These Whispering, Walking Bats Are Onto Something | Deep Look

Bats have a brilliant way to find prey in the dark: echolocation. But to many of the moths they eat, that natural sonar is as loud as a jet engine. So some bats have hit on a sneakier, scrappier way to hunt.
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Bats have been the only flying mammals for about 50 million years. Most species, with the exception of the fruit bats, use echolocation -- their built-in sonar -- to detect prey and snatch it from the air.
But not pallid bats. They hunt insects and arachnids that live on the ground by tracking their movements with another sense: hearing. In the final moments of their attack, they land and pluck their prey from the ground, a behavior called gleaning.
It took millions of years for bats to develop the lethal pairing of flight and echolocation. Why would a bat “go back” to a more primitive hunting style?
Many scientists believe the answer may have less to do with the bats alone than with moths, their principal food. In what these scientists describe as an “arms race” of evolution, many moth species have adapted to hear when they’re being tracked and to deploy counter-measures to bat echolocation.
These developments have driven some bats to seek alternate means of catching a meal - in part by keeping their sonar volume down. Pallid bats and other so-called “whispering bats” still use their echolocation to navigate. The volume navigational sonar is much quieter, more like a dishwasher.
For the pallid bat, part of occupying that niche has also meant evolving immunity scorpion venom. Another arms race.
--- Do all bats drink blood?
No, only three bat species are exclusive “hemovores” (blood-eaters), and only one of those, the common vampire bat, prefers mammals.
--- Why can’t humans hear echolocation?
Bat echolocation calls, whether for hunting or navigation - are too high-pitched for our ears to hear.
--- Do all bats carry rabies?
Only ½ to one percent of bats carry rabies. If a bat seems sick, rabies could be the cause. You should never touch any bat that you find.
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#deeplook

[@ancientaliensarecoming7201]

they look like a flying chihuahua

[@rainthunder7547]

You offended my pet Chihuahua. 😤😤

[@yaee123]

You're spot on!!

[@teaseme423]

Yup

[@dreamieskies056]

Makes em so much cuter!

[@beastmaster0934]

ancient aliens are coming Now I’m imagining one yapping like a chihuahua.

[@danny90099]

"I AM VENGEANCE...I AM THE NIGHT...I AM WHISPERING BAT "

[@meh-ru1uk]

me: Who? I can't hear you Whispering Bat: :O

[@cursedpootis9945]

@@meh-ru1uk how u know he name

[@proudpapaprick]

Honestly, if Batman just quietly came up behind me, stroked my cheek, and whispered "I am the night," I'd give up outright.

[@aquilnygaming9279]

Rick C137 we're taking you in. We can't have our ricks delusional. (2 year late response. Sue me.

[@sheer9203]

Dunununununununununu DUNANANANANANA

[@runicgram]

Bats: **Don't scream at their prey when hunting anymore** Moths, Crickets, and Scorpions: "Those bats are up to something..."

[@jiggy6486]

Bats with SONAR and Moths with ECM, Nature sure is crafty.

[@Psychopatz]

What are you talking about? where part of the nature,

[@owaissheraz]

And they say there is no such thing as God

[@rchaykovskiy]

@@owaissheraz there‘s none

[@animeneweablet]

@@Psychopatz The fact that military tech is inspired by these animals. Bats because they cannot see but hear, and moths give off dust and also their wings' design makes it harder to hit.

[@larrymantic2635]

Moths with testicular ECM

[@chicobicalho5621]

I live in an area of Brazil where, in the summer, there are many fruit bats, and I love to go out at night to feel them flying around me. Some bats fly inches from my head, but I never feared being struck by one of them. In fact having bats flying around me is a wonderful feeling.

[@gojigo4484]

Do you felt like the bats circling around you like you have to power of controlling creature that only lurks out at night?

[@Vizible21]

​@@gojigo4484unless they lift him up and decide to make him their dinner.

[@gojigo4484]

@@Vizible21 oh dang

[@pedromartins6810]

Raiva

[@PaperParade]

I’m sorry are you a vampire???

[@hikurochan69]

Am i the only one who think that bats are cute and adorable?

