An international team of paleontologists has described a new Early Eocene bat species from the well-preserved fossils — which include the oldest uncrushed skull of a bat yet known — found in cave deposit in France. Named Vielasia sigei, this early bat appears to have been capable of advanced echolocation.
Vielasia sigei lived in what is now Europe during the Early Eocene epoch, some 50 million years ago.
The fossilized remains of at least 23 individuals of Vielasia sigei were recovered from limestone cave sediments at Vielase, in the Quercy Phosphorites, southwestern France.
The well-preserved fossils include the oldest uncrushed skull of a bat yet known.
“Prior to the discovery of this skull, only fragments or completely flattened skeletons of early bats had existed in the fossil record,” said Professor Sue Hand, a paleontologist at the University of New South Wales.
“We don’t know very much about the beginnings of bats because we don’t have the missing links like we do, say, between dinosaurs and modern birds.”
“The oldest bat fossil is about 57 million years old, and it’s a single tooth from a site in Portugal – that’s all we know about it.”
“The first bats are all just known from fragmentary fossils, mostly teeth.”
“When bats appear in the fossil record a little later, about 52 million years ago, some are wonderfully complete bats, but they’re flattened.”
“While these flattened specimens are beautifully preserved, the fact that they’ve been flattened by layers of rock deposited over millions of years makes it difficult to decide with conviction, the exact positioning of bones in their three-dimensional anatomy.”
“And when it comes to determining whether a fossil is from a species of bat that is already using echolocation, detailed and precise anatomy of the skull is crucial.”
“In modern bats, between the voice box and the ear, there are some bones called the hyoid bones.”
“In all modern bats that…
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