Why Do Bats Zip Around at Dusk?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hi! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why do bats zip around at dusk?

The Big Idea

Dusk is insect rush hour. Many bats are night fliers that hunt with sound, and they zip where mosquitoes and moths rise. One bat can eat a big pile of night insects in an evening.

Insects Rise

Step one: insects rise. As the evening cools, mosquitoes and moths take to the air. To a bat, that is a buffet opening.

Clicks Go Out

Step two: clicks go out. A bat shouts clicks that are too high for your ears to hear. The sound waves spread through the air in front of it.

Echo Comes Back

Step three: the echo comes back. The clicks bounce off a moth and return to the bat's ears, which is called [echolocation, eck-oh-low-KAY-shun]. The bat builds a sound picture of the bug, then zips in for dinner.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look at echolocation! The bat makes the clicks and listens. A click is a high sound too high for us to hear. The echo bounces back from the bug. And the moth gets mapped as a tiny sound picture!

Quick Facts

Quick facts! Do not touch a bat on the ground, because a grounded bat can be sick. Tell a grown-up, because helping a bat is a job for animal control. Porch lights that stay on all night can scramble insect hunts. Enjoy the show from a deck, and never throw things at fliers.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! Watch the sky at dusk with a grown-up. Watch the sky at dusk from a porch or a yard. Are the zips random, or do they look aimed? What do you think they are chasing? What tool is the bat using that you cannot hear?

Outro

Bats show us that sound can work like a flashlight. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!