When Bats Took Flight

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Bats pretty much appear in the fossil record as recognizable, full-on, flying bats. And they show up on all of the continents, except Antarctica, around the same time. So where did bats come from? And which of the many weird features that bats have, showed up first?
Thanks to Ceri Thomas for the early bat illustrations! Check out more of Ceri's paleoart at / alphynix
Produced in collaboration with PBS Digital Studios: / pbsdigitalstudios
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References: docs.google.com/document/d/1V...

[@BonnibelLecter]

The bat-whale connection is, frankly, one of the best things this channel has informed me of.

[@prigemini]

The bat-whale connection. Greatest band name ever.

[@welcometothestream8860]

Spoilers.

[@sjkdsfsdf52]

don't whales use eco location aswell?

[@skyem5250]

@@sjkdsfsdf52 Some bats and some whales use echolocation, but this is a convergent trait. The common ancestor of whales did not echolocate, and neither did the common ancestor of bats. The common ancestor of bats and whales did not echolocate.

[@zach6395]

I wanna see the Vampire Free Willy movie

[@GuyverOmega]

I would love a video explaining how the platypus evolved to be how it is

[@jenson1569]

Jacob Shirey yes^

[@jamespearsoniii914]

I think many scientist would like to know this too! Everything I’ve heard, says the fossil record of monotremes is really poor😢 I only know of a few, less then 5, members of this group with even partial fossil remains. If anyone has better/more up to date info on them, I would love to be pointed towards it😁

[@johnnyfavorite1194]

Jacob Shirey What I want to know is whether the bill is a matter of convergent evolution or did these creatures evolve from duck-like birds?

[@GuyverOmega]

J̅o̅h̅n̅n̅y̅ F̅a̅v̅o̅r̅i̅t̅e̅ I want to know that and why they both lay eggs and nurse their young

[@Burt1038]

See, Timmy, when a duck loves a beaver...

[@kraakenhex8459]

I really like when you guys talk about stuff that we aren't totally sure about. It, first of all, shows that when we are unsure of something, we admit it. But secondly, talking about WHY we aren't sure really brings to light the degree of rigor that is used to figure all of this out.

[@arcanetrueblood9790]

I was telling my father about how bats mysteriously appeared on all the continents at once and he said the devil put them there to test our faith 🤦‍♂️

[@fart63]

Why is this so funny 💀💀

[@mathieuxlaflamme2322]

@@fart63 thats pretty sad you mean. Thats clear case of people having been brainwashed by religion.

[@fart63]

@@mathieuxlaflamme2322 nah I laughed

[@francesvonstackelberg9038]

that's ... a joke ... right? please?

[@7_y1ar]

@@francesvonstackelberg9038 yeah by my experience, its not

[@WickedWildlife]

Could you do an episode on ancient monotremes? Giant platypuses and echidnas!

[@carissstewart3211]

And what other monotremes were there? Platypuses and echidnas are both sooo incredibly weird in their own ways.

[@sherbet3018]

+

[@WickedWildlife]

Cariss Stewart I don’t know! But with the two being so different there has to be a common ancestor and thus probobly many strange species for PBS eons to cover!

[@saraviena2829]

(I vaguely remember that maybe) there are not many fossils about their ancestors and they cant say much about them

[@Alex-kp5pq]

There were no giant monotremes. There were, however, monotremes in Asia. My own sources don't talk much about them, sadly- so I, too, would be inordinately pleased if PBS Eons made an episode on them. Edit: My mistake. The Asian one is a Shuothere (it lacked a beak).

[@lewisthurston9785]

Well now I’m thinking about flying bears, no sleep for me tonight

[@vonfunk9523]

you should read bearmageddon.

[@jcortese3300]

How about flying whales? Sorry, you'll probably be up all week now ...

[@mayday6916]

Now flying hedgehogs, that would be something!

[@evilqueen6402]

i think the oatmeal had a comic years ago about a pteradactyl bear

[@voxbox697]

Its the Sea Bears you need to watch out for.

[@LunamFlore]

One of my favorite bat-related books was Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel. It follows the story of the first bat, and his struggles with being different from his more glider-based kin.

[@herpderp3916]

Yessss I remember that book! As well as his Silverwing trilogy.

[@firelight09]

I was about to post a comment about Darkwing! The Silverwing trilogy is one of my favourites.

[@Nikita35485]

4:57 - I am glad that you put a disclaimer before the illustration of different hypothesises ("This is simplified example. In reality all would have taken place over millions of years") because it is important for real understanding of evolution.

