Abstract
Bat wings are characterized by high endurance, and these mammals have developed a number of adaptations that protect them from falling into obstacles and potential injuries. However, in bat populations, there are individuals with visible fresh or healed injuries to the flight–enabling body parts. The aim of this research was to determine the differences in the occurrence of wing membrane damages among species of bats that differ in ecology and behavior. The study was conducted in southern and western Poland in the years 2000–2016 and included 3,525 individuals of six species: lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolopus hipposideros, Daubenton’s bat Myotis daubentonii, Natterer’s bat Myotis nattereri, greater mouse–eared bat Myotis myotis, western barbastelle Barbastella barbastellus, and brown long–eared bat Plecotus auritus. In all, 2.9% of the bats studied showed damage to the flight–enabling body parts. Natterer’s bat was the species with the highest number of injured individuals (21.74%). The lowest number of injured individuals (0.3%) was found in the brown long–eared bat. The most frequently observed type of damage was loss of an edge of the wing membrane (29.3%). The bat species studied differed significantly in the occurrence and location of flight enabling body parts damages. Certain behavioral and ecological factors like foraging mode, foraging habitats and habitat types of bat species determine the number of wing and tail membrane damages.
Highlights
Bats and birds are the sole extant vertebrates with the ability to fly actively
Observations were conducted in the years 2015–2016, during morphometric studies on three bat species (Daubenton’s bat Myotis daubentonii, Naterer’s bat Myotis nattereri, and greater mouse–eared bat Myotis myotis)
The second was the wintering site in Chłodnia in Cieszkow (51 ̊37025.1@N 17 ̊21052.6@E) where observations were conducted in the years 2000–2016, during the ringing of three bat species in the swarming period
Summary
Bats and birds are the sole extant vertebrates with the ability to fly actively. Bat wings are different from bird wings in terms of their anatomical and morphological features [1]. Bat wings consist of a wing membrane (patagium), which is formed of a highly durable and flexible thin skin [2, 3]. The wing membrane is divided into three parts: propatagium, dactylopatagium, and plagiopatagium. There is a tail membrane called uropatagium. The surface area and the strength of the particular parts of the wing differ [3]
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