The Truth of Bat Evolution

Bats are one of the most extraordinary groups of mammals alive today. These fantastic flying animals are the second most diverse order of living mammals, beaten only by rodents. Despite their astonishing modern diversity, the origin of bats is still poorly understood. The early evolution of this spectacular group of animals is one of the most intriguing mysteries in palaeontology, and the study of bat evolution and their relationships has resulted in some pretty intense debate among scientists. ▶ Subscribe to 7 Days of Science:    / @7daysofscience   ▶ Become a Channel Member or support us on Patreon for behind-the-scenes, bloopers, extra adventures and more! Become a Member:    / @bengthomas   ▶ Join our Patreon:   / 7daysofscience   ▶ Join our Discord server:   / discord   ▶ Follow us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/1PIEagv ▶ Follow us on TikTok:   / bengthomas   Music by Geographer Subscribe to explore the wonderful life around you! Social Media: ►Instagram: http://bit.ly/1PIEagv ►TikTok:   / bengthomas   ►Twitter:   / bengthomas42   ►Subreddit:   / bengthomas   Sources: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/art... https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates... https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s... https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s... https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=... https://www.nature.com/articles/natur... https://www.nature.com/articles/natur... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://www.cell.com/current-biology/... https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/a... https://link.springer.com/article/10.... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://www.senckenberg.de/wp-content... https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s... https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.09... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzool... https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073... https://www.nature.com/articles/srep2... https://link.springer.com/article/10.... https://royalsocietypublishing.org/do... https://www.cell.com/current-biology/... https://www.nature.com/articles/d4158... https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1... 0:00 - Intro 1:34 - The Mystery of Bat Origins 8:41 - The Bats of the Messel Pit 11:13 - How Bats are Classified 16:12 - The Most Up-to-Date Study of Early Bat Evolution 20:32 - A Summary of Bat Evolution 22:32 - Future Bat Evolution? 23:01 - Outro