[Nmcaver] How Bats Fly

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How Bats Fly

Experiments that reveal the swirling air around a flying bat indicate that those mammals generate lift and thrust with their wings much differently than birds do.   On the upstroke, a bird can separate the large feathers on its wings, permitting air to flow cleanly through and minimizing any downward, altitude-robbing force. Bats can't do that, because their wings are continuous, although flexible, membranes.

A review article is in Science News May 12, 2007, V. 171 N 19, Pg 293-294.  The web reference is:

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070512/fob6.asp 

but you may not be able to access it unless you are a subscriber to Science News.

The original article is Hedenström, A., et al. 2007. Bat flight generates complex aerodynamic tracks. Science 316(May 11):894-897. Abstract available at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/316/5826/894.

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