Sensorimotor strategies for rapid leadership takeover in flying echolocating bats

Coordinated movement in animal groups requires rapid sensorimotor adjustments to maintain cohesion and avoid collisions. In flying organisms this challenge becomes even more pronounced, yet the sensorimotor strategies guiding such rapid flight maneuvers remain poorly understood. We combined high-speed infrared motion capture and on-board miniature ultrasound recorders to investigate the fine-scale kinematic strategies applied by free-flying ghost-faced bats ( Mormoops megalophylla ) to switch their relative positions during tandem-flight. We found that the following bats proactively initiated rapid maneuvers during turns to take over the lead. Specifically, they turned earlier and maintained higher speeds than the leading bats suggesting that they could anticipate the movements of the leader and adapt accordingly. Additionally, following bats likely switched positions to reduce both flight and echolocation costs. Together, our results suggest that bats prefer the leading positions and actively plan overtakes by anticipating the leader’s trajectory. This behavior mirroring pursuit principles in fighter jet aviation suggests a general mechanism for role switching in group locomotion.