Megabat evolved early in the lineage of chiropterans. Although echolocation was later lost in family Pteropodidae, bats in the genus "Rousettus" are capable of primitive echolocation through clicking their tongues, and some species have been shown to create clicks similar to those of echolocating bats using their wings. Both echolocation and flight are energetically expensive processes. The nature of the flight and echolocation mechanism of bats allows for creation of echolocation pulses with minimal energy use. Energetic coupling of these two processes is thought to have allowed for both energetically expensive processes to evolve in bats. The loss of echolocation may
Virginia big-eared bat make sounds that then echo off of objects around them, enabling them to find their prey while flying in the dark. Typically they prey on insects like moths, beetles, termites, mosquitoes and flies. Without echolocation, the bats would not be able to locate food. When analyzed, 97% of Virginia big-eared bat fecal pellets showed that the bat had consumed and digested Lepidoptera. Lepidoptera is a classification of insects that contains butterflies and moths. In Kentucky a similar study was done, examining the fecal pellets and stomach contents of the bats in and around the caves. The processed food showed that