Published in Nature, an international team of 137 researchers from 64 countries in the Bat1K consortium reveals that bats originated in Europe approximately 65 million years ago. Combining 103 genomes and 44 global fossils, the study overturns prior theories of Asian, African or North American origins.
For decades, evolutionary biologists debated where the world’s only true flying mammals first took to the skies. Previous hypotheses pointed toward Africa, Asia, or North America as the cradle of chiropteran evolution. Now, a massive collaborative effort spanning 64 countries has settled the question by fusing modern genomics with the deep fossil record. Operating through the Bat1K consortium, researchers analyzed high-quality genome assemblies and anatomical records to trace the lineage of bat species back to the European continent.
Reconstructing the Bat Family Tree with 103 Genomes
The research team assembled the largest collection of high-quality bat genomes to date, covering 103 species that represent every one of the 21 currently recognized bat families.
By pairing this molecular data with 44 fossil bats unearthed around the globe, the scientists reconstructed the evolutionary history of the world’s only flying mammals.
“The approach we used to model the evolution of fossil and living species together can do what other methods cannot: identify the oldest group of fossil bats while taking the genomic data into account, and uncover when and where bats originated.”
Professor Liliana Dávalos, Stony Brook University
This statistical backing allowed the consortium to reorganize the broader family tree. Professor Emma Teeling of the UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science noted that having a robust phylogenetic tree finally provides a reliable foundation to understand how unique traits emerged.
Dispersal Routes
Once established in Europe, the earliest ancestors of modern bats did not stay put. The new evolutionary timeline shows that the earliest ancestors of modern bats dispersed from Europe into Africa, then expanded onwards to Asia, the Americas and Australia.
From their European starting point, early bats dispersed into Africa, establishing a Europe-Africa hub. From there, descendants expanded into Asia, the Americas, and Australia.
Even though the cradle of bat evolution is now pinned to Europe, the fossil record demonstrates just how quickly these mammals conquered the planet. Professor Suzanne Hand, a palaeontologist at UNSW’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, pointed out that one of the world’s oldest known bat fossils—Australonycteris, discovered in Murgon, South East Queensland—is 55 million years old, placing it only slightly behind the European specimens.
“Even though we now know bats originated in Europe, one of the world’s oldest bat fossil – Australonycteris, which was found in Murgon, South East Queensland – is 55 million years old, so only slightly younger than those in Europe.”
Professor Suzanne Hand, palaeontologist with UNSW’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
When Flight and Echolocation Evolved Together
Beyond locating the birthplace of bats, the combined dataset resolved a long-running debate regarding which defining trait came first: powered flight or laryngeal echolocation.
According to the findings, powered flight and echolocation were established near the dawn of bat evolution, providing an evolutionary engine that drove their subsequent success over the next 65 million years.
This evolutionary success is visible in the staggering diversity of living species. The Bat1K dataset incorporates samples collected over decades from remote habitats.
Unlocking Disease Resistance and Human Health Implications
The implications of the Bat1K genomic resource extend far beyond evolutionary history. Because bats serve as natural reservoirs for severe zoonotic pathogens like Ebola, Marburg, and Nipah without falling ill themselves, researchers have long sought to understand their unique physiology.
Sarah Olson, Director of Health Research at the Wildlife Conservation Society, noted that fieldwork and genomic sequencing have converged to give scientists a biological codebook.
“We showed for the first time that these adaptations associated with viral tolerance and disease resistance probably evolved at the same time that all bats evolved.”
Ariadna Morales, evolutionary biologist
In addition to viral resistance, bats exhibit exceptional longevity and show few signs of aging or cancer relative to their small body size. Researchers emphasize that the newly established genomic framework allows scientists to investigate the genes driving those traits.
