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Bat Echolocation

Image from the activity

Topic

  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Zoology
  • Math & Computational Skills
  • Graph Interpretation

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Data Points

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Saved By
4 Users
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View in Spanish

Description

This activity guides the analysis of a published scientific figure from a study that tested how bats use echolocation to adjust their hunting behavior.

During echolocation, bats emit ultrasonic sound waves and analyze the returning echoes. After a bat detects prey, it emits a rapid sequence of echolocation signals called the buzz phase. In this study, scientists observed bats hunting to determine the role of the buzz phase in capturing prey. The figure shows the bats’ behaviors as spectrograms (graphs of their echolocation signals) and video snapshots in two panels: one with the bat successfully capturing prey (Panel A), and one with the bat chasing prey that is then removed by the scientists (Panel D).

The “Educator Materials” document includes a captioned figure, background information, graph interpretation, and discussion questions. The “Student Handout” includes a captioned figure and background information.

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.

Student Learning Targets

  • Analyze and interpret data from a scientific figure. 
  • Interpret observations of physical and acoustic animal behaviors.

Estimated Time

Within one 50-minute class period.

Key Terms

frequency, prey capture, reaction time, sonar, sound wave, spectrogram

Primary Literature

Geberl, Cornelia, Signe Brinkløv, Lutz Wiegrebe, and Annemarie Surlykke. “Fast sensory-motor reactions in echolocating bats to sudden changes during the final buzz and prey intercept.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112, 13 (2015): 4122–4127. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1424457112.

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 01.09.17
Date Updated 06.23.22

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS2-2, HS-PS4-5; SEP2, SEP4, SEP5

AP Biology (2019)

ENE-4.B; SP1, SP4

IB Biology (2016)

A.6

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 1.1
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-1.A, SP2, SP4

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

2.1

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-12.7
Math.S-ID.3, Math.S-IC.1; MP2, MP5

Vision and Change (2009)

CC5; DP2, DP3

Materials

Resource Google Folder (link)
Student Handout (PDF) 307 KB
Educator Materials (PDF) 348 KB
Student Handout - Español (PDF) 340 KB
Educator Materials - Español (PDF) 408 KB

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