Tag: bats

sciencefriday:

You’d think that bats and birds fly in similar ways—in fact, many scientists used to consider bat flight a minor variation of bird flight. But, with the aid of high-speed video, researchers have discovered that bat flight is much more complex than initially thought.

How exactly does bat flight differ from bird flight? For one, bats have way more flexibility and control over their wings—bats have a whole hand in theirs, and are made of muscle and skin. Bird wings, by comparison, are a “relatively stiff airfoil,” says Sharon Swartz, a professor of biology at Brown University who studies bat flight and the structure of their wings. 

Learn more in this stunning video about how bats take flight.