Multiple studies support the consensus that bat echolocation evolved as a specialized sensory adaptation enabling nocturnal insect hunting and aerial hawking in low-light environments.
The retrieved literature consistently supports the hypothesis that bat echolocation and associated morphological traits evolved to facilitate nocturnal foraging, specifically targeting flying insects in dark or cluttered environments. Papers [0], [1], and [8] provide direct evidence linking ancestral nocturnal habits, visual limitations at night, and the precise tracking of small insect prey to the evolution of biosonar.