While older bat tooth fossils have been found from Asia, I. gunnelli fossils represent the oldest bat skeletons ever discovered. This discovery supports the idea that Green River bats evolved separately from other Eocene bats around the world.
The Green River Formation in Wyoming is a remarkable early Eocene fossil, and I. gunnelli’s discovery is a step forward in understanding bat evolution and diversity in the early Eocene. There are more than 1,460 bat species found almost everywhere in the world, except for the polar regions and some remote islands.
The researchers named the new species after Duke University paleontologist Gregg Gunnell, who passed away in 2017 and made important contributions to the understanding of fossil bats and evolution.
Source: Ferra
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