Independent evolution of running in vampire bats

Daniel K. Riskin () and John W. Hermanson
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Daniel K. Riskin: College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
John W. Hermanson: College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University

Nature, 2005, vol. 434, issue 7031, 292-292

Abstract: Abstract Most tetrapods have retained terrestrial locomotion since it evolved in the Palaeozoic era1,2, but bats have become so specialized for flight that they have almost lost the ability to manoeuvre on land at all3,4. Vampire bats, which sneak up on their prey along the ground, are an important exception. Here we show that common vampire bats can also run by using a unique bounding gait, in which the forelimbs instead of the hindlimbs are recruited for force production as the wings are much more powerful than the legs. This ability to run seems to have evolved independently within the bat lineage.

Date: 2005
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DOI: 10.1038/434292a

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