2023 Author: Bryan Walter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 22:24
Brazilian foldlip
Brazilian foldlips can fly at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour - much faster than the fastest birds. These conclusions were reached by scientists in an article published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, although their current measurements, in the opinion of many colleagues, need clarification.
Until now, researchers believed that it was difficult for other animals to match the flight speed of birds, whose body has a number of features that allow them to move extremely quickly. For example, many bird bones contain air-filled cavities, which makes them light, and the short and pointed wings of some species provide a high frequency of flapping. The combination of these and a number of other characteristics allows some birds to fly at a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour: the black swift (Apus Apus) is considered the record holder, which during a horizontal flight can accelerate to 112 kilometers per hour (the record for the speed of a diving flight belongs to a peregrine falcon).
However, the authors of the new work claim that bats can move as fast as birds. They made this conclusion on the basis of data from a radio transmitter attached to the backs of seven Brazilian folded lips (Tadarida brasiliensis). Using this device, zoologists tracked the location of the bats and the frequency of their wings for a week. As a result, the researchers found that almost all Brazilian folded lips during horizontal flight are capable of accelerating to speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour. At the same time, one of the bats was able to reach a speed of 158 kilometers per hour, thereby setting a record among its relatives.
However, the study of zoologists has met criticism from other scientists. For example, Professor Anders Hedenström from the University of Lund suggests that some inaccuracies may have been made in assessing the flight speed of Brazilian folded lips. For example, the researchers did not monitor the speed and movement of the wind in the places of flight of bats, so the possibility cannot be ruled out that Brazilian folded lips accelerated due to the rapid movements of air currents. The authors of the work do not deny this possibility, however, they note that data on the flight of animals were collected at night, when the wind was almost absent.
Researchers cannot explain why Brazilian pleated lips develop such a high speed. “We do not know why bats do this, but they must have good reasons, since flying is one of the most 'costly' ways to travel among animals,” comments the author of the study.
Previously, scientists were able to establish that black swifts are the champions among birds, not only in horizontal flight speed, but also in the duration of flight without stopping. It turned out that black swifts are able to stay in the air for about ten months. According to the calculations of zoologists, in a lifetime these birds fly a distance seven times greater than the distance that a spacecraft travels when traveling to the moon and back.
