Some humans like to think of themselves as good multitaskers, but bats may do it better. Many bat species have the ability to fly while simultaneously drinking water — but unlike people who try similar multitasking, such as driving while texting, the bats never crash. Now, new research reveals the physics behind this feat of coordination.

“The technical details of how bats do this are very complex, but what we’re ultimately trying to understand is how animals multitask,” said Sunghwan Jung, a biophysicist at Cornell University and an author of the study published Wednesday in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. “Animals have very busy lives, like humans, and if they can do two tasks at the same time, they have a better chance at survival.”

Of the world’s approximately 1,400 bat species, “skim drinking on the wing” is the most prevalent strategy for taking a sip of water, said Rolf Müller, a mechanical engineer at Virginia Tech and an author of the study.

This behavior likely evolved to keep bats off the ground and away from predators. Although finding water is a necessity, sources of water can be dangerous places for animals, Dr. Jung said.

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Some bats drink directly by lapping water with their tongues as they fly over a water source. Others, such as flying foxes, drink indirectly by wetting their fur and then licking it — a strategy known as “belly-dipping.”