Skin blood flow increases in response to local heat due to sensorineural and nitric oxide (NO)-mediated dilation. It has been previously demonstrated that arteriolar dilation is inhibited with NO-synthase (NOS) blockade. Flow, nonetheless, increases with local heat. This implies that the previously unexamined non-arteriolar responses play a significant role in modulating flow. We thus hypothesized that local heating induces capillary recruitment. We heated a portion (3 cm²) of the Pallid bat wing from 25.0°C to 37.0°C for 20 minutes, and measured changes in terminal feed arteriole (~25 µm) diameter and blood velocity to calculate blood flow (n=8). Arteriolar dilation was reduced with NOS and sensorineural blockade using a 1% L-NAME and 2% (wt/vol) lidocaine solution (n=8). We also measured changes in the number of perfused capillaries, and the time precapillary sphincters were open with (n=8) and without (n=8) NOS plus sensorineural blockade. With heat, the total number of perfused capillaries increased 92+14% (p=0.011), and a similar increase occurred despite NOS plus sensorineural blockade 100+38% (p=0.014). Blockade eliminated arteriolar dilation (-4.5+2.1%). With heat, the percent time precapillary sphincters remained open increased 32.3+6.0% (p=0.0006), and this increase occurred despite NOS plus sensorineural blockade (34.1+5.8%, p=0.0004). With heat arteriolar blood flow increased (187.2+28.5%, p=0.00003) which was significantly attenuated with NOS plus sensorineural blockade (88.6+37.2%, p=0.04). Thus, capillary recruitment is a fundamental microvascular response to local heat, independent of arteriolar dilation and the well-documented sensorineural and NOS mechanisms mediating the response to local heat.