In which I graduate from Robin to Batman
No this is not about superheroes but it is I suppose an opportune moment to mention that I recently picked up a hardback copy of Watchmen for a mere quid in a charity shop. I can sense Watervole tearing her hair out in anguish already at this ridiculous underpricing. No, this is about bats.
There is a long-standing myth that bats can get entangled in your hair. It's false. They might be flitting about in pitch darkness, but bats are very aware of their surroundings and avoid any obstacle that might come their way. As I'm sure you know, they 'see' with their ears, using the echoes from their ultrasonic chirps to navigate. It's a mind-bogglingly sophisticated mechanism. It requires, for instance, a way of suppressing their own ear-drums - at high frequency - so they only hear the echoes, not their own chirps. Bats are often credited with inventing sonar long before predatory submarines made it a necessity for 20th Century navies, but they also anticipated the interrupter that allowed First World War aviators to fire their machine guns through the propellors.
Now go tell all that to the stupid bat that went and head-butted me on the way to work the other night.
There is a long-standing myth that bats can get entangled in your hair. It's false. They might be flitting about in pitch darkness, but bats are very aware of their surroundings and avoid any obstacle that might come their way. As I'm sure you know, they 'see' with their ears, using the echoes from their ultrasonic chirps to navigate. It's a mind-bogglingly sophisticated mechanism. It requires, for instance, a way of suppressing their own ear-drums - at high frequency - so they only hear the echoes, not their own chirps. Bats are often credited with inventing sonar long before predatory submarines made it a necessity for 20th Century navies, but they also anticipated the interrupter that allowed First World War aviators to fire their machine guns through the propellors.
Now go tell all that to the stupid bat that went and head-butted me on the way to work the other night.