A nose for sight.

Bats' wrinkled faces may not help them win any beauty contests. But scientists are learning that the animals' facial folds do help them see in the dark.

Bats sense their surroundings using echolocation. To "see," they produce sounds with their mouths or noses. These sound waves bounce off objects, like insects and trees. The resulting echoes tell bats where the object is.

Scientists from Shandong University in China studying the rufous horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus rouxi) found that the thin flaps of skin around the bats' nostrils, called "nose leaves," improve echolocation. How? The bats produce sound at different frequencies (vibrations per second). Their nose leaves spread lower frequencies out and focus higher frequencies straight ahead. This helps bats zero in on an object in front of them and still keep track of their surroundings. Talk about surround sound.