The echolocaTing BaT as a Model for scene analysis diversiTy of echolocaTing BaTs

a direct impact on the information available to its acoustic imaging system. In turn, the bat’s perception of the echo scene guides its adjustments of the features of subsequent sonar vocalizations. Therefore, the bat’s adaptive sonar behavior can shed light on the fundamental processes that underlie auditory scene analysis by echolocation. Indeed, the bat’s active sonar behavior allows us to listen in on the signals that are used to perform a variety of auditory tasks. Here we review laboratory and field studies that point to the features echolocating bats use to represent information about a complex acoustic environment and the general importance of an animal’s actions to its perception of natural scenes.