Aug 21, 2021 - Energy & Climate

Baby bats babble like human infants, study finds

Bryan Walsh

Picture of a bat — A greater sac-winged bat, or what you may begin to think your crying baby looks like after you've been up all night. Photo: Michael Stifter

A new study found striking similarities between the babbling sounds of infants and those of baby greater sac-winged bats.

Why it matters: In both cases, babbling seems to have evolved as a precursor to more complex vocal behaviors like talking in humans and "singing" in adult bats.

How it works: While the bats' babbling doesn't sound much like human infants — unless your baby also produces high-pitched chirping tones, in which case you may want to contact your pediatrician or the Weekly World News — it has a similar rhythmic, non-random pattern.

What's next: Researchers hope the apparent similarities in infant babbling across species may eventually reveal common genes for vocalization.

Add Axios on Google

Baby bats babble like human infants, study finds

What to read next