Prey capture

Insectivorous bats must hunt and capture their prey items (often flying insects like moths), and an evolutionary arms race has been ongoing for 65 million years between the two clades. In our lab, we are investigating prey capture techniques and outcomes from a variety of viewpoints. This includes:

• Pursuit tactics, using missile guidance laws from engineering literature

• Behavioral analysis, using transition analysis methods from animal behavior literature

• 3D trajectory tracking and characterization, using kinematic and dynamic variables from biomechanics literature