> it operates on instinct without a personal, reflective self

I think we would call this "without ego" and not "without consciousness". I think it's totally possible to be conscious without ego. And perhaps bats do have an ego however small - some may be more greedy than others, etc.

I think what consciousness nominally means is an awareness of things in relation to a self, a subject-object relation. If there is such a thing as awareness without subject object content, I'd love to hear more, like how would you even know you have it.