[@muhammadizzhakimbinramli3431]

Hikari Kurosawa nope

[@muhammadizzhakimbinramli3431]

Their like cute piglets, with wings

[@JesusChrist-kh3by]

Hikari Kurosawa depends on the bat

[@zhiqiyeoh8375]

HIIIII!!!!!!! SAME!!!!!!!

[@aidangirl9412]

I love bats!! I have a beanie baby of a bat that I gave a scarf!

[@ashtonvickers928]

Bats are just the sweetest lil sky puppies

[@nannaleifa]

And they can also hunting freaking scorpion? Man, small mammals like those rodents who immune to scorpion stings and this one are pretty badass.

[@KelsiBriana]

Nanna Leifa Bats aren't rodents, they belong to a completely different and unique order called "chiroptera". But yeah, pretty badass superpower this one is displaying.

[@nannaleifa]

KelsiBriana I was referring to this one, yo. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rV6ukIyqjNaAqNE

[@SkyGodKazuha]

Denmark!

[@sir.fuckles9842]

'They can also hunting'

[@eggroll3055]

@@KelsiBriana I thought that bats were marsupials.

[@Victor-nh3yt]

Bats are cute

[@ElizaberthUndEugen]

not really. Should be called hairy flying pigs, as they have faces that look like pigs' ones.

[@alexandravollans5764]

ElizaberthUndEugen pigs are cute too

[@STRNGquark]

Cutes are bat

[@doggocat4464]

ElizaberthUndEugen Look up “painted bat” and tell me that looks like a pig.

[@ritz2156]

I suppose cute in some other language means...creepy and paranoid

[@NewMessage]

* clicks the full screen button *

[@tupperwoo2742]

I actually tried to click your profile

[@geppy1967g]

Lego frenc česky

[@wockywojak3280]

*clicks the full screen button*

[@zvxcvxcz]

+New Message ... Eff my life. I'm getting the feeling that Google orders comments by which ones we've liked.... I see your comments freaking everywhere now and I keep giving them likes. I don't think that they get that when I like a comment I'm showing solidarity, not asking them to warp my bubble. T.T

[@JoeUploads]

Always excited to watch a deep look video

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thank you, Jonathan. :-)

[@JoeUploads]

Deep Look Always a pleasure! Your videos provide educational content and the cinematography are always on point! Looking forward for more great content! 😁 Oh and bats are great!

[@CarlMakesItEasy]

The computer animations are so CUTE

[@zaytaz9331]

Idk, i think the real thing is wayyy more cute

[@raven7146]

@@zaytaz9331 me too :)

[@DianaWard01]

I love bats! I always loved science, especially biology, and my parents indulged it and bought me many books on animals, including bats. In Fairhope Alabama where I grew up we could watch bats fly out and hunt most nights, and I loved to watch them and the chimney swifts hunting under the street lights. When it got dark enough for the swifts to stop, the bats came out for the second shift.

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thanks for sharing your story, Diana.

[@zaytaz9331]

yeah they look so c u t e

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Hello! I'm the producer of this Deep Look about bats. Please comment, ask questions, make suggestions...We read everything!

[@calebswartz983]

Longer videos would be dope! Every time I watch a deep look I'm always hungry for more. Keep up the good work!

[@errynugraha]

Please have a longer duration on next video. They're great to watch!

[@mengyg]

Can one become a vampire via bite from bat.

[@efelen3890]

It would be so awesome if you would post from time to time some extra-footage of the producing process of the videos. Like a behind the scenes kind of thing. Like the one you did with the caddisfly, but actual extra-footage. Simple, just like that, I think it would be so cool! Thank you for the extraordinary mini-documentaries here!

[@anshulmehta1603]

Caleb Swartz exactly. Longer videos.

[@fauxvier8519]

Ooo~ How adorable...

[@ancientaliensarecoming7201]

Wise Traveler they look like a flying chihuahua

[@novastar3990]

ancient aliens are coming You already said that.

[@MesmoVoid]

Wise Traveler I wish that were for Ebola too.

[@tpat90]

I am living near a forest, thus I am pretty used to see bats, and actually, I love them. They are amazing animals and I am happy to have the regular opportunity to watch them. Immune to many diseases, intelligent, agile and social. Also I will never forget this one video about the cute little bat that can't fly and is so goddamn jealous that she doesn't even eat, if here carer dares to ignore her.

[@cizzlebot]

Love bats! They're a vital part of the ecosystem and a great indicator species.

