Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Evolutionary biology

A first for bats

Nature volume 451, pages 774–775 (2008)Cite this article

Which came first as bats evolved — flight or echolocation? Newly described fossils favour the flight-first hypothesis. But these creatures may have been otherwise equipped for flying at night.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: In flight today.

M. DURHAM/MINDEN PICTURES/FLPA

References

  1. Simmons, N. B., Seymour, K. L., Habersetzer, J. & Gunnell, G. F. Nature 451, 818–821 (2008).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Griffin, D. R. Listening in the Dark: The Acoustic Orientation of Bats and Men (Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, CT, 1958).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Teeling, E. C. et al. Nature 403, 188–192 (2000).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Jones, G. & Teeling, E. C. Trends Ecol. Evol. 21, 149–156 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Speakman, J. R., Anderson, M. E. & Racey, P. A. J. Comp. Physiol. A 165, 679–685 (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Speakman, J. R. & Racey, P. A. Nature 350, 421–423 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Suthers, R. A., Thomas, S. P. & Suthers, B. J. J. Exp. Biol. 56, 37–48 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Speakman, J. R. Mamm. Rev. 31, 111–130 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Jepsen, G. L. Science 154, 1333–1339 (1966).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gunnell, G. F. & Simmons, N. B. J. Mamm. Evol. 12, 209–246 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Habersetzer, J. & Storch, G. Naturwissenschaften 79, 462–466 (1992).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Novacek, M. J. Nature 315, 140–141 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. John Speakman is at the Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB39 2PN, UK. j.speakman@abdn.ac.uk ,

    John Speakman

Authors
  1. John Speakman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Speakman, J. A first for bats. Nature 451, 774–775 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/451774a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/451774a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing