This blog is about what its like to be a bat researcher with a little bit about the things I love sprinkled throughout: bats (of course/understood), biology, music as well as the less expected.
If you have ever seen the amazing footage of bats leaving or entering caves you might have been curious what it is like to flim thousands of animals all flying around your camera?
Today I saw a great video on this topic and was excited to share it here. What makes it extra special is that in addition to great images of bats in the wild and in a wind-tunnel the person explaining everything is someone who's presentations and videos I've seen before. AMAZING STUFF!
Interviewed is Nickolay Hristov from Winston-Salem State University. Read about some of his ongoing projects by clicking this (link).
From Hristov's STEM page I thought this was a great list of questions that have been addressed in bats using high-speed video recording
"Questions scientists have answered by filming bats in high-speed:
I am mid getting ready for the joint DVM/DCB (Division of Vertebrate Morphology/Division of Comparative Biomechanics) Northeast Regional SICB meeting. SICB is the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology(link). The 'big' SICB happens in January and this year it will be in Austin, Texas which is exciting (warm weather in January- big fun conference...)! SICB is a fun group because people who study lots of different animals get together to discuss everything from behavior to physiology and morphology. There are lots of different 'divisions' in SICB with most people involved with at least 2. I think I'm in 3 or so... DVM, DCPB (or is it DPCB ?? see below) and DAB (Division of Animal Behavior). They don't have DM (division of mammals) nor do the have a DC (division ofChiropterologists-(people who study bats)).
From the SICB website (red text is my emphasis.... I am curious: is there anyone affiliated with all or all but one of these?! I will investigate- worry not!)
"Divisions of SICB
Members are allowed to choose affiliations with as many divisions as they wish.
At the regional meeting of us 'northeasteners' (which I guess now includes me- I'll work on embracing that drastic change) I will be presenting my work with bats with a focus exciting images I am getting from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). I look forward to some exciting updates for you but for right now I can only say that I'm busy getting my power point (talk) wrapped up. Currently, this means making what is a 10 minute talk into a 5 minute talk! I guess having lots to say is better than the alternative.
*Bear with me- as I wouldn't usually post a Dave Matthew's Band video-- but this one is in my head...and is so appropriate but careful! It's sticky!
"Joint DVM/DCB Northeastern Regional Meeting 2013
The 2013 joint DVM/DCM Northeast Regional SICB meeting will be held at Yale University on Saturday, October 26, 2013.
The meeting will be hosted by Yale's Department of Geology and
Geophysics, in New Haven, Connecticut. Following last year's successful
format, students and faculty will deliver 5-minute general session talks
that will be interspersed with a handful of 10-minute talks with a
broader focus, with ample opportunity for questions and discussion.
Sucker-footed bats (Myzopoda aurita), resident to Madagascar were named for the suction cup like structures on their hands (see image). It has long been thought (ever since the little critters were named) that these structures no only look like suction cups but also work like them.
However, through recent research efforts we now know that these structures do not work like suction cups at all. Instead, these little pads function the way a fly climbs a windshield by a process called wet-adhesion. Specifically. a recent study by Riskin and Racey (2010) described the biomechanics of how sucker-footed bats attach to surfaces. By placing these bats on materials with even spaced holes (which would prevent suction) these researchers determined that sucker-footed bats don't! Instead like a fly, they use the surface tension of water (in this case sweat) to attach to surfaces (wet-adhesion). The water-based material used for wet-adhesion would be a sweat like substance.
Another interesting observation they made was that these bats cannot hang upside down. (Or they COULD but then they would plummet head first to the ground!)
Most bats hang upside down and this rare behavior of roosting head-side-up is likely because of how these bats detach themselves (and their wing/hand pads) from the surface of objects such as leaves that they roost upon. To let go of a surface and move forward these bats push their pads forward to break their attachment. This works well if they are say climbing a surface. However, upon roosting head down the force of gravity would be in the same direction (forward) and would thus passively deform their foot pad and start to detach them from the surface.
I will admit I am somewhat disappointed to learn these little bats are not in actuality sucker-footed. That said, the fact that they are more fly-like just might compensate for it... maybe they could be renamed fly-footed bats! Just a suggestion.
If you would like to read more the article can be found (HERE) and the citation is as follows:
Riskin, D. K., and P.A. Racey. 2010. How do sucker-footed bats hold on, and why do they roost head-up? Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 99:233-240.