[@raraavis7782]

They are surprisingly cute up close. They have these little pig snoutes and pounce like dogs, who would have thought! Also: Deep Look videos are always a highlight for me...just keep doing what you're doing 👍

[@KQEDDeepLook]

We really appreciate the kind words!

[@nannaleifa]

When I see an individual bats: "Oh wow, they're so adorable~" When I see a cloud of bats: "NOPE NOPE NOPE" Plus, some of them are also carriers of deadly diseases. So yeah...

[@LittleRainGames]

Nanna Leifa all wild animals have a chance. And humans too!

[@alecj4439]

90% of the time, it's because of humans selling/eating bushmeat (bat meat, monkey meat, etc.) that diseases such as ebola spread, not because of bites. But of course, being cautious is always a good thing.

[@nannaleifa]

Bats are perfect training ground for deadly diseases like Ebola. Minute Earth made a video about this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6CTlaSAq61nl5I

[@HarryL2020]

Nanna Leifa well luckily in the UK rabies is eradicated (as far as we know)

[@raraavis7782]

Do they bite humans? I've always thought of them as this very shy creatures who'll take flight at the slightest disturbance.

[@roku3216]

The more bats the merrier! Pallid bats are my favorites, so thanks for doing such a thorough and beautiful look at them.

[@AboveTheNoise]

Not only do you guys have incredible macro photography and great writing, but also really cool animated sequences. #goals

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thanks, guys! What's next for Above the Noise? (Full disclosure - ATN is also produced here at KQED. Go check it out.)

[@AboveTheNoise]

Deep Look next week we are diving into research around procrastination

[@pbsvoices]

:59 Ahh yes, nightmare fuel.

[@dinosaurterrorworld144]

Amazing video keep up the amazing work😄👍!!!!!!!!!

[@dinosaurterrorworld144]

Can you upload every single day please!!!!!!

[@dinosaurterrorworld144]

Potato Durp🤣🤣🤣🤣 hi, nice to see you, I subscribe like 4 months ago, and I love this channel it's awesome!!!!😄👍

[@hawa2018]

this channel is AHMAZING! My autistic son gets so very excited to see the animals up close! He is a very visual learner and these videos are great!!

[@deathlyrics]

Ur probably dead as this was 2 years ago but hi lol

[@user-uv2rh9gl9y]

Yes a new video! I always get excited whenever I see a new upload from you guys

[@Sindal55]

Bats eat mosquitos? I love you bats. Please keep up the work

[@lotadlover12]

Deep Look: Bats as young pups learn to stay away Me: (Silverwing memories)

[@allstarpterosaur850]

“Something wrong, amigo? You look... a little pale.”

[@kbug0262]

BRUH

[@dontask2421]

Man I remember that book. Didn't the main character burn down what was basically the bat's city?

[@DrMatrix1231]

@@dontask2421 it was the owls who burned it down after he looked at the sun. So sort of

[@DrMatrix1231]

@@allstarpterosaur850 I can't remember if that's from the book or the show.

[@deafheart23]

The way she pounced was so cute ☺️

[@TheFenix800]

0:59 "I'm Batman!"

[@117starpower]

0:34 that backflip though

[@kerlosYT]

I love Deep look, as it's my favorite PBS youtube channel

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Hi there - thanks for all the kind words! If you'd like to make it possible for us to create even *more* videos, , Deep Look now has a Patreon page! Come join us at www.patreon.com/deeplook.

[@emokidfromhs2205]

Bats are the cutest. I love them

[@susannahayres-thomas7185]

I think bats are amazing, and beautiful in their own , special ways. A bat in flight is so graceful!

[@rustymeat1002]

Hunting on the ground, sure it's easier to catch prey but that would make you extremely vulnerable to predators

[@heyman6412]

wtf eats bats other than owls and snakes? snakes are easy to avoid but owls are unavoidable wether you're flying or walking

[@jesiecordero8418]

Well, I suppose they can always just fly away!

[@muhammadizzhakimbinramli3431]

Plus, it's kinda at night I think a cat would rather be hunting rabbits than bats at that time

[@faizrafii58]

owl loves bats, in a wrong way

[@doggocat4464]

sɹǝʞɔɐɹɔ ʍɐɹ Well, obviously snakes can’t be that easy to avoid, otherwise they wouldn’t be a predator of the bat.