[@CybranM]

Couldn't bats have been active on the day at first and evolved echolocation to avoid competition with birds?

[@proudpapaprick]

Don't quote me as I'm not a biologist and am just an amateur evolution fan, but it seems like the most likely answer is that both evolved multiple times across multiple lineages. Convergent evolution and whatnot.

[@bigdickpornsuperstar]

Um... there were no "birds" yet. They would have been competing against the surviving avian dinosaurs that survived the KT extinction event.

[@proudpapaprick]

@@bigdickpornsuperstar Weren't there early birds back then? I could've sworn there were. Nothing like today's diversity, though. Also, the whole KT event kinda poses a serious challenge for them to evolve around all by itself.

[@Xeroxthebeautiful]

@@bigdickpornsuperstar Modern looking birds have been around since the Cretaceous and most birds that survived the KT event were like them. Several species of birds evolved to become larger predators especially relatively early on but they evolved from smaller flying species and it's not like those kinds of smaller flying birds ceased to exist at the time.

[@jamespearsoniii914]

Most mammals were nocturnal, at that time. One of the indicators, for time spent being active in day light, would be current bats eye structure. The type of cones they have in their eyes( these would have or lack color detection based on the timing of activity). Or looking into the genetics of bats, for the signs of color vision being only turned off or absent all together

[@technopoptart]

when the video started i joked to myself that it would be hippos or it would be bears and now that the video is over i think i need to go sit in the corner and think about things

[@namelessjavelin5444]

I'm kind of disappointed that she didn't go through what features they share like she did with the primates and shrews

[@limiv5272]

@@namelessjavelin5444 She said they were genetic features, which are very VERY long sequences of A T G and C. I assure you, it wouldn't be very interesting

[@Drakijy]

do you mind if we do an experiment to determine if you have powers of prognostication? If you don't mind, I will take your continued reading of this as consent to proceed with the test. In this test, we will have a control question and an experimental question. Although not conclusive due to being limited to just two questions, it may be enough to warrant further testing. The two questions will be random in order to not bias you in your answers. Question 1) Have you known the outcome of other videos, and/or films, before the climax was revealed? Question 2) What are the next winning Powerball numbers? Please answer truthfully, and to the best of your abilities, as this is after all, in the interest of science.

[@user-wd6bu9ky3o]

@@Drakijy 😂😂💀💀

[@hannahfoster6329]

My two year loves the animations, and I love that she’s learning things that most schools don’t teach in detail. So happy for this channel♥️

[@michaelskywalker3089]

I think Bats were genetically engineered by the hyper intelligent dinosaurs to perpetually confuse the mammal derived paleontologists of the future.

[@perfolkesson7333]

It's the most logical theory really

[@richardholmes2268]

* FART SOUND *

[@michaelskywalker3089]

It is , most logical.

[@Wonka2208]

Michael Southcott mate it’s a common theory don’t act like it’s yours

[@Ysckemia]

the longest prank of all geological times ^^

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

Of my 77 subscriptions, Eons is undeniably the most interesting.

[@Burn_Angel]

Lol subscribe to Sam O' Nella. You're welcome.

[@Ezullof]

Watched a few videos, most of its content is well known facts or top10s, like countless other channels...

[@Burn_Angel]

@@Ezullof ???

[@ericsuarez834]

Depends of what you are into, I have like 7 bells and they are from Eons to and Scotty Kilmer

[@kwaap2070]

Napishtim I don’t see a single top 10 vid anywhere?

[@BusterBuizel]

Ah yes the Fingerbois. Which all fed on a diet of fruit, nuts, insects, and the occasional child. This comment was brought to you by Sam o Nella

[@chelicerate1376]

Ayyyyyy

[@jesseruderman5121]

In particular, his video "Top 10 Worst Animal Skeletons", at 4m40s kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIeQqIOuaMuFjac

[@Starpentine]

BusterBuizel omg A SAM O NELLA FAN! I found you!!! XDDDDD

[@w_ldan]

Ahh yess, the salmonela guy

[@ediable8309]

The word bat in swedish translates to "fluttering mouse"

[@ContinentTurtle]

Ah convergent language evolution The Dutch word is vliegmuis, literally flying mouse

[@fart63]

I think that’s beautiful

[@autumnox2174]

Add Fledermaus to the pile

[@casper6405]

@@ContinentTurtle vleermuis

[@thangri-la]

Why are all these Europeans thinking bats are mice? Hehe. Copycats!!! Haha. Which one is the original? Hihi.

