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Onychonycteris means "clawed bat", in reference to the fact that this animal had claws on all five of its digits, whereas modern bats only have claws on the thumb (in most species) or thumb and index finger (in pteropodids). [1] The specific epithet is a tribute to the fossil prospector and preparator who discovered it, Bonnie Finney. [1]
Palaeochiropteryx (/ ˌ p æ l i oʊ k aɪ ˈ r ɒ p t ər ɪ k s / PAL-ee-oh-ky-ROP-tər-iks) is an extinct genus of bat from the Middle Eocene of Europe and North America.It contains three very similar species – Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon and Palaeochiropteryx spiegeli, both from the famous Messel Pit of Germany, as well as Palaeochiropteryx sambuceus from the Sheep Pass Formation (Nevada ...
Phylogenetic analyses have consistently shown Palaeochiropterygidae to be the closest relatives of the living, or crown, groups of bats. [9] [10] Most phylogenetic analyses only include species of fossil bats known from complete skeletons, so relationships of species within Palaeochiropterygidae are currently unknown.
Australonycteris clarkae, one of the earliest bats in the fossil record, is known from several upper and lower teeth, an edentulous lower-jaw fragment, a partial periotic bone, and several postcranial fragments. It has a forearm length of 40–45 millimetres (1.6–1.8 in), making it a medium-size bat species, and it could echolocate.
Multiple exceptionally preserved specimens, among the best preserved bat fossils, are known from the Green River Formation of North America. [1] [2] The best known species is I. index. [3] Fragmentary material from France has also been tentatively placed within Icaronycteris as the second species I. menui. [4]
Necromantis is an extinct genus of bat that lived during the Eocene. [2] Its fossils are found in the Quercy Phosphorites Formation of France and the Djebel Chambi in Tunisia. Specimens of Necromantis are notable for their large size and specialization towards a predatory lifestyle. [3]
In addition, several fossil genera are known; the oldest fossils attributed to the family are from the middle Eocene of Europe. [4] In their 1997 Classification of Mammals , Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell proposed a division of Hipposideridae (called Rhinonycterinae in their work) into three tribes , one with two subtribes, [ 5 ] but ...
The delicate skeletons of bats do not fossilise well; it is estimated that only 12% of bat genera that lived have been found in the fossil record. [6] Most of the oldest known bat fossils were already very similar to modern microbats, such as Archaeopteropus (32 million years ago).