Meeting Abstract

71.2  Wednesday, Jan. 6  Do vespertilionid bats have a third wing? ADAMS, R.A.**; SNODE, E.; Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley rick.adams@unco.edu

Although the uropatagium of vespertilionid bats is well known for its use as an insect catchment during foraging, the inter-femoral membrane has been largely ignored as an active contributor to flight mechanics. Indeed, the uropatagium is often referred to as a morphological feature that predominately increase drag during flight and is therefore of reduced size in species that exhibit high-speed flight morphology. With the use of high-speed video, we put forth a new interpretation of the uropatagium and its participation in flight dynamics by showing how this membrane is used in a remarkable way to contribute thrust during takeoff. We define this contribution to be Tail-Assisted-Induced-Lift or TAIL. The employment of this technique is manifested fully during more difficult takeoffs, but the timely use of this skill while foraging is readily conceivable.