[@johnlexter16tabag82]

When i was a kid i thought The bat was an adult version rat 🤣🦇🐀

[@Abyssaracnis]

metobatmorphis

[@shosha101390]

If animals were really Pokémon

[@fart63]

I imagine rats seeing bats and thinking “look mommy! It’s an angel!”

[@innerslothamonggus9070]

When I was young I thought lizards are babies. Then slamander to crocodile as the adult.

[@sMASHsound]

@@innerslothamonggus9070 i wish i had that imagination. i watched documentaries since very very young, so already knew a lot about alot

[@chicorish_]

Yes, yes, yes I've been begging for this one

[@brindlewalsh6202]

Sorry, this is really disappointing

[@cadenrolland5250]

Same. I asked for this about 2 years ago. Cool to know they are closer to whales than us and that flight came first.

[@mdkooter]

Against what I initially thought, it seems that there are shrews, tenrecs and even hedgehogs who use echolocation. They all are insectivores and especially the shrews resemble bat-ancestors quite a bit. It's hence not inconceivable that echolocation existed prior to flight as we have proof that ground dwelling insectivores have just that. Now, for the one bat that doesn't have echolocation features in it's fossil remains...it is of course possible that the bat rather than being nocturnal was diurnal and hence lost it's echolocation capabilities over time in exchange for, for example, better eyesight. The fact that it's extinct might hint at this not being a very broad survival option. My $0.02

[@jonshaw840]

Na. Then again I take a lot of speculations with a grain of it

[@Alex-kp5pq]

Insectivora is a wastebasket taxon. Besides, most mammals trace their lineages back to shrewlike animals.

[@frozenglaicericet-pose6104]

So do fruitbats use echo location?

[@FYCH45]

@@frozenglaicericet-pose6104 At least three kinds have been reported as doing so. Their echolocation seems to be because they roost in dark caves. It isn't as well developed as that of insectivorous bats.

[@lonjohnson5161]

@@jonshaw840 I see what you did there. Have a Cl for your trouble.

[@sharksuperiority9736]

What about a video about the evolution of Sea flap flaps? (Rays) I know that they are even harder to find then sharks because of their lower quantity of teeth, and the rest is cartilage which doesn’t fossilize. But it would be interesting to learn how they got their wings

[@PjKneisel]

“Sea flap flaps” haha I love it

[@thorish933]

Hypothesis #4 The ancestors of bats were large brush and tree dwellers. They hunted insects climbing and hoping after them. This eventually lead to the larger web hands and powered flight like in other theories. They were Crepuscular hunters, but eventually moved to nocturnal life style due to competition from birds and other animals. They had a secret weapon to help them hunt those insects as well as make the move from Crepuscular to nocturnal. Bat ancestors had a very unique and sneaky way to hunt. They used their high pitched sounds to mimic the sounds of the insects they hunted. Luring the insects closer to them as they were hunting made their success rate very high. Eventually this squeaking during hunting started to return "pings" of the insects. This enabled the predecessors to bats to have larger ranges in their attack strikes which helped in the eventual evolution to powered flight. As time went on the evolution of flight and echolocation was fine tuned into the tools the modern bats we know today use. To answer the question... A form of primitive echolocation evolved first, this then was the catalyst for large webbed hands and gliding. Then in tandem, powered flight and true echolocation evolved together benefiting from each other's perks they granted.

[@niludanilu]

This is an interesting hypothesis

[@Cronicola]

Interesting for sure but other nocturnal insectivores do not have these webs, they do have elongated fingers but no interdigital web...

[@nickmalachai2227]

Are we sure that bats were nocturnal before they evolved flight? I mean, I assume y'all have evidence to that effect, but it seems to me like it could evolve flight and then expand into a nocturnal niche by competing with other flying insectivores. But hey, I haven't put in the research y'all have, so the paleontological community probably already thought of that and discarded it for a reason I don't know.

[@dplocksmith91]

Most mammals were nocturnal from the time they evolved in the Triassic up to the Eocene. It was the only way they could avoid the dinosaurs and terror birds who often preyed upon them.

[@Alusnovalotus]

Nick Malachai well tarnation y’all. No we ain’t. That’s why it’s still a head scratcher.

[@nickmalachai2227]

@@Alusnovalotus I don't appreciate attempts at comedy based on my accent. I'm sorry your vernacular doesn't include a plural form of you.

[@Alusnovalotus]

Nick Malachai or that complete grammar is a thing for you. I’m sorry if writing it is such an extraordinary task.

[@nathanlevesque7812]

@@Alusnovalotus douche

[@joed3325]

BATS! They responded to our requests for BATS!

