Neotropical Leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) show a huge range of feeding habits and can be found in many different habitats. Their sensory system is adapted to integrate different senses for orientation, navigation and target localization such as scent, vison and hearing. Besides listening passively to prey generated sound they use echolocation to assess their environment. Their huge diversity however is not reflected in the echolocation calls. These are usually multiharmonic, frequency modulated, short (< 2ms), and have a large band width. Only few species’ echolocation calls deviate from this general pattern and I want understand how this reflects ecological adaptations. Also, I am interested how other senses can complement for echolocation.

Gloria Gessinger is funded by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung.

Gessinger, G., Gonzalez-Terrazas, T. P., Page, R. A., Jung, K., & Tschapka, M. (2019). Unusual echolocation behaviour of the common sword-nosed bat Lonchorhina aurita: an adaptation to aerial insectivory in a phyllostomid bat?. Royal Society Open Science, 6(7), 182165.

G. Gessinger, A. Surlykke, S. Brinkløv, M. Tschapka (2017). Ecolocation behavior of phyllostomid bats. Tagung deutscher Fledermausforscher, Vallendar, Germany.

G. Gessinger, A. Surlykke, S. Brinkløv, M. Tschapka (2016). Keeping the mouth shut? – Some Leaf-Nosed bats don’t. International Bat Research Conference (IBRC), Durban, South Africa.

G. Gessinger, A. Surlykke, S. Brinkløv, M. Tschapka (2016). Oral emission of echolocation calls in phyllostomid bats? European Conference of Tropical Ecology, Göttingen, Germany.

G. Gessinger, A. Surlykke, S. Brinkløv, M. Tschapka (2015). Oral emission of echolocation calls in phyllostomid bats? International Bioacoustics Council (IBAC), Murnau, Germany.