Study Identifies Europe as the Birthplace of Bats
New genomic research maps the dispersal of ancestral bats from subtropical European forests to the rest of the world.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Life Sciences
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A new genomic and anatomical analysis identifies Europe as the evolutionary birthplace of bats during the late Palaeocene epoch more than 56 million years ago. This research reconciles previous conflicting models by mapping how ancestral lineages dispersed from European subtropical forests to Africa and North America.
Why it matters
Understanding the origins of bat lineages resolves long-standing debates regarding their evolutionary trajectory and global dispersal patterns. By integrating genomic data with the fossil record, this study clarifies how bats expanded across continents during a period of warm, stable climates.
The study analyzed genomes from 103 bat species across 21 living families, supplemented by anatomical data from 44 extinct species. Researchers focused on inner-ear features in fossils to track the development of sonar abilities, notably in the 50-million-year-old extinct genus Vielasia.
The players
Vielasia
An extinct genus of bat whose fossilized inner-ear anatomy provides evidence for the early evolution of sonar capabilities.
The details
Researchers reconstructed bat evolution by combining genomic data with fossil anatomy to model ancestral distributions. They accounted for historical continental movements and land bridges, specifically noting that Greenland functioned as a corridor linking Europe to North America. The analysis identifies key inner-ear adaptations in a 50-million-year-old fossil from France as evidence for the early emergence of echolocation—a sophisticated biological sonar system used for navigation and prey detection.
Timeline
Late Palaeocene epoch (over 56 million years ago): Evolutionary origin of bats in Europe.
52 million years ago: Oldest known bat skeletons emerge in Wyoming.
50 million years ago: Fossil skull found in France shows evidence of echolocation capability.
The Tech Race
This research settles persistent conflicts in paleobiology regarding where and when the order Chiroptera emerged. It establishes a clearer baseline for studying mammalian evolution than previous fragmented datasets could provide.
While this study does not change immediate consumer technology, it refines our understanding of mammalian biology and the evolution of high-frequency sonar. These findings provide a biological benchmark for researchers studying how complex sensory systems emerge in response to changing environments.
The takeaway
This study shifts the consensus on bat evolution, moving the origin point definitively to Europe during the late Palaeocene. Future research will likely focus on the specific genetic drivers that enabled the early development of echolocation in these ancestral populations.
Further reading
Explore more evolutionary discoveries in Life Sciences.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Conversation.
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