[@kman215]

Prehistoric animals are incredible to think about. Imagine if some of these were still around

[@TiltedHandle]

Some are didnt need to evolve much

[@Falckie8008]

Ever since I read darkwing from the silverwing series I've always been interested in how bats evolved

[@itsmxtwist]

It’s great to see another person who likes the series

[@zedmercury2605]

0:55 Anyone wanna make an drinking game out of this? Every time you hear a person in a video say "found in every continent except Antarctica," take a shot

[@evanmanor7444]

Wait till the Icecaps melt I'm sure they will find all sorts of crazy stuff under there! lol

[@steveharrison3007]

There is a hell of a lot of Antarctica to archeolog. Apparently all we have to do is get past the ice warriors and over the wall.

[@Ezullof]

The Vega Islands are in Norway near the Arctic. It's the opposite side of the planet... Arctic != Antarctic.

[@ascaron137]

Vega Island and Vega Archipielago being two different things, one in the arctic and one in antartica is so dumb lmao

[@ascaron137]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vega_(island_in_Norway)

[@thunderflare59]

Now explain why bats are predisposed to fly through Wayne Manor.

[@proudpapaprick]

Because it's built on top of their hideaway, full of places for them to sneak into and roost, and is probably surrounded by both tons of bugs and fruit trees, because he's rich. That's without even factoring in him attracting them on purpose to test sonar gadgets.

[@phoule76]

why would Bruce Wayne have sonar gadgets?

[@proudpapaprick]

@@phoule76 Batman Begins, he used sonar fuckery to escape the cops via bat swarm. Also the Dark Knight, sonar imaging of the city. Also also, night vision a la echolocation. And finally, because it's cool lol

[@AdamYJ]

Well, it has to do with the fact that the Waynes are a superstitious, cowardly lot.

[@Ezullof]

BECAUSE I'M BATMAN

[@jacaliber]

Neato. Speaking of Wyoming, could you do a video on the fossil rays there? Were they fresh water rays? What was the environment like. Was the topography flatter. How far away were they from the sea in the Eocene?

[@MCDexX]

Great video, but I would have liked a bit more info about the divergence of microbats and megabats (a.k.a. insectivorous bats and fruit bats). That fact that the latter don't echolocate seems like it should be significant, as is the fact that even though microbats do echolocate, they also have excellent vision (despite the "blind as a bat" idiom). This may suggest a flight-first evolutionary model, with microbats developing echolocation as they adapted to a nocturnal lifestyle. The completely different diets are weird as hell, too. It makes sense that they diverged a very long time ago, when the Chicxulub dust had barely settled. Despite the superficial similarities, microbats and megabats are remarkably different. It wouldn't even surprise me if we were to learn in future that they aren't closely related at all but are just examples of convergent evolution (though I admit it's unlikely).

[@mattj4005]

The convergent idea (the so-called "Flying Primate" hypothesis advocated by Pettigrew) was referenced in the video. Genetic data places the megabats well within the microbats, however. They are most closely related to the mouse-tailed bats, horseshoe bats, Old-world leaf nosed bats, and a few others. All of those can echolocate, which suggests either the megabats lost the ability to echolocate at some point, or the two different groups of "microbats" independently developed echolocation. Considering all but the most primitive fossil bats appear to have been able to echolocate, the former seems more likely.

[@frozenflava]

I don't think it's as unlikely as you imagine it to be. There are too little species of flying mammals around from what I see.

[@shosha101390]

I’m not sure we actually know how the bats diverged

[@shivamwasp]

Her voice is clear and relaxing It's like an intellectual ASMR😌😌

[@mal2ksc]

I agree that she has a great delivery. The enthusiasm level is engaging but not tiring, she doesn't use "vocal fry" like some of the SciShow folks do, and it's clear she knows the subject rather than relying entirely on a prepared script.

[@x.p.3574]

“...It’s like intellectual ASMR😌😌” You are the lowest of the low, sound freak.

[@pillowprincess3673]

@@x.p.3574 Technically ASMR is a superpower, you cultureless swine

[@rizkyadiyanto7922]

@@pillowprincess3673 no.

[@thatkidwiththehoodie]

@@x.p.3574 chill yo

[@isaiaha4647]

I've been asking for this video for a long time! Thankyou

[@JR-gp2zk]

I have seen your request for a while. Congrats and thanks for asking.

[@celluloidprojectile]

I love the subtle ambient soundtrack of this episode. Great as always, guys.

[@JHenrySmith2]

Love that Eons is getting into the Halloween spirit already, also love that terrifying mouse with wings animation hahahah

[@lemuelbocayong8944]

Evolution of trees please.

