How bats play ’follow the leader’ as they hunt
G. Karthikeyan
Bats hunt in groups in the dark using a form of sonar called echolocation to find and snatch bugs out of the air. A study found that bats actually shut their traps for microseconds so they can hear the leader and take direction.
Corrections and Clarifications
An item "How bats play 'follow the leader' as they hunt" ("Snapshots -
Science & Technology" page, June 11, 2009) said that a study found that bats
actually shut their traps for microseconds so they can hear the leader and
take direction, leading to a query. The expression (informal) is "keep your
trap shut" which means keep your mouth shut. In this case, the expression
should have been "keep their traps shut". (A detailed answer on bat flight
was given in "Question Corner - Science & Technology" page, June 11, 2009.)
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Sci Tech
