Visual detection threshold in the echolocating Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii).
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Bench or animal research
PubMed 36628935 · doi:10.1242/jeb.244451
What was done
Researchers measured the visual luminance detection threshold in the insectivorous echolocating bat *Myotis daubentonii* using a green luminous target.
What was found
*Myotis daubentonii* showed a visual luminance threshold of 3.2 (±0.9) × 10^-4 cd m^-2 for a green luminous target. This corresponds to the ambient luminance of an open, cloudless terrestrial habitat on a starlit night.
Why it matters
The findings establish that echolocating bats possess sufficient visual sensitivity to support navigation and orientation during their active nocturnal periods, despite having poor visual acuity.
Limits
The abstract does not state the sample size (number of bats tested), experimental control details, or behavioral assay design. Testing was restricted to a single species (*M. daubentonii*) and a single light wavelength (green luminous target).
Cited by
- supports Bats are not completely blind, but they navigate and sense the world primarily through echolocation.