[@lurking_silhouette5802]

That would be a long, long, long, episode. It's like asking for an episode of animal evolution.

[@ContinentTurtle]

@@lurking_silhouette5802 that would be like asking about plant evolution, not trees. Sharks are older than trees

[@sebastianleung2897]

That would be a 50 part series lol. Takes more than 20 episodes to talk about...

[@Percy1800sDetective]

And GRASS!

[@thespacebaryonyx6007]

So so Planet good temperature Plant grow Plant big Plant tree Tree evolve,ez speedrun any%

[@Cahos_Rahne_Veloza]

What group Bats belong to? Why the Justice League of course 😂

[@raymondjones7423]

Lol A man of culture I see 😂

[@numberpirate]

Justice League=gheyness

[@andrewball1898]

Unless they are from Louisville, slugger!

[@andrewball1898]

@@numberpirate be nice

[@Cahos_Rahne_Veloza]

@@andrewball1898 Don't mind the butthurt Marvel fanboi 😂

[@mzeemrefu]

I love her narration. No nonsense. Pleasant to listen to.

[@tyto6705]

I just want to say that the fossil specimen at 3:48 is genuinely amazing... I cant get over how well preserved it is. 😮

[@Xnaut314]

Considering how close the molecular clock places the genetic origin of bats to the End-Cretaceous extinction event it could be possible that bat ancestors were experimenting with flight even before the Mesozoic ended, suggesting that there could've been a time when pterosaurs, birds, and mammals were flying at the same relative time! Mesozoic mammals are extremely underrated and need their time to shine! Mesozoic mammal episode pls!!!

[@thienn5827]

Thank you for making a video of my request on evolution of bats.

[@ammarif618]

What do you want from Bats? From I well know there's no restaurant that makes plate based on Bats' meat

[@Piarou]

Wow. Now I have watched all episodes up to this one, and this is the very first time a still-living animal was mentioned that I didn't know of. Colugo?? WTF. How have you escaped my attention, little flying fake-lemur? Thanks, PBS. I have learned so much, as usual. :D

[@RD9_Designs]

Yes! How about an episode about colugos'?

[@megan5867]

I was so excited to click on this! Bats are one of my favorite animals ❤️

[@levi12howell]

Why do the first bats have to be nocturnal when evolving flight? That seems like an unnecessary assumption

[@rac1equalsbestgame853]

Exactly. The ancestorvof the first bats may had been diurnal, and via bigger eyes and then taken over by echolocation they became nocturnal afterwards.

[@wadespencer3623]

I assume the idea is to avoid competition with birds, but yeah, that is a pretty big assumption.

[@DanStaal]

@@wadespencer3623 Especially if they evolved right around the fall of the dinosaurs - right at the same time modern birds were evolving.

[@mayday6916]

To avoid predators?

[@KarlBunker]

It seems to be that most -- perhaps even all -- mammals that either fly or glide are nocturnal. Bats of course, plus flying squirrels, sugar gliders, phalangeridae, and (apparently) all the many species within those groups. I wonder why?

[@veggieboyultimate]

I guess prehistoric bats is like pterosaurs, we know much about their descendants and their biology but don't know their origins or how they gained the power of flight.

[@Ezullof]

Yeah and it's true for flying insects as well. Such innovations are generally incredibly successful, but the evolution of such innovations doesn't seem to be very long, except for birds it seems.

[@KlavierMenn]

Thing is, many eutherian animals were small in the jurassic and cretassic. that makes fossils of the 'proto-bat' unlikely to be ever found... but we all know that all euterians of today evolved from a shrew-like animal.. so a gliding shrew?

[@lama99654]

Bats are actually very understudied

[@garethtudor836]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this. Bats are some of my favourite critters, and finding out a little something about their origins has made my day

[@Tareltonlives]

I'm a docent at the FMNH, so my favorite part of the Fossil Lake exhibit to show people is our prehistoric bat

[@Kuwagumo]

Amazing! Wish I could visit it someday :)

[@Alusnovalotus]

God, I can’t get tired of Eons vids. Or this great educators’ voice!!!!! It’s entrancing.

[@100bc4]

Hey guys love the vid! Would you consider doing a video on the evolution of jaws?

[@anidiotwithinternetconnect8011]

Jaws is a movie character and just a regular shark who likes humans which is realy weird they usually find us disgusting

[@jacobhoover1654]

Jaws was really good. Jaws 2 was bad. Jaws 3 was a joke.

