OneCeylon
All questions

Fulvous fruit bat (Rousettus leschenaultii) cave echolocation: tongue clicks and cave navigation?

Seen by 1,230 travellers
Jump to the accepted answer
D
Dan Echolocator•905 rep

How do Rousettus leschenaultii fruit bats navigate pitch-black limestone caves in Dambulla using primitive mechanical tongue-clicking rather than laryngeal echolocation?

21

4 Answers from travellers

✓Accepted Answer

Unlike microchiropteran bats that generate high-frequency ultrasonic calls through laryngeal vocal cords, the Fulvous Fruit Bat (Rousettus leschenaultii) belongs to the Pteropodidae family and navigates dark subterranean caverns (such as Wavulpane and Dambulla cave systems) using primitive lingual echolocation. They produce sharp, audible double-click sounds (broadband pulses between 10 kHz and 70 kHz) by snapping their tongue against the floor of the mouth. These clicks bounce off cave walls, allowing them to dodge stalactites while flying through pitch-black tunnels to reach daytime roosts.

37
D
Dr Nayana Sonar•1780 rep

Because their clicks contain lower audible frequencies than microbat ultrasound, human visitors inside roost caves hear a continuous clicking chatter.

20
D
Dan Echolocator•905 rep

They feed extensively on wild forest fruits and nectar across the dry zone, serving as primary seed dispersers for canopy trees like Ficus and Mimusops.

16
L
Lars Crust•915 rep

Entering maternal roost caves during breeding seasons causes panic; flying adults collide with cavers and drop non-volant pups onto cave floors.

13
M
Max Rigging•925 rep

You must be logged in to post an answer.

Log In to Answer

Related questions

Browse all questions