Target tracking in bats through integrated echolocation and flight tactics

Keeping a target in sight is a fundamental capability for various activities. The long history of studies on animal behavior has revealed many tactics for it, though not reaching a systematic understanding of how individual tactics are combined into a strategy. Analyzing the hunting behavior of echolocating bats, we found they efficiently organize the predictive control of sensing direction and the adjustment of sensing rate and range to enhance sighting accuracy, and meanwhile assist the sensing through flight maneuver that mitigates the relative angular motion of the prey. We also explained bats’ management of this multitasking with a concise rule based on the angular velocity of target direction, which suggests that bats successfully reduce the burden of multitasking management. Our findings reveal the sophisticated strategy in animals’ tracking systems and provide insights into understanding and developing efficiently integrated strategies in target tracking across various disciplines.