[@ineedabetterpfp2485]

2:18 My face when I have to get up in the morning.

[@scipionirandy6]

I actually love bats so much even way before I watched this video. Because I knew that they were important, beautiful creatures in all their own ways. That were essential in all their owns ways. But to keep fangirling like the girl I am. They are so adorable. How could people not want them on this planet.

[@michaelmeyers4843]

I can't stop watching these videos. Every story is enthralling. Nature is like a giant chess game with constantly evolving strategies in every sector of the playing field, each player fighting to carve out its place in the game, its own ecological niche. So fascinating. Especially when the stakes are mating, eating, and death. I'm glad to be a human but dang there's a lot to learn from the strategies employed by some of these players, especially the microscopic ones. They have some pretty nasty tricks up their sleeves!

[@PhongTran-uc6mk]

SOLID BAT: OPERATION BUG EATER!

[@anniechen1619]

I love these!

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thanks!

[@michaelmassajr.9996]

Bats are so cute, I wish more people cared about them! I love watching them fly around at night

[@Takumi_Did_Nothing_Wrong]

The more I learn about animals, the more I understand and appreciate them.

[@Weird-City]

Such awesome creatures - nature is truly amazing :)

[@halberd-3291]

Awesome! I always love it when you upload videos like these, they are really neat and educational, and plus that bat is freaking adorable when it's scuttling around on the ground and jumping in the air from the scorpion sting.

[@EnchantedSmellyWolf]

The cute bats are involving into Scorchbeast!

[@IcyLucario]

I love bats with big ears. Well, more so than I love all the other bats, of course.

[@JohnWestIV]

I love bats and loved this video!

[@heyman6412]

*sees notification BOI christmas came early this year

[@thatweirdartist9852]

Bats are adorable

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Not wrong

[@Yimyimyimyim277]

Bats are so cute

[@faudanke4459]

I wonder how high the ISO and aperture were just to record this video :P I mean that’s pretty dark and yet no grain, prolly used a a7S II ;) Also nice new graphics Looking ahead to see more episodes

[@heyman6412]

nerd

[@faudanke4459]

I’m a big videography nerd ;)

[@spotthetech-eyedcat3711]

good for you

[@heyman6412]

still a nerd

[@lapisangstylazuli]

Not an insult

[@catface]

amazing video! please make moths video too! they are so pretty

[@insomniaczombie8942]

Awwwwww bats are adorable ESP. That last part when she's licking her lips 😍

[@yanlingliew3479]

I frikin LOVE bats!!

[@yanlingliew3479]

I even want to have them as a pet when I'm little

[@jeb8755]

Awesome vid! Very informative.

[@theinhtetaung1122]

Whenever I see new deep look video, I am so excited🎆🎇 to watch. I wait every 2 weeks for new🎉. Thanks to deep look✨ for making videos that I am interested in most. Good job, keep up amazing work👏👏. every time I am a fan of your channel.❤😉👍

[@sirenlucy932]

Bats are my favourite animals, actually. Right on the list with snakes, spiders, sharks, scorpions, owls and raven.

[@katetrotta1425]

she’s doing such a good job

[@kammil14]

2 things I'd like to say: 1. It's amazing that you always provide valuable and easy to watch content. You mastered how to keep the viewer entertained, chapeau-bas. 2. It's also amazing whenever I look up your subscribers number. It's growing soooooo rapidly(for a reason, duh) and yet, you comment on most of the comments! Cheers!

[@heyman6412]

the visual is almost ASMR

[@NeExtraOleas]

Really cool that the pallid bat is still 'programmed' to use its tail as a scoop when eating the scorpion, just like the aerial hunting bats!

[@a2pabmb2]

such a cute wittle pounce

[@kil4844]

coRonAViRus

[@theodoric7335]

Kurgezagt can wait :)

[@daksh8747]

*BURN THE HERETIC*

[@theodoric7335]

Dont worry i still LOVE Kurgezagt :)

[@camgood2437]

I could easily hear the echolocation sound they make when I was a kid, and it sounded a lot like the sound effect you played, only much higher. I can still hear it a little, but it's extremely faint. It sounds like super-rapid electronic beeps at a super-high frequency. No one else I was with could ever hear it though. I've always been extremely sensitive to high pitched sounds, and I was actually found to be able to hear tones higher than anyone else in my elementary school class when we did a group experiment with sound technicians, many years ago. The downside to this sensitivity is that, whenever a siren goes by me on the street, I have to forcefully plug my ears because it feels like something is stabbing into my eardrum..

