#9: Bats Can See Perfectly Well — Scientific Description of Modern Bats: 1758
The expression “blind as a bat” has convinced generations of people that bats navigate entirely without vision. In reality, nearly every bat species has functional eyesight, and many possess surprisingly effective vision in low-light conditions. They also use echolocation, which allows them to emit high-frequency sounds and interpret the returning echoes to locate insects, avoid obstacles, and fly through darkness with remarkable precision. These two sensory systems complement one another instead of competing. Depending on the species and environment, bats may rely more heavily on one sense than the other. Far from being blind, they combine vision and echolocation to become some of nature’s most efficient nocturnal hunters.
