Primitive Early Eocene bat from Wyoming and the evolution of flight and echolocation

Nancy B. Simmons (), Kevin L. Seymour, Jörg Habersetzer and Gregg F. Gunnell
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Nancy B. Simmons: American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024, USA
Kevin L. Seymour: Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6, Canada
Jörg Habersetzer: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Gregg F. Gunnell: Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079, USA

Nature, 2008, vol. 451, issue 7180, 818-821

Abstract: Flight first The Green River formation in Wyoming has produced many important fossils, including Icaronycteris index, which for over 40 years has been regarded as the oldest known bat. Its cranial features suggest that it could locate its insect prey by echolocation. This fuelled a spirited debate between proponents of the 'flight-first', 'echolocation-first' and 'tandem-development' hypotheses of bat evolution. New Green River bat fossils — including two near-complete skeletons, a cast of one of which is shown on the cover — looks to have settled the matter in favour of flight first. The new species is the most primitive bat known. It had fully developed wings and was clearly capable of powered flight, but the morphology of the ear region suggests that it could not echolocate, making it a possible intermediate link between bats and their non-flying, non-echolocating mammalian ancestors. Limb characteristics, including robust hind legs and retention of tiny claws on all of its elongate fingers, indicate that the new bat may have been an agile climber.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06549

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