Greater Mouse-Tailed Bats Glide During Approximately 50% of Their Flight

Flapping flight is widely regarded as a mechanically complex and energetically demanding mode of locomotion. In bats, the evolution of flapping flight is hypothesized to have arisen from gliding, an unpowered form of aerial movement. Although intermittent flap-gliding flight is considered advantageous in many bird species, this flight strategy has rarely been studied in bats. In this study, we used on-board tracking devices and audio recordings to characterize the flight behavior and corresponding echolocation of greater mouse-tailed bats (Rhinopoma microphyllum) in the wild. Our results reveal that these bats consistently integrate gliding into flapping flight, not only through brief, intermittent flap-gliding intervals but also via prolonged gliding bouts that can be as long as dozens of seconds. Gliding accounted for approximately 50% of the total flight duration and occurred during both commuting and foraging flights, but was rarely observed directly during prey pursuit. Across all flight modes, bats continuously emitted longer echolocation calls at lower calling rates during long gliding bouts. These findings demonstrate substantial flexibility in bat flight behavior and suggest that gliding could have been retained as a functional and integral component of an adaptive flight strategy despite possible constraints on echolocation.