Anatomical distribution and flight control function of wing sensory hairs in Seba's short-tailed bat.

Abstract

Bats use sensory systems such as echolocation and vision to track prey, avoid obstacles, and inform their trajectories. In addition, though less studied, bats also have extensive networks of sensory hairs across their wings. Preliminary evidence has shown that these hairs are involved in flow sensing and relay sensory information during flight. However, little is known about the functional role of sensory hairs in flight control or potential intraspecific variation in hair distribution. Through a morphological study of specimens of Seba's short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata), we find relatively low intraspecific variability in sensory hair distribution and consistent regional density patterns. We compare flight kinematics from the same species in wind tunnel experiments before and after removal of sensory hairs from the ventral wings. Depilation of sensory hairs resulted in changes to kinematic variables at the whole- and within-wingbeat levels, such as wingbeat frequency, chordwise wing folding, and wing extension. Taken together, these findings indicate that sensory hairs relay sensory information and function to alter fine-scale wing shape and positioning, thereby impacting flight kinematics and dynamics.