Birds are easy to spot – just head outside on a nice morning and plenty of feathered friends are likely flying nearby. You might host other flying animals that are a bit harder to observe – bats. These acrobatic flyers are an important part of many ecosystems, catching bugs, pollinating plants, and dispersing seeds. The development of flight in birds and bats is a great example of convergent evolution – these two groups of animals independently evolved the ability to fly and don’t share a common flying ancestor.
Unlike birds, bats are mammals that don’t lay eggs and have fur instead of feathers. Their wings have a similar bone structure to human hands, with elongated finger bones that support the wing membrane. Some bats use their powerful wings to seasonally migrate, while others wait out cold winters by hibernating.
Researchers are studying birds and bats to better understand their flight mechanics and energetics and the vortices and forces at play during flight. They also are looking at whether the genes related to flight also contribute to these animals’ long lifespans.