Do a Bat the Honor
The Wonky Explained
As we broach the coolness of Fall and creep into the full moon of October it might be unusual to avoid a shadowy ghost or the remarkable bat. Outside a colony of its kind, the movements of the bat are in a class of its own. Fortunate to encounter this creature, nearly to his face and witness its flight, I’d be remiss not to speak of the bat in the best possible light. Do a bat the honor, explore with me, and ponder the amazing ability of THE BAT.
So, why so wonky?
Watching the eagle, the hawk, and the condor, the bat asked, “Why I gotta fly so wonky.”
The answer might have been, “Well, Mr. Bat, you are looking at this all wrong. It’s not that you GOTTA fly so wonky. It’s a flight miracle that you CAN. You are designed with agility, capability, and alacrity, all to do the amazing YOU, Mr. Bat.”
Your erratic flight behavior has at least FOUR main factors, which I suppose we’d better acknowledge as causes, not choice or lack of discipline.
1 — How do my WINGS contribute to the wonky?
The flexible membrane of skin forming the wings of a bat is called the patagium. It extends between elongated fingers and down to the body. The fingers of the bat are typically long and slender, with the thumb being the shortest and the other fingers elongated to support the wing structure. The patagium may also have additional structures like cartilage or bone to provide support and stability during flight. It’s the flexibility of bat wings, unlike other flying creatures, that give the bat unmatched agility except for perhaps the dragonfly.
The structure of bat wings, which consists of a thin membrane over long finger bones, allows for its alacrity. Manipulation of wing shape lends to extreme agility for amazing maneuverability in dense forage when chasing mosquitoes, moths, gnats, and flies in mid-air.
2 — How does my FLAP contribute to wonky?
Have you ever heard the expression, “The bumblebee should not be able to fly.”? The reason is aerodynamically it’s wings are too small. Interestingly enough Michael H. Dickinson, Professor of Bioengineering and Aeronautics and neuroscientist at the University of California at Berkley explained to the Office of Naval Operations, who requested Dickinson build the military a fly, that micro-flight is nothing close to conventional flight aerodynamics. So, please park your manuals at the door; that’ll be the Wright Brothers all over again.
Subsonic flight aerodynamics can be divided into roughly two categories. Flight of anything the size of a hummingbird and smaller consists of a three-phase flap pattern to create and surf its own wave. This mechanism of flight bears no resemblance to the conventional wing lift or aerodynamics of a bat or larger bird or airplane.
Though we become flummoxed by its wonky flight path, bat wings are large enough to follow conventional flight aerodynamics. However, a bat’s wing flap cycles differ from a bird of its size and are called “flexible wing” flights. Unlike hummingbirds, bats create thrust and lift using their strong muscles to cause a more leisurely and rhythmic sweeping motion. This allows them to sustain flight for longer periods and even soar like an eagle.
“So, there’s nothing substantially wrong per se,” Mr. Bat, “with a bat’s wing flap that would lead or lend to a wonkiness. You are uniquely flexible and agile, and able to fly in tight spaces, make sharp turns, and even hover. With this agility, a bat can chase and catch a fly in mid-air! What an amazing you!”
3 — What does my DSC have anything to do with wonky?
Bats detect and locate objects for food or navigation by Echolocation. Bats rely upon a very narrowly tuned auditory system to discriminate fine acoustic details of their prey and to navigate through dense foliage. Bats’ precisely tuned auditory systems emit at a bandwidth of around 40 kHz, which is ultrasonic or outside of human hearing, typical of a medical scan. Doppler Shift Compensation (DSC) allows them to accurately detect and locate objects in their environment using echolocation, according to Michael Smotherman Texas A&M Biology Dept.
Echolocation is a process in which bats emit high-frequency waves and listen to the echoes that bounce back from prey or objects in their surroundings. By analyzing the frequency and timing of these echoes, bats can determine the distance, direction, and speed of objects.
However, when a bat is in motion, the frequency of the sound waves it emits and receives is affected by the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect is a shift in the frequency of waves when the source or the observer is in motion relative to the other. So, if a bat is flying towards an object, the echo will be higher than the frequency emitted and lower if a bat is flying away. This Doppler shift introduces an echolocation error.
This same principle applies to police radar and suggests why an officer is stationary when accurately gauging your speed.
Bats compensate for Doppler shift by continually adjusting the frequency of their emitted sound waves based on their own motion to be able to accurately interpret the frequency of the echoes they receive. This ability is essential for bats to navigate and locate prey in the dark.
“Heavens, I am utterly amazing!” said the bat.
“You simply surprise, Mr. Bat.”
Flight-induced Doppler Shift Compensation even serves to maintain the bandwidth of the returning echo within the design range of frequencies for a bat’s little ears.
4 — Why is my flight so wonky in the cave?
Bats tend to congregate or roost in an area. Their transit to and from a habitat seems chaotic but this is due to echolocation and proximity of bats to one another. Their agility allows for extreme collision avoidance capability.
But there is another angle to the story of a bat. A bat can cause confusion!
Orderly Chaotic Confusion: Bats maneuver chaotically to confuse their prey.
“Because we can.”
“Precisely, Mr. Bat.”
There is no bird or other flying species that has this same control and flexibility of its wings. Bats perform erratic flight patterns, like sudden dives, zigzags, or loops to confuse and capture fast-moving prey. And they do this while emitting, listening, and compensating for astounding accuracy in the amazing art of bat ultrasonic echolocation!
Conclusion
As we enter October, Fall, and creep through Halloween, if a bat swoops overhead, take a moment, and do a bat the honor. Share its amazing design and feats from memory or share this story from the Whooph.
Bat agility also differs among species according to their needs and adaptations. Brazilian free-tailed bats are known for their exceptional speed and agility. Overall, both birds and bats have appropriate flight adaptations that enable them to excel in different applications of aerial mobility and to suit their specific ecological niches.