Flexible control of vocal timing in Carollia perspicillata bats enables escape 
from acoustic interference

Kiai, Ava; Clemens, Jan; Kössl, Manfred; Poeppel, David; Hechavarría, Julio

doi:10.1038/s42003-023-05507-5

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Flexible control of vocal timing in Carollia perspicillata bats enables escape from acoustic interference

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Poeppel, David
Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Max Planck Society;
Poeppel Lab, Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Max Planck Society;

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Citation

Kiai, A., Clemens, J., Kössl, M., Poeppel, D., & Hechavarría, J. (2023). Flexible control of vocal timing in Carollia perspicillata bats enables escape from acoustic interference. Communications Biology, 6(1): 1153. doi:10.1038/s42003-023-05507-5.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-000D-ECB0-2

Abstract

In natural environments, background noise can degrade the integrity of acoustic signals, posing a problem for animals that rely on their vocalizations for communication and navigation. A simple behavioral strategy to combat acoustic interference would be to restrict call emissions to periods of low-amplitude or no noise. Using audio playback and computational tools for the automated detection of over 2.5 million vocalizations from groups of freely vocalizing bats, we show that bats (Carollia perspicillata) can dynamically adapt the timing of their calls to avoid acoustic jamming in both predictably and unpredictably patterned noise. This study demonstrates that bats spontaneously seek out temporal windows of opportunity for vocalizing in acoustically crowded environments, providing a mechanism for efficient echolocation and communication in cluttered acoustic landscapes.