X-ray video reveals bat's flight trick

Scientists in the US have used X-rays to produce remarkable videos of bats in flight that reveal the movement of their skeletons.

Analysing this footage has revealed how the bats store and recycle energy in their tendons.

The tiny fruit bats the team studied have very stretchy tendons that connect their upper arm muscles to their bones.

This, say the scientists, make them very efficient fliers.

The research was presented at the Society for Experimental Biology's annual meeting, external in Valencia, Spain.

Footage courtesy of Nicolai Konow and Rhea Von Busse