When Bats Took Flight

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  • Опубликовано: 10 сен 2019
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    ↓ More info below ↓
    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
    Super special thanks to the following Patreon patrons for helping make Eons possible:
    Katie Fichtner, Anthony Callaghan, David Sewall, Anton Bryl, Ben Thorson, Andrey, MissyElliottSmith, The Scintillating Spencer, AA, Zachary Spencer, Stefan Weber, Ilya Murashov, Robert Amling, Po Foon Kwong, Larry Wilson, Merri Snaidman, John Vanek, Neil H. Gray, Esmeralda Rupp-Spangle, Gregory Donovan, Gabriel Cortez, Marcus Lejon, Robert Arévalo, Robert Hill, Todd Dittman, Betsy Radley, PS, Philip Slingerland, Eric Vonk, Tony Wamsley, Henrik Peteri, Jonathan Wright, Jon Monteiro, James Bording, Brad Nicholls, Miles Chaston, Michael McClellan, Jeff Graham, Maria Humphrey, Nathan Paskett, Connor Jensen, Daisuke Goto, Hubert Rady, Gregory Kintz, Tyson Cleary, Chandler Bass, Joao Ascensao, Tsee Lee, Alex Yan
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    References: docs.google.com/document/d/1V...
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Комментарии • 1,9 тыс.

  • @BonnibelLecter
    @BonnibelLecter 4 года назад +1242

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

    • @prigemini
      @prigemini 4 года назад +91

      The bat-whale connection. Greatest band name ever.

    • @welcometothestream8860
      @welcometothestream8860 3 года назад +7

      Spoilers.

    • @sjkdsfsdf52
      @sjkdsfsdf52 3 года назад +19

      don't whales use eco location aswell?

    • @skyem5250
      @skyem5250 3 года назад +64

      @@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
      @zach6395 3 года назад +14

      I wanna see the Vampire Free Willy movie

  • @GuyverOmega
    @GuyverOmega 4 года назад +2433

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

    • @jenson1569
      @jenson1569 4 года назад +24

      Jacob Shirey yes^

    • @jamespearsoniii914
      @jamespearsoniii914 4 года назад +115

      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
      @johnnyfavorite1194 4 года назад +35

      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
      @GuyverOmega 4 года назад +16

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

    • @Burt1038
      @Burt1038 4 года назад +102

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

  • @kraakenhex8459
    @kraakenhex8459 4 года назад +272

    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.

  • @Nikita35485
    @Nikita35485 3 года назад +20

    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.

  • @lewisthurston9785
    @lewisthurston9785 4 года назад +1460

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

    • @vonfunk9523
      @vonfunk9523 4 года назад +61

      you should read bearmageddon.

    • @jcortese3300
      @jcortese3300 4 года назад +83

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

    • @mayday6916
      @mayday6916 4 года назад +38

      Now flying hedgehogs, that would be something!

    • @evilqueen6402
      @evilqueen6402 4 года назад +13

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

    • @voxbox697
      @voxbox697 4 года назад +23

      Its the Sea Bears you need to watch out for.

  • @WickedWildlife
    @WickedWildlife 4 года назад +1538

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

    • @carissstewart3211
      @carissstewart3211 4 года назад +50

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

    • @sherbet3018
      @sherbet3018 4 года назад +8

      +

    • @WickedWildlife
      @WickedWildlife 4 года назад +23

      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
      @saraviena2829 4 года назад +12

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

    • @Alex-kp5pq
      @Alex-kp5pq 4 года назад +18

      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).

  • @LunamFlore
    @LunamFlore 3 года назад +37

    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
      @herpderp3916 2 года назад +8

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

    • @firelight09
      @firelight09 Год назад +2

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

  • @arcanetrueblood9790
    @arcanetrueblood9790 3 года назад +887

    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
      @fart63 3 года назад +143

      Why is this so funny 💀💀

    • @mathieuxlaflamme2322
      @mathieuxlaflamme2322 3 года назад +166

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

    • @fart63
      @fart63 3 года назад +57

      @@mathieuxlaflamme2322 nah I laughed

    • @francesvonstackelberg9038
      @francesvonstackelberg9038 3 года назад +44

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

    • @7_y1ar
      @7_y1ar 3 года назад +57

      @@francesvonstackelberg9038 yeah by my experience, its not

  • @CybranM
    @CybranM 4 года назад +1019

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

    • @proudpapaprick
      @proudpapaprick 4 года назад +121

      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
      @bigdickpornsuperstar 4 года назад +54

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

    • @proudpapaprick
      @proudpapaprick 4 года назад +120

      @@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
      @Xeroxthebeautiful 4 года назад +126

      @@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
      @jamespearsoniii914 4 года назад +42

      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
    @technopoptart 4 года назад +114

    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
      @namelessjavelin5444 4 года назад +7

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

    • @limiv5272
      @limiv5272 4 года назад +11

      @@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
      @Drakijy 4 года назад +4

      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
      @user-wd6bu9ky3o 4 года назад +2

      @@Drakijy 😂😂💀💀

  • @hannahfoster6329
    @hannahfoster6329 4 года назад +98

    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♥️

  • @ediable8309
    @ediable8309 4 года назад +72

    The word bat in swedish translates to "fluttering mouse"

    • @ContinentTurtle
      @ContinentTurtle 3 года назад +10

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

    • @fart63
      @fart63 3 года назад

      I think that’s beautiful

    • @autumnox2174
      @autumnox2174 3 года назад +4

      Add Fledermaus to the pile

    • @casper6405
      @casper6405 3 года назад +2

      @@ContinentTurtle vleermuis

    • @thangri-la
      @thangri-la 2 года назад

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

  • @BusterBuizel
    @BusterBuizel 4 года назад +303

    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
      @chelicerate1376 4 года назад +3

      Ayyyyyy

    • @jesseruderman5121
      @jesseruderman5121 4 года назад +10

      In particular, his video "Top 10 Worst Animal Skeletons", at 4m40s
      ruclips.net/video/nV-wPx3fRWE/видео.html

    • @Starpentine
      @Starpentine 4 года назад +3

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

    • @w_ldan
      @w_ldan 2 года назад

      Ahh yess, the salmonela guy

  • @Lord.Kiltridge
    @Lord.Kiltridge 4 года назад +195

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

    • @Burn_Angel
      @Burn_Angel 4 года назад +5

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

    • @Ezullof
      @Ezullof 4 года назад +3

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

    • @Burn_Angel
      @Burn_Angel 4 года назад +3

      @@Ezullof ???

    • @ericsuarez834
      @ericsuarez834 4 года назад

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

    • @kwaap2070
      @kwaap2070 4 года назад +1

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

  • @johnlexter16tabag82