The Old Myth That Has Been Wrong for Centuries

For hundreds of years, one phrase has followed bats through history, literature, and everyday conversation: blind as a bat. Shakespeare used it. People still say it today. And it has been wrong the entire time.

Nadeem Ashraf, the research-driven science writer at Weird & Amazing Facts, cuts straight through the myth with science. Every single bat species on Earth has real, functioning eyes. Many see remarkably well in low light, with retinas packed with rod cells tuned for night vision. Fruit bats and flying foxes can see clearly across long distances even in dim moonlight — some can even detect color.

The confusion arose centuries ago simply because bats are nocturnal and their eyes are small. People assumed small eyes in dark places meant no vision at all. But small does not mean non-functional — and in the case of bats, those eyes work in perfect partnership with echolocation to create a sensory system more sophisticated than almost anything else in nature.

The next time someone uses the phrase "blind as a bat," you'll know the real answer. For the complete science-backed breakdown on are bats really blind — myths vs facts, Nadeem Ashraf's full research article at Weird & Amazing Facts is the most thorough, accurate resource you'll find.