ArticleScientific reports2016
Ear-body lift and a novel thrust generating mechanism revealed by the complex wake of brown long-eared bats (Plecotus auritus).
Article in Scientific reports, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Conversion efficiency of flight power is low, but increases with flight speed in the migratory batProceedings. Biological sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Span Efficiency of Flying Animals.Integrative and comparative biology · 2026Article
- Delta wing design in earliest nektonic vertebrates.Communications biology · 2024Article
- Rapid flapping and fibre-reinforced membrane wings are key to high-performance bat flight.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2023Article
- Turning-ascending flight of aRoyal Society open science · 2022Article
- Aerodynamics of manoeuvring flight in brown long-eared bats (Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2018Article
- Mechanical power curve measured in the wake of pied flycatchers indicates modulation of parasite power across flight speeds.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2018Article
- Body lift, drag and power are relatively higher in large-eared than in small-eared bat species.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2017Article
- Inspiration for wing design: how forelimb specialization enables active flight in modern vertebrates.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2017Review
- Flow pattern similarities in the near wake of three bird species suggest a common role for unsteady aerodynamic effects in lift generation.Interface focus · 2017Article
- Airplane tracking documents the fastest flight speeds recorded for bats.Royal Society open science · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Large ears enhance perception of echolocation and prey generated sounds in bats. However, external ears likely impair aerodynamic performance of bats compared to birds. But large ears may generate lift on their own, mitigating the negative effects. We studied flying brown long-eared bats, using high resolution, time resolved particle image velocimetry, to determine the aerodynamics of flying with large ears. We show that the ears and body generate lift at medium to cruising speeds (3-5 m/s), but at the cost of an interaction with the wing root vortices, likely reducing inner wing performance. We also propose that the bats use a novel wing pitch mechanism at the end of the upstroke generating thrust at low speeds, which should provide effective pitch and yaw control. In addition, the wing tip vortices show a distinct spiraling pattern. The tip vortex of the previous wingbeat remains into the next wingbeat and rotates together with a newly formed tip vortex. Several smaller vortices, related to changes in circulation around the wing also spiral the tip vortex. Our results thus show a new level of complexity in bat wakes and suggest large eared bats are less aerodynamically limited than previous wake studies have suggested.
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