A few other mammals, such as whales and dolphins, use echolocation to find their way through murky ocean waters. Although bats can see fairly well, they depend upon echolocation to find their small insect prey. The sound waves then bounce back to the bat's ears. Using this reference point, the bat can get a mental picture of its surroundings. Bats are so adapted to using these sound waves that they can detect a single strand of hair in total darkness.
Most bats have their young in the late spring or early summer, after awakening from hibernation.
Many bats will actually mate in the fall, hibernate through the winter, and then become pregnant in the early spring. This is called delayed implantation. Gestation is 30 to 60 days, and females usually have one or two pups per year. Female bats nurse their young until the young are old enough to fly. At this point, the pups follow their mothers, learning foraging techniques and strategies until they are able to hunt on their own.