[@delaney447]

Hi, I've been planning on becoming an entomologist in my future and this channel and its content have given me 90% of my information on biology on insects and animals. This video is very interesting because it covers two of my favorite animals, bats and moths, and it's amazing to know and learn about stereotypes about animals that I didn't even know existed! I hope you do more on bugs like moths or just talk about birds more because I am really willing to learn anything about anything on this channel more than anywhere else. I'm always excited when you post another video because I always want to learn more on a smaller level! I hope this is helpful to you and just let me say, KEEP DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING I LOVE IT. You warm my heart, bye!

[@emmab8318]

AcroBATics 😂😂

[@KelsiBriana]

I loved the video, but it kinda generalises: not all bats have ecolocation. Fruit bats, or flying foxes, which are the largest bats, don't have this ability.

[@geeeckooo]

Those bats are soooo cute!

[@arthurkawa7987]

i love bats how they have the claws on their wings

[@dreemurr5877]

Bet you don't like bats now

[@spaceguy4116]

that bat did a flip while catching its prey. 0:35

[@zoenayru]

Bats are the cutest things

[@jennymartinez5261]

My father saw me watching one of your videos and was just like “WOAH! What are you watching? That is so cool.

[@edwardnacion6885]

tardigrades please

[@damienwayne2347]

About time we got a New video 😐😐

[@KQEDDeepLook]

It takes 6-8 weeks to make each video - our 3 producers are going as fast as they can! Quality, not quantity.

[@damienwayne2347]

Deep Look Woah hey it was just a joke your videos are so good I'd be happy if it was once a year You don't need to explain yourselves to me lol Btw i freaking *love* your vids keep it up

[@KQEDDeepLook]

Thanks!

[@ChipCheerio]

This is an old video but as a bat researcher in California, who will soon have the Pallid Bat become our state bat, it makes me smile watching them walk across the ground.

[@jeremydeansausages1985]

I love bats so much

[@doctorcottrell]

Beautifully done!

[@mattjohnston2]

I watch bats nightly where I am here (southern Ontario) out on the farm. Love them, always have!

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

OMG, it's so cute when it pounces. BTW, some of the bats are lower pitched and I can here them. The sound is really loud and I feel it pulse through me. Something like what fireworks does but quieter and much less scary.

[@fin5772]

pallid bats are my FAVORITE animal

[@Leo-zk9rd]

I LOVE BATS SM

[@rafaelpastrano-espinoza8924]

Absolutely gorgeous videos. Thank you! =)

[@chip-tip3771]

Aww the bats are so cute!!

[@daintykinz1895]

Cutest pounce ever.

[@NatureWitch]

I love bats they're so cute!

[@fastgurrrl]

Bat World Sanctuary Facebook page sent me. I enjoyed this and love bats. Ty!

[@andrevrd]

This is my favourite channel on KZbin. Thank you always.

[@Eternity4Evil]

I'm so happy scientific videos of such production quality are available to the general public for absolutely free.

[@wasabadbleep3841]

Every bat's gangsta till that moth appeared

[@cryptidchow1458]

I love bats , they are so cute

[@void2627]

you guys are my absolute favorite channel!! every video is a masterpiece visually, educationally, and i love the writing and narration! please keep it up, you guys are doing great things. :)

[@kcthewanderer]

Bats are awesome and so was this video!

[@akiamini4006]

Nice to see our flying mammal bros keeping up the evolution race

[@welch1198]

I Love Bats

[@NoodlesUniverse]

Bats are so cute!!!

[@crayzfrogz4364]

These are, in my opinion, one of the best animals in the kingdom

[@lovelywallflower4274]

That's the cutest hunting technique ever

[@NatureWitch]

I love bats so much, there just so cute. I'm glad there's videos like this so I don't have 2 sit in the dark with binoculars.

[@LilChar69]

Always play this channel for my daughter as a story before bed time.

[@bryonymorgan5632]

the quality (in every sense of the word) of your videos are amazing!!!