How long have bats existed?
The oldest fossil bats known in the world are microbat fossils. Fossil teeth found at Murgon, Queensland, Australia, dated to 55 million years Hall L and Richards G (2000) Flying Foxes, Fruit and Blossom Bats of Australia, University of New South Wales Press. Icaronycteris found in Wyoming, USA, dated to 50 million years Archaeonycteris found in Germany, dated about 45 million years Altringham J D. (1996) Bats, Biology and Behaviour Oxford University Press Some bat fossils are so well preserved that remains of insects and other small animals that they had eaten can be seen inside the body. The rich Australian fossil beds at Riversleigh in north-west Queensland contain many microbat fossils up to 25 million years old. Megabat fossils have been found in Thailand, Italy, Africa and New Guinea, but have not yet been found in Australia. Why do bats feed at night? By 100 million years ago, a great diversity of flowering plants became the most common vegetation on earth (according to studies
