Sound localization evolved in nocturnal mammals and remains vital for prey and predator.

Evidence

During our evolution, the ability to locate the source of a sound has been critical for our survival. Since the appearance of mammals as primarily nocturnal animals more than 200 million years ago, they have relied heavily on their sound localization abilities for locating friends, foes, and food. Locating the source of a sound remains an important sensory ability for prey and predator alike. Even for humans in modern times, spatial hearing is extremely useful and important for orientation in one’s environment. Sound sources are often localized with relatively good accuracy by our hearing, even in cases when the sources are not visible. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1379

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader acoustic communication theme across the book — evolutionarily, spatial hearing was likely a precursor to any communicative use of sound.
• QUESTION: Why did mammals rely on hearing over vision for spatial orientation as nocturnal animals? Worth chasing the sensory-tradeoff literature.