Bats’ echolocation vocalizations are related to the shape of their wings. An article about this was published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
Bats are quite diverse. There are about 1,400 species on earth, and their weight can range from 2 grams to 1.4 kilograms, and their wingspan can reach 33 centimeters. The shape of their bodies and wings also differ significantly.
Scientists from Western Normal University in China and their colleagues found a direct correlation between the shape of the wings and the vocal frequency of the vocalizations used for echolocation. A total of 152 bat species from 15 families were examined. The scientists were interested in the body mass of each species, the duration and peak frequency of the echolocation signals, the weight of the animal divided by the wing area (wing load), and the ratio of the wingspan divided by the square of the wingspan. wing area.
For example, species that hunt in open areas have broad, long wings and emit long, low-frequency signals. In contrast, those living in tight spaces have short and rounded wings, and signals are short and high-frequency. Most likely, both of these parameters depend on the environment and do not depend on each other.