Two stunningly preserved 52-million-year-old bat skeletons found in Wyoming are
The newfound species was slightly smaller thanIcaronycteris index (icaronycteris) is a genus of extinct bats, one of the most ancient genera of bats. It could easily fit in a human hand with its wings folded. Notably, these skeletons are found lower in the sediment compared to other bat fossils. “They are really the oldest,” scientists write.
Bats first appeared in the eraEocene (from 56 to 36 million years ago). Until now, the oldest recorded skeletons were fossil remains of I. index and another primitive species Onychonycteris finneyi, more than 50 million years old. They were also found in the Green River Formation.
New finds that are describedin a study published in the journal PLOS One, led to reshuffles the classification of early bats. They were needed to include new species in the family tree.
To determine evolutionary history orbat phylogeny, the researchers compared the new fossils with complete skeletons of six species of Eocene bats, as well as isolated teeth from two other extinct species and skeletons of modern individuals. Their results showed that the newly discovered bat skeletons belonged to a never-before-seen species of Icaronycteris, which they named I. gunnelli in honor of the late bat biologist Greg Gunnell.
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Cover image credit: Rietbergen et al., 2023, PLOS ONE; (CC0 1.0)
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