Wyoming, US — A lesson of ‘not counting chickens before they hatch’ was learned regarding bats. Most experts believed bats developed sonar before flying. However, an exceptionally well preserved 52-million year-old bat fossil indicates the exact opposite - bats flew first and then developed sonar.

The bat fossil is the oldest known and was discovered within the Green River Formation in Wyoming in 2003. It definitely flew, but its skeleton showed an underdeveloped cochlea of the inner ear, which provides the echolocation capabilities in modern bats.

Echolocation is the term used to describe the sonar capability in mammals, like bats, dolphins, many whales and shrews. These mammals emit a high-pitched sound that bounces off objects, determining their location.

The following AFP article details the interesting discovery and findings: