Fossils Reveal Giant New Species of Burrowing Bat: Vulcanops jennyworthyae

Paleontologists say they’ve found the fossilized remains of a new genus and species of bat that lived in New Zealand between 19 and 16 million years ago (Early Miocene epoch).

Burrowing bats (family Mystacinidae) are only found now in New Zealand, but they once also lived in Australia.

They are peculiar because they not only fly; they also scurry about on all fours, over the forest floor, under leaf litter and along tree branches, while foraging for both animal and plant food.

“Burrowing bats are more closely related to bats living in South America than to others in the southwest Pacific,” said Professor Sue Hand, from the University of New South Wales in Australia.

“They are related to vampire bats, ghost-faced bats, fishing and frog-eating bats, and nectar-feeding bats, and belong to a bat superfamily that once spanned the southern landmasses of Australia, New Zealand, South America and possibly Antarctica.”

The newly found fossil bat, named Vulcanops jennyworthyae, was relatively large, with an estimated body mass of 40 g.

It fossilized remains (teeth and bones) were recovered from freshwater lake sediments (16-19 million years old) near St Bathans, Central Otago, South Island.

“New Zealand’s burrowing bats are renowned for their extremely broad diet. They eat insects and other invertebrates such as weta and spiders, which they catch on the wing or chase by foot. And they also regularly consume fruit, flowers and nectar,” Professor Hand said.

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