[@batcat1736]

@@anidiotwithinternetconnect8011I think they meant jaws as in the body part

[@randomguy263]

@@batcat1736 | I think they understood that (at least I hope so).

[@peterprime2140]

@@anidiotwithinternetconnect8011 Now I want Eons to do a video on the evolution of a fictional animal for April Fool's.

[@R.G.962]

She's got a soothing voice!

[@Jak3thusn4ke]

As much as I love the idea of hypothesis A, I’m gonna have to go with C since I feel like the shrewlike ultrasound would easily be converted to an echolocation an early bat ancestor could use to navigate its darkened surroundings or even find prey, much like their apparent relatives, the whales. Meanwhile, they go through a brief evolutionary period where they resemble colugos, and boom 55mya we have onychonycterus

[@onytay75]

I love that the video titles inspire my curiosity. I see "when bats took flight" I think, alright sure why are there flying foxes that eat insects.

[@zalenahquaddy4354]

But flying foxes eat fruit lmao... Unless your talking about bats in general...

[@Skysthelimit212]

In a world full of Kardashians social media and politics, I'm glad this channel exists. I watch these videos all the time even when I'm bored

[@FloozieOne]

Oh my goodness, that baby colugo is just the most adorable thing ever and mama is all dressed up in her best colors. What a treat of a picture, I'm thinking of using it as my desktop background.

[@roboslug7582]

I think the timing of it is too convenient to be a coincidence. My theory is that there was a mole 65 million years ago, just walking around doing mole stuff, minding his own business. Then suddenly, a giant meteor impacted the ground nearby and threw him so high in the air that he went into space. Normally, that would kill a mole, but just as he exited the atmosphere, he was struck with a solar flare and bombarded with gamma rays and stuff, which imbued him with superpowers, including flight and echolocation. And with his newly acquired powers, he just flapped his way safely back down to the ground and began to plot a mammalian takeover of the planet. Based on many of the graphic novels I read, these kinds of events are surprisingly common, so I consider it by far the most plausible explanation for the origin of bats.

[@bless_M]

I enjoyed reading this

[@hollyodii5969]

The BAT EPISODE finally landed! And it was worth the wait! Thank you Eons!

[@novaoak7297]

Why does the ancestor have to be nocturnal? What if that came after echolocation and flight?

[@NothingParticularVid]

Well there was a nocturnal niche whereas in the day they would have to compete with birds

[@peterprime2140]

Why would they evolve echolocation if they weren't nocturnal?

[@Malenassaura]

Basal mammals were mostly nocturnal, that's why it's usually hypothesised this way.

[@jamespearsoniii914]

Gregory Fenn I’d like to see the arguments made, that the dirt/dust/volcanic cloud was still that significant, that long after the impact. Still much colder, still lacking full sun light... totally on board!

[@Ezullof]

1/ Given that bats appeared around 65MYA, they likely didn't have lany predators, and not much competition. 2/ The idea that the "first mammals" were mostly nosturnal is not really viable there. We're talking about 65MYA, not about the very first mammals - at that point mammals already started to diversify for quite a long time, and some of them were certainly diurnal. And anyway, the idea that they had to be nocturnal is a bit biased, since it's just an idea of how mammals could live in the world of dinosaurs.

[@kinoeclux6852]

I like how this showed up in my recommendation during the Corona Virus epidemic....

[@themarvellouschannel3032]

Pandemic*

[@broomemike1]

@@themarvellouschannel3032 Every pandemic is an epidemic. It's a subset!

[@aldridgemaeverick8096]

@@broomemike1 this aint math so shut your nerdy mouth

[@broomemike1]

@@aldridgemaeverick8096 *Said every politician making decisions or running for office right now.

[@jamielishbrook2384]

Lmao

[@JoeBardales]

Great episode! German: raus, maus, fledermaus - I always thought bats where flying rodents. This was fascinating and well-presented. We need more KZbin channels like this!

[@MerkhVision]

They sure look like flying rodents!

[@RD9_Designs]

Rat, mouse, flying mouse?

[@dsoma1071]

I'm currently doing a research essay on the evolution of sensory systems in bats, and the references you've cited are similar to mine so I'm probably on the right track.

