Vision in echolocating bats - Fladdermus.net

multimodality (Pettigrew et al. 1983; Schmidt 1988; Hessel & Schmidt
1994). In a two choice test, two phyllostomid bats (Desmodus rotundus
and Phyllostomus discolor) were trained to respond to a combination of
visual, olfactory and acoustic stimuli, and were then presented with one
of the three modalities separately (Schmidt et al. 1988). It was found that
Phyllostomus discolor chose the visual stimuli to a higher degree,
whereas Desmodus rotundus preferred the passive acoustic stimuli.
However, both bats were able to respond to all three modalities, although
responses to the olfactory stimuli needed additional training, as also noted
by Hessel and Schmidt (1994), when studying Carollia perspicillata.
However when the Carollia had learned to respond to the olfactory cue,
this became the preferred stimuli, which was not the case with Desmodus
or Phyllostomus, which both used two other senses. This clearly shows
that bats use an array of different senses in the field, and that ecology,
feeding strategies and behavioural context all influence the use of
different modalities.
Echolocation may be the most important innovation
throughout bat evolution, allowing these animals to explore a niche of
their own. But there is more to the sensory ecology of microchiropteran
bats, where vision is an important piece of the puzzle and certainly needs
further attention in the future.
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