Do taxonomic levels appear too suddenly?
Not only do new mammalian orders appear suddenly, but when they appear, they are already separated into their distinctive forms. For example, during the Eocene epoch (just after the Paleocene), the first fossil bat appears suddenly in the fossil record. When it does, it is unquestionably a bat, capable of true flight. Yet, we find nothing resembling a bat in the earlier rocks.Explore Evolution, p. 24 Flowering plants appear suddenly in the early Cretaceous period, 145-125 million years ago.Explore Evolution, p.
