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Kōrero: Bats

Echolocation by bats

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Illustration of a bat and moth flying at night against a dark sky, with the moon in the background.

There are two types of bat – megabats such as fruitbats, which navigate mainly by sight, and microbats, which locate prey using echolocation. New Zealand has only microbats. They send out pulses of high-frequency sound and listen for the returning echoes that bounce off objects. The sound is produced in their larynx (voice box) and sent out through their nose or mouth.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Bruce Mahalski

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Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Veronika Meduna, Bats – Bats in New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/interactive/9748/echolocation-by-bats (accessed 5 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Veronika Meduna, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.