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Evidence for echolocation in the oldest known bats.

|May 9, 1985

Summary

Early bat fossils, Icaronycteris and Palaeochiropteryx, show cranial features indicating sophisticated ultrasonic echolocation. This supports the theory that advanced sonar was present in the earliest microchiropteran bats.

Area of Science:

Paleontology
Zoology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

The earliest bat fossils, Icaronycteris index and Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon, from the Eocene epoch, have been difficult to classify.
Previous research questioned their relationship to modern Microchiroptera due to a perceived lack of auditory specializations.

Purpose of the Study:

To re-evaluate the phylogenetic position of early bats.
To investigate the presence of ultrasonic echolocation capabilities in the earliest known bats.

Main Methods:

Examination of previously undescribed fossil specimens of Icaronycteris and Palaeochiropteryx.
Comparative anatomical analysis of basicranial features in fossil and extant bats.

Main Results:

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New specimens reveal that Icaronycteris and Palaeochiropteryx possess basicranial features similar to modern microchiropterans.
These shared features suggest a comparable level of refinement in ultrasonic echolocation abilities.

Conclusions:

The earliest known bats likely possessed sophisticated ultrasonic echolocation.
This finding supports the hypothesis that advanced sonar was an ancestral trait within the Microchiroptera lineage.