Two of the oldest known bat fossils, which date to around 53 million years ago, may help scientists learn how these mammals evolved the ability to fly.
From humid Amazonian caves to tree cavities and rock crevices in Wyoming, bats make their homes all around the world. A new study published today in, which may help scientists learn how these mammals evolved the ability to fly and dispersed across oceans and continents.
The relatively small bat skeletons, approximately 1.5 inches in length, were found in a fossil bed near Kemmerer, Wyoming. They were excavated from a fossil-rich geologic formation of ancient swamps and lakes from an era called the Eocene, dating to around 50 million years ago. Called the Green River Formation, the site spans parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.
Next, paleontologists compared the fossils with other known species and concluded they belonged to a group of extinct bats called. The newly found bats had a collection of traits—including the presence of claws on the wing's first and second digit, and relatively short forearms and broad wings—that differentiated it from other Eocene bats.
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