The arrival of bats in Europe reshaped the history of the species

Bats first took to the skies in Europe approximately 60 million years ago, during the late Paleocene. This timeline, established by Emma Tilling of the Sanger Institute and a global consortium of 136 researchers known as Bat1K, integrates genetic data with paleontological records to resolve a long-standing gap in mammalian evolution.

Photo: Pravda.Ru by Anton Tarasov is licensed under publiс domain

Bat

Until now, the origin of Chiroptera remained elusive. The fossil record only shows bats in the early Eocene (52-56 million years ago), at which point they were already sophisticated flyers with developed echolocation and a global distribution. Previous genomic studies lacked the resolution to pinpoint exactly when and where these traits emerged.

To refine the map, the team reconstructed reference genomes for 41 species and integrated data from another 62. This sample, covering all 21 extant families across 103 species, confirmed a primary split into two lineages: Yinpterochiroptera (including pteropodids and five bat families) and Yangochiroptera (comprising the remaining 15 families).

The analysis reveals a common ancestor with 26 pairs of chromosomes, noting that chromosomal fusion occurred more frequently than fission or translocation. The study also recalibrates the phylogenetic position of specific groups, such as the Madagascar collared fruit bats (Myzopodidae), which now sit as the earliest branch of the Vespertilionoidea superfamily.

By incorporating morphological data from 44 extinct species, the researchers identified two early ancestral clades. The Eochiroptera diverged first, already utilizing laryngeal echolocation. A second group, more closely related to modern Yinpterochiroptera, includes Aegyptonycteris knightae, a species that likely represents the first transition from a purely insectivorous diet to one including plant matter.

The reconstructed migration suggests Europe as the primary cradle. From there, bats moved into Africa before spreading across the Americas, Asia, and Australia. The divergence of modern suborders coincided with the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum around 56 million years ago. While Yinpterochiroptera likely diversified in Africa, Yangochiroptera emerged in Europe. Specifically, the Noctilionoidea superfamily is thought to have traveled from Europe to South America via North America, likely crossing a North Atlantic land bridge.