Reverses long-held assumption that origin was in Asia, Africa or North America
WCS Scientists contributed to landmark study
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A landmark study, the largest combined bat genome and fossil study ever undertaken, finds that bats most likely originated in Europe around 65 million years ago, before spreading across the world. The work also reveals that echolocation, like flight, evolved near the dawn of bat evolution, and lays the groundwork for research into the genetic basis of bats' exceptional longevity and disease resistance, with potential relevance to human health.
BRONX, NY (September 23, 2026)—Published today in Nature, an international team of 137 researchers from 64 countries, working together as part of the Bat1K consortium, combined genomic and fossil evidence to show that bats, and thus mammalian flight, most likely originated in Europe around 65 million years ago.
The approach used by the team to model the evolution of fossil and living species together does what other methods have not and cannot: identify the oldest group of fossil bats while taking the genomic data into account to discover when and where bats originated.
These results overturned previous hypotheses proposing Asian, African or North American origins. Their earliest descendants are now believed to have dispersed from Europe into Africa, establishing a Europe-Africa hub from which bats then expanded into Asia, the Americas, and Australia.
The team assembled the largest collection of high-quality bat genomes to date, covering 103 species and representing every one of the currently recognised 21 bat families. They combined them with 44 fossil bats from across the globe to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the world's only flying mammals.
Bats are among the most extraordinary mammals on Earth. They are the only mammals capable of true powered flight. Most bats orient and hunt in complete darkness using sound alone. With more than 1,500 species distributed across the globe, bats account for one fifth of all living mammals and play vital roles in maintaining healthy ecosystems by pollinating plants, dispersing seeds, and consuming vast numbers of insect pests.
Furthermore, many bat species show remarkable resistance to disease and live exceptionally long lives for their size. The genomic resource built for this study gives scientists the first robust evolutionary framework to investigate the genes behind these traits. This work could eventually inform human research into ageing, immunity and disease resistance.
Answering Fundamental Questions
Despite their extraordinary biology and ecological importance, scientists have struggled for decades to answer some of the most fundamental questions about bat evolution:
This study provides answers to many of these long-standing questions. The team analysed these genomes and fossils using novel methods and revised the bat evolutionary tree, resolving several long-running debates about how the major bat groups are related.
Wildlife Conservation Society Co-Authors/Experts
WCS scientists Sarah Olson and Alain Ondzie provided the biological samples needed to produce the genome for the hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus). The many genomes sequenced in the study are the keys to better understanding what makes bats so unique when it comes to disease resistance, opening the door to more science and, hopefully, more answers.
Said Dr. Sarah Olson, WCS Director of Health Research, “We're proud that WCS's fieldwork helped bring the hammer-headed fruit bat into this global investigation of bat evolution. Findings like these, on bat origins, flight, and disease resistance, only happen when field conservationists and scientists work side by side.”
Added Dr. Alain Ondzie, WCS Congo Field Veterinarian, “This is a proud moment for our Congo team. The samples we collected on the ground are now part of one of the largest bat genome studies ever done, alongside contributions from dozens of countries.”
Bat Diversity: from Bumblebee Bats to Sucker-Footed Bats
This work represents the largest combined bat genome and fossil study ever undertaken. Building this dataset required samples collected over decades from bats across the world, including representatives of some of the rarest and most unusual bat families, found in the most remote locations.
Among them are the tiny bumblebee bats of Thailand and Myanmar, widely considered the Earth’s smallest mammal, the remarkable sucker-footed bats of Madagascar, which have suction cups on their wrists and ankles that they use to cling to smooth leaves, and one of New Zealand’s only native mammals, the lesser short-tailed bat, which “walks” along the forest floor using its folded wings as forelegs.
Flight and Echolocation Evolved Early in Bats
The fossil evidence also provides important clues about another long-standing mystery: when bats first evolved echolocation.
The placement of the fossil bat Vielasia within the oldest branch of the bat family tree indicates that echolocation predates the diversification of modern bats. The finding suggests that two of the defining characteristics of bat biology, echolocation and powered flight, were established near the origin of the group itself, helping explain the extraordinary evolutionary success of bats over the subsequent 65 million years.
The team also reconstructed the genome of the bat ancestor, showing what the first genome of a mammal capable of flight would have looked like.
This now gives scientists a genomic map for how one lineage of mammals evolved powered flight, advanced biosonar, exceptional longevity, and unusual disease resistance—a foundation to trace the genetic basis of these traits with relevance well beyond bats.
KEY FACTS
New foundation for research into bat disease resistance and long lifespans, with potential relevance to human ageing and disease research
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