At over 52 million years old, this fossil is by far the oldest bat species ever found. The wing bones still have claws at the tips, unlike modern bats, but the wings most certainly allowed the creature to fly.
The researchers speculate that without the ability to echolocate, this bat must have flown during daylight hours, possible because large numbers of birds had not yet taken to the sky. Later, as competition from birds increased, bats may have evolved echolocation in order to turn to a nocturnal mode of life.
Source: Nature.com
Photo Credit: Royal Ontario Museum, 2008
