The purrip bat's sonar equipment is typical of most temperate woodland bats.
The purrip bat, Caecopterus sp., is a vesper bat found throughout temperate latitudes of the world (Europe, Asia, North America, Africa and South America). It is so called because of its curious voice.
As dusk falls in the temperate woodlands and the moths and night-active flies take to the air the insectivorous bats appear to feed on them. Bats have proved so successful in their shape and lifestyle that in most parts of the world they have remained remarkably stable in shape and form ever since they first appeared back in the Middle Paleogene (Early Eocene epoch, or Ypresian). Save for the development of a more sophisticated echolocation system, positioned at the front of the face and the absence of eyes in many species, little else has changed.
Unlike the most other bats which generally navigate using high-pitched sounds, the purrip bat uses a much wider range of frequencies extending well into the audible level, giving it a much more sophisticated picture of the terrain.
The purrip bat's sensitive ears are positioned far forward at the front of its face to provide it with the largest possible sound-collecting surface.