Fossils reveal new species of extinct NZ bat

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-03-18 22:01

Australia; New Zealand

Colin O'Donnell, Department of Conservation, Wikimedia Commons

Researchers studying 16 to 19 million-year-old fossil fragments in Central Otago have identified a previously unknown extinct bat, related to the native short-tailed bat. The new species was smaller than its living relatives, likely weighing 8-10 grams, and the researchers named it nymphe after the Greek word for a forest spirit. The team also found fossils confirming previous evidence of two larger related bat species, showing that Aotearoa's bats once had a much broader range in body mass. They say the loss in bat diversity since then mirrors losses in bird and other land animal species, linked to cooling of the climate millions of years ago.

Multimedia

Excavations that found fossil bats.

Artist’s impression of a related bat.

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Research Taylor and Francis Group, Web page URL will go live after embargo ends.

Journal/
conference: Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of New South Wales, University of Canterbury, The University of Queensland, Canterbury Museum, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Flinders University

Funder: This fossil research was supported by grants from the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology [TWOX0201], Australian Research Council [DP0770660, DP120100486, DE120100957, DP130100197, DP180100792], Canterbury Museum and Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand, R.S. Allan Memorial Fund of Canterbury Museum, and the Marsden Fund Council from Government funding managed by the Royal Society Te Apārangi [no. 16-CTM-01].

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