[@jamespearsoniii914]

dsoma 10 please let us know what you find!🤞 Also, wondering if you have looked into the structure of bat’s eyes? Any evidence of them having/ or had color vision? Basically looking for evidence that could be a carryover from a diurnal phase. My understanding is that nocturnal creatures lack the cones, in the eyes, for color vision

[@YagamiKou]

@@jamespearsoniii914 bats tend to have dichromatic vision, some see UV particularly well and in some cases bats actually have better vision than humans just minus the 3rd cone it seems full nocturnal bats typically lose _UV vision_ but still keep mid range colour vision research suggests colour helps bats better detect predators, and uv helps detect real food for nectar eating bats as *pure* echolocation has overlap between food and random objects and predators with the right adaptations could sit in plane view and not be detected properly cave bats - general bats www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-10/mbae-jhb101618.php flower seeking bats phys.org/news/2009-07-vision-eye.amp

[@jamespearsoniii914]

八神こう thank you, that’s very interesting! I’m guessing this adaptation is more common in bats that are active closer to dusk/dawn? If it is fairly uniform across most species, then perhaps there is a better argument for bats or their ancestors not just being nocturnal!

[@YagamiKou]

@@jamespearsoniii914 UV vision is more for dusk/dawn but i updated my previous comment to be a lil more accurate and included a couple links if u feel like reading a bit more o7

[@jamespearsoniii914]

八神こう thanx, I’ll give them a look!

[@Jesse__H]

I adore these videos, and I value the ten or so minutes of downtime it takes to watch em. Kallie is my favorite host as well. Although all three are great, really.

[@cogitoergosum9069]

Fun fact: In French, we call them bald mice. I'm not going to even attempt to justify that but it is what it is: «Chauve-souris». I think in Spanish and Portuguese the name is derived from something meaning "blind mouse" (with sound changes seriously obscuring the origin).

[@scorpion3128]

Love that you did an episode on this! It's a topic that I've look into a few times before and always came away from it amazed. Bats are one of my absolute favorite creatures.

[@sent4dc]

6:06 guys, just wanna say that this is the funniest graphic I've ever seen. Your graphic designer probably has never seen a bat before. So their version of a "rat-dragon" is awesome!

[@steveharrison3007]

Dude , check out Paulogia on KZbin, his graphics are cool too. And Scotty Kilmer..... . The top right corner has me in stitches.

[@jessiemayfield6749]

Yeah it’s pretty bad especially since the drawing of the 2 bats were so good by contrast

[@Yurt_enthusiast7]

First Monstrum with a video about Vampires and then Eons with one about bats on the same day? I'm echolocating a soft collab!

[@DerpfishsaysNO]

:D I woke up to seeing this in my feed. I'm sure you had a lot of requests for this one but I certainly remember asking for it a while back on the sloth video. It was excellent, thanks a bunch!

[@bonzaisubber8535]

I had to guess it was in the same clade as dogs. my dog’s face looks exactly like a fruitbats 😂

[@kylep007]

PBS eons should do a video on the Wallace Line.

[@anth1768]

and the man him self

[@marsan7917]

Fantastic episode, I love the way you are walking us through the origination theories, gives us a framework for thinking about this . Scientific mystery is always exciting 👍

[@marssilver]

Ahh I can think of some many animals of the past to ask for you guys to do an episode on but right now giant beavers are coming to my mind at the moment and would be so cool to learn a thing or two about them on here! Love this show!

[@justacrow9847]

Bat and Pangolin are related. 2019: Cool science. 2020: That gave us social distancing.

[@valasafantastic1055]

Funny I always thought bats evolved from Rodents or Moles/shrews, myself. Great stuff that genetic data is so useful for scientific understanding! I think if they evolved around 65 mya it may be that there were a lot of insects after the extinction and fewer predators and other food sources so they rapidly evolved due to a plethora of food. I also think flight first works if their ancestors were Diurnal. Why is everyone assuming the ancestors of bats were noctornal?

[@chelsey8737]

Ahhhh I want to watch this so bad but I have to finish nutrition notes first 😭😭 . I'll be back as soon as I finish. This'll be my reward

[@JamesTheFoxeArt]

Chelsey Abbott a true nerd is here, congratulations you are amazing

[@chelsey8737]

@@JamesTheFoxeArt lol thanks 😂😂 it's true I am a huge nerd

[@imnotcreativeenough7208]

I love bats so much. Thank you for making this.

[@Boom12]

Thank you for doing bats finally! Its been a subject I've wanted on Eons for a long while. Monotremes would be a good one to tackle next!

[@Blue_Fire-Chibi]

I would like to see a video on the evolution of mammals throughout the Mesozoic era

[@logandyck5356]

Could you make episode about life’s journey through time so the Permian triassic ordovicion all of them and say most of what lived and I know it will half to split in parts but could you still do that

[@TheNomadic69]

I'm amazed that zubat is more closely related to a lapras or sandshrew than to kangaskhan or machop

[@RD9_Designs]

I think they evolved flight first. It makes sense that leaping after insects became gliding and eventually flight. But you don't need special apparatus to start echolocation, as many blind people can tell you, so I think that evolved into the special echo reception ability that modern bats have.

