Friday, July 10, 2009

The Case of The Mysterious Horseshoe Bat Nose

A sixty year anatomical mystery concerning a bat's nose is explained. Photo: Rolf Mueller

Cathy Taibbi Examiner.com reports:

"A research paper co-written by a Virginia Tech faculty member explains a 60-year mystery behind a rare bat's nose that is unusually large for its species. The findings soon will be published in the scientific trade journal, Physical Review Letters.

According to the release, Mueller's findings show that the bat uses its elongated nose to create a highly focused sonar beam. Bats detect their environment through ultrasonic beams, or sonar, emitted from their mouths -- or noses, as in the case of the paradoxolophus bat. The echoes of the sound wave convey a wealth of information on objects in the bat's environment. This bat from the remote rainforests of South East Asia received its name 58 years ago because of its mysterious trait." See full article.

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