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Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Quadrupedal Locomotion in Vespertilionid Bats

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Abstract—Chiroptera is the order of the only mammals to have acquired flapping flight. Their musculoskeletal system is significantly reorganized. In addition, their four-legged locomotion is fundamentally different from that in typical mammals. The most up-to-date information on the terrestrial locomotion concerns the species expressing this type of movement as an integrated component of foraging behavior. Quadrupedal locomotion of other bats remains practically unstudied. This paper presents the results of experimental analysis of four-legged terrestrial locomotion in five species of vespertilionid bats. The study is based on a combination of two methods: two-angle high-speed video recording and animals’ trackways and traces analysis. The temporal, metric, and speed parameters for locomotion in different species are estimated. The dependence of the characteristics between each other is proven. This is the first time that such parameters have been studied in Chiroptera. A diagonal symmetry for the pattern of the sequential movement of limbs has been detected, while it involves a wide range of deviations atypical for quadrupedal vertebrates.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are grateful to A.N. Kuznetsov and N.V. Kryukova for assistance in data analysis and the preparation of illustrations, respectively. In addition, we are grateful to S.V. Kruskop, A.S. Kruskop, and I. V. Artyushin for helping us to capture the bats. I.B. Soldatova and the students of the Department of Biology, Moscow State University, P.Yu. Bikmulina, A.I. Molchanova, E.S. Pravdivtseva, A.O. Zheludeva, and M.A. Zaets were involved in the experimental work.

The experimental part of the work was carried out at the biomechanics research establishment, Zvenigorod Biological Station, Moscow State University, with the support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 15-04-05049A); in addition, the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 17-04-00954 A) supported the data processing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Moscow State University, 119992, Moscow, Russia

    O. R. Emelianova, N. A. Sivitskaya, A. A. Kitaitsev & N. A. Tikhonova

  2. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071, Moscow, Russia

    A. A. Panyutina

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  1. O. R. Emelianova
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  2. A. A. Panyutina
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  3. N. A. Sivitskaya
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  4. A. A. Kitaitsev
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Correspondence to A. A. Panyutina.

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Conflict of interests. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Statement on the welfare of animals. All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Translated by O. Zhiryakova

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Emelianova, O.R., Panyutina, A.A., Sivitskaya, N.A. et al. Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Quadrupedal Locomotion in Vespertilionid Bats. Biol Bull Russ Acad Sci 45, 1015–1027 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359018090054

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