Animal echolocation in the external ear. There are two hypotheses about the evolution of echolocation in bats. The first suggests that laryngeal echolocation evolved twice in Chiroptera, once in the Yangochiroptera and once in the horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae). The second proposes that laryngeal echolocation had a single origin in Chiroptera, was subsequently lost in the family Pteropodidae (all megabats), and later evolved as a system of tongue-clicking in the genus "Rousettus". Individual bat species echolocate within specific frequency ranges that suit their environment and prey types. This has sometimes been used by researchers to identify bats flying in an area simply by
Long-legged bat family Phyllostomidae that use low-intensity “whispering” echos, the Long-Legged Bat has been shown to produce high-intense echolocation calls to detect its prey. M. macrophyllum will adjust the intensity of its calls depending on the environment that it’s in. When in areas with high acoustic clutter, the bats will decrease their signal intensity, while in more open areas, the bats will increase their signal intensity. By increasing call intensity in a more open environment, this allows these bats to have a broader detection range for food. Average intensity output has been shown increase by 11 dB, corresponding to a 4x amplitude