Spotlights

A Japanese greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus nippon) chasing a moth in an experiment chamber
 

A research team* from the National Institute for Basic Biology of Japan and Doshisha University used free-moving bats chasing moths as a realistic model of target tracking. They found that bats used the four key tactics and organized them effectively to track prey accurately. The team also proposed a possible operational rule enabling bats to exercise this strategy efficiently.

The ability to "target track" is essential for various activities and has improved in animals and machines through the evolution of life and technology. Because most sensing systems are inevitably subject to a certain degree of delay caused by information processing, many studies have addressed the challenge of overcoming this delay constraint for more accurate target tracking. Studying animals' sophisticated tracking behavior would bring a significant breakthrough in this fundamental problem.

*
Nozomi Nishiumi: National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Science
Emyo Fujioka: Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University
Shizuko Hiryu: Faculty of Life and Medical Sciences, Doshisha Universityn.

Reference
Nozomi Nishiumi, Emyo Fujioka, Shizuko Hiryu, Bats integrate multiple echolocation and flight tactics to track prey, Current Biology, 2024.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.062

For more details, please see the website of Organization for Research Initiatives and Development, Doshisha University.  
[Research News]  Target tracking strategy in bats: Integration of echolocation and flight tactics

This achievement has also been featured in the “EurekAlert!.”
NEWS RELEASE 28-JUNE-2024, Target tracking strategy in bats: Integration of echolocation and flight tactics

Image Credit: Doshisha University
License type: For use in stories about this research, must credit "Doshisha Univ"