52 million-year-old bat skeleton is the oldest ever found and belongs to a never-before-seen species

The bat skeleton unearthed in the Green River Formation, in Wyoming, is the oldest on record and belongs to the newfound bat species Icaronycteris gunnelli.  (Image credit: Rietbergen et al., 2023, PLOS ONE; (CC0 1.0))

Two stunningly preserved, 52 million-year-old bat skeletons unearthed in Wyoming are the oldest ever found and belong to a never-before-seen species, researchers have revealed.

The rare fossils were discovered in the Green River Formation in the southwest of the state.