Hearing in American leaf-nosed bats. II: Carollia perspicillata.

We determined the audiograms of two short-tailed fruit bats (Carollia perspicillata), 18-g phyllostomids from Central and South America. For testing, we used a conditioned suppression/avoidance procedure with a fruit juice reward. At an intensity of 60 dB SPL, the hearing of C. perspicillata extends from 5.2 to 150 kHz, showing a best sensitivity of 0 dB at 25 kHz and a secondary region of sensitivity at 71 kHz. Although C. perspicillata is frugivorous and therefore does not rely on sonar for detecting and pursuing insects, its audiogram is similar to that of insectivorous bats; similarly, there is no suggestion of unusual sensitivity associated with its low-intensity echolocation calls. The behavioral audiogram is compared to previously published physiological estimates of hearing.