limbs, allowing them to cling to leaves or other flat surfaces to sleep. In fact, only small bats (suborder Microchiroptera) have poor eyesight and must be located using sonar. Meanwhile, the larger representatives (of the suborder Megachiroptera) possess excellent eyesight. Even the vision of these bats is better than that of humans. However, in exchange for “bright” eyes, members of the suborder Megachiroptera do not know how to use ultrasound waves.
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