Looking for bats after dark can help science – and change how we see them

By Kelly Sheldrick, Bat Ecologist & PhD candidate, Murdoch University
Rochelle Steven, Lecturer, Environmental Management, Murdoch University
Trish Fleming, Professor, Wildlife Conservation, Murdoch University

What’s that chirping sound coming through the detector? Did you feel something whiz past?

Those are just some ways people react when they encounter microbats for the first time. Microbats are small, mostly nocturnal mammals that use ultrasonic sounds to navigate and hunt at night. They do this through echolocation, producing calls and listening to the echoes that bounce back from objects and prey.

Their nocturnal habits, small size and fast flight can make them uniquely difficult to find…

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