So bats rely on their sense of hearing to avoid obstacles in the dark. However unreasonable this seemed to Spallanzani, this was the result of his and Jurine's experiments.

The scientific community of the time was not quick to embrace this new idea. Prominent and influential scientists like Baron Georges Cuvier (1769-1832) ridiculed Spallanzani, and instead favoured his own view (which entirely lacked evidence) that bats acheived their feats simply by an advanced sense of 'touch'. Spallanzani had discounted the sense of touch by covering bats in thick varnish and flour paste, and observing that they still flew skillfully. Nevertheless, Cuvier's view prevailed for over 100 years.