The most amazing KZbin channel on earth! Thank you for your great efforts 🙏🏼❤️

[@akumaking1]

Evolution of cats when?

[@pierreabbat6157]

After bats and before dats.

[@coopergelb9914]

Eons did a video of it.

[@jamespearsoniii914]

If I remember correctly, cats and dogs have a note worthy common ancestor. Short legged, tree climbing, meat eating... I think the closest living relative is a type of raccoon or at least it’s referred to as a raccoon

[@TheTilitus]

Your channel has been great during the last few weeks.

[@noahdawkins9917]

Thanks PBS Eons. I have been waiting for this!

[@Raakhushili]

EYYY, I SUGGESTED THIS EPISODE. Eons, best channel in this dark site. NOW, I WANT BUTTERFLY EVOLUTION

[@saraviena2829]

And do not make me wait 👏👏

[@jamespearsoniii914]

There’s an interesting “ it’s okay to be smart” video, on the stages they go through and their genetics!

[@chadliampearcy]

I want Moth evolution.

[@lizardkingwalking]

Everyone knows the first bat evolved out of the crime and vice of Gotham City.

[@mattperkinson9604]

A video about placental, monotreme, and marsupial mammals would be cool. How/why they might have diverged and why placental mammals seem to have taken over while marsupials are more rare and monotremes are nearly all gone. Also maybe in the same/a different video talking about the ancient fauna of Australia?

[@chubusummer]

Good god the clips and pictures of bats are just too cute

[@natanshick]

Can you do a video on Medusa? It's so weird and alien but fascinating

[@80sthrashmetal]

What if the first bat was a fruit eating bat and later evolved to eat insects?

[@MCDexX]

it makes sense to me that in the post-KT wreckage, small mammals would have been opportunistic omnivores. Rather than completely changing diet, it's plausible that omnivorous protobats diverged into two different specialty feeders: a nocturnal insectivore and a diurnal frugivore. Makes sense to me, anyway, but I'm nothing like an expert.

[@FoulPet]

Wonder how many died jumping off cliffs till one of them finally got it right

[@grantcirks362]

This video was so interesting! This topic was something I didnt know I wanted to learn about so I'm thankful for you guys!

[@SlyPearTree]

I had never heard of colugo before, I think I'm going to suggest it on Animalogic.

[@edgarmatias]

Whales are mammals in an ocean dominated by fish. Bats are mammals in the air dominated by birds.

[@AshtonScripts]

ye, cool rite

[@GriffonWizard2099]

This video hits different during a pandemic

[@ganaraminukshuk0]

Bat evolution is just as bewildering as digging up a "fingerboy" bat skeleton without ever knowing what a bat is.

[@zooemperor3954]

Oh yeah. One of my favorite mammals gets its video. Finally! Now do a video on Hyaenodon please or if you want to do the echolocation theme, the raptorial cetaceans

[@MaureenLycaon]

I second that. Hyaenodontids are awesome.

[@TheQueenofNeckbeards]

0:10 Bat? All I see is fingerboy.

[@whiplash8277]

In my mind flight has to be first, especially after Kallie so well explained the options. Thanks Kallie!

[@PalmettoNDN]

Wow. Now, I've seen some incredibly fascinating videos on this channel, but this one absolutely takes the cake!

[@nickdknez]

How about a video on convergent evolution as a whole?

[@pisse3000]

Yes please, I'd love this too

[@randomguy263]

I think they did talk about it in a video, not sure, though.

[@rafilosofo]

This would be a great video

[@nickdknez]

@@randomguy263 I know they mention it occasionally but I'd love a full in depth video on it or maybe even Evolution all together including both convergence and divergence

[@rblinson8136]

@@nickdknez I think that would require a miniseries of hour-long episodes.

[@rajeevkumre7469]

When you are lockdown.... Coz of corona and searching from bats....

[@rajeevkumre7469]

@Matreintsherde when you are in lockdown becausec of corona and searching about bats...

[@sakakkskskskakkska4313]

Bats don't cause coronavirus

[@orangelion03]

"...and how do they fit in the mammal family tree?" Shows bat family in tree. Love you guys =)

[@kezkezooie8595]

Thanks once again for an informative, well presented and incredibly interesting video that whets my appetite for looking into a subject more deeply.