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Thursday, March 17, 2011

what is a bat wing anyway?







The scientific name for bats CHIROPTERA provides an answer to this question of 'what is a bat wing'?



Bats have very long finger bones and webbing between each finger except the thumb! (Note a Jamaican fruit bat thumb compared to my own to the left). Other mammals that glide (bats are the only true fliers among mammals) have webbing but just attached to different body parts like from the elbow to knees of some 'flying' squirrels (flying is in quotes because they are technically just gliding i.e. falling gracefully!)
Together webbing and log fingers is what comprises a bat wing. I have tried to demonstrate this in the form of a drawing (below).

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