Bat flight
Evidence for this lies in the broad and short nature of O. finneyi wing morphology, which would have made it difficult to efficiently maneuver in the air or sustain flight.
[4] Additionally claws were seen on the ends of their forelimb digits (which have since disappeared in modern-day bats) giving evidence that O. finneyi was a skilled climber.
[6] This ancestor is predicted to have lived 64 million years ago at the border of the Cretaceous and Paleogene, based on molecular and paleontological data.
[8] After evolving powered flight, bats underwent massive adaptive radiation, becoming the second-most speciose mammal order, after rodents.
[9] A 2011 study hypothesized that, rather than having evolved from gliders, the ancestors of bats were flutterers, although the researchers did not find any actual evidence for this theory.
[10] A 2020 study proposed that flight in bats might have originated independently at least three times, in the groups Yangochiroptera, Pteropodidae and Rhinolophoidea.
Contrary to the hypothesis of multiple flight origins, which assumes a bat ancestor with only handwings and no plagiopatagia, embryonic development shows the plagiopatagium appearing before the dactyloptagium.
[12] The expansion of the long bones in bat wings is at least partly attributed to paired-box (Pax) homeodomain transcription factor, PRX1.
[13] Up-regulation of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway is also crucial in developmental and evolutionary elongation of bat forelimb digits.
[7] Bats also had to evolve a thinner cortical bone to reduce torsional stresses produced by propulsive downstroke movements.
It is composed of elastin fibers along with connective tissue,[22] and provides durability and flexibility for the bat to lift itself easily.
In a meta analysis covering 257 species of bats, higher relative wing loading values were observed in bats which fly at higher velocities, while lower wing loading values were correlated with improved flight maneuverability.
[27] Additionally, bats with lower wing loading were seen to have better mass-carrying ability, and were able carry larger prey while flying.
[27] Bats that consume insects by hawking (aerial pursuit and capture) must be able to travel at fast speeds, and must employ a high level of maneuverability.
Mexican free-tailed bats are thought to be the fastest mammal on earth, capable of horizontal flight speeds over a level surface up to 160 km/h (100 mph).
[27] Nectarivores in general have lower aspect ratios, which makes them more suited to flight in a cluttered environment.
[27] This increased capacity for lift even allows them to take flight from the ground while carrying a prey item that is half of their body weight.
[27] The high wing-loading allows them faster flight speeds, which is advantageous when they have to commute long distances from their roosts to find prey.
[27] The hairy-legged vampire bat has the lowest aspect ratio of the three species; it also has relatively long and rounded wingtips.
[27] The white-winged vampire bat has the highest aspect ratio of the three species, which means it is most adapted to long flights.
