Abstract

PRETORIUS, Mariette. The elusive echo: The mystery of Africa's sparse bat fossil record. S. Afr. j. sci. [online]. 2024, vol.120, n.3-4, pp.1-2. ISSN 1996-7489.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2024/16991.

SIGNIFICANCE: The scarcity of bat fossils in Africa poses a significant challenge to both scientific understanding and current conservation efforts. While this article engages in informed speculation regarding the reasons behind this scarcity, it does not lessen the importance of the issue. Without a robust fossil record, tracing the evolutionary history, biological adaptations, and historical ecological roles of bats becomes difficult. Understanding their past is instrumental in mitigating current threats to bats like habitat loss and climate change. Thus, the intriguing lack of a comprehensive fossil record not only limits scientific inquiry but also hinders effective conservation measures.

Keywords : bats; Africa; evolution; mammalian palaeobiology; fossils.

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