Liliecii ar fi apărut în Europa în urmă cu circa 65 de milioane de ani

A recent study suggests that bats likely originated in Europe during the late Paleocene, around 65-60 million years ago. An international team of 137 researchers analyzed genomic data from all bat families and fossil evidence to reconstruct their evolutionary history. The findings indicate that bats spread from Europe to Africa and later diversified into distinct groups in America, Asia, and Australia. The research also sheds light on the origins of powered flight and echolocation in bats, suggesting these traits emerged early in their evolution. The study provides a solid phylogenetic tree for understanding bat evolution and their unique adaptations.