Bats do not land similarly

Humans are always fascinated by bats, but our understanding of how they fly or their strange upside-down habits is still limited. So far, no one has studied how this animal can 'land'.

A research group led by Brown University has for the first time documented the method of landing or landing of three bat species - two species living in caves and the other species perched on trees. What they found was amazing: Not all bat species respond in the same way. Daniel Riskin, a postdoctoral researcher from the Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Biology at Brown University, is also the lead author of the Journal of Experimental Biology article, saying: 'Hanging up is a habit The familiar of the bat. This we know. But this is the first time there has been a study of how they can 'land'.

Using advanced motion cameras, the team returned to the image of each bat species as they swooped down the grid and landed on it. Cynopterus brachyotis, a tree-based bat in the Southeast Asian heat-waiting area, performs a half-turn when it knocks down the landing point, the two limbs and the two front limbs touch the landing plate at the same time . This is a '4 point' landing mode.

Bats when landing. A team led by Brown University found that landing bats vary according to the habitat. (Photo: Brown University)

The impact force of landing is quite strong, 4 times the amount of body of this animal. The team then turned to two species of bats living in caves, Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina. These bats, residing in Central and South America, approached the goal of landing with a straight shot and then, at the last seconds, flying off to the left or right - making a dive - before when clinging to the landing plate with your hind legs.

This '2-point' landing mode is much softer than tree-based bats, the researchers say, the bats living in class have a landing force of only 1/3 of their body weight.

There are about 1200 bat species known around the world , so Riskin does not make any final conclusions. In fact, he said, the fact that different landing bats could provide new insights into animals that make up one-fifth of mammals on Earth.

Other researchers involved in the article include Sharon Swartz, professor of biology; Tatjana Hubel, a postdoctoral researcher, and Joseph Bahlman, a graduate student. John Ratcliffe, a biologist at the University of Southern Denmark, and Thomas Kunz, a biologist at Bonston University, also contributed to the article. The study received funding from the US National Science Foundation, HOa Ky Air Force Scientific Research Office, Sigma Xi United States, Canadian Natural Science Research Council, and the Natural Sciences Research Council. Circuit.

Refer:
Daniel K. Riskin, Joseph W. Bahlman, Tatjana Y. Hubel, John M. Ratcliffe, Thomas H. Kunz, and Sharon M. Swartz.Bats go head-under-heels: the biomechanics of landing on a ceiling.Journal of Experimental Biology, 2009;212 (7): 945 DOI: 10.1242 / jeb.026161