Tagged: bats

Leading Edge Vortices In Bats

Using Digital Particle Image Velocimetry, scientists are able to show the velocity of the airflow surrounding the wing of the bat. This demonstrates the leading edge vortices that occur on the surface of a bat wing. Bats are different than insects and birds in the way that they fly. They are different because instead of […]

Microscopic Hair on Bats Allow for Better Flight

Bats are interesting animals, in that they are the only mammals truly capable of sustained flight. Due to its poor eyesight bats have become such agile fliers that they have been able to adapt flying at night. Bats use echolocation to help them pinpoint their surroundings and allow for them to catch their prey. But what many […]

Evolution of Mammalian Flight

As previously stated, bats are the only mammals truly capable of flight. But why is this? Of all the species of mammals, why is it that only the Order Chiroptera can achieve flight? And how did such an extraordinary adaptation come to be? Well…the answer is…we really are not sure. But there is evidence that […]

The Bumblebee Bat!

Kitti’s Hog-nosed bat ( the bumblebee bat) is an endangered bat with a total population of about 4000 and is the world smallest mammal. It has a length of 1.1-1.3 inches, a wingspan of 6-7 inches, and a weight of only 2 grams. This endangered creature is limited to living in limestone caves typically near […]

Robotic Bat Biomimicry

Micro-aerial vehicles (MAVs) are small flyers that have become a point of interest due to their potential use as maneuverable stealth devices.  A recent project of some researchers at two universities may have developed an amazing new spy device based on the biomimicry of bats.  One of the main researches by the name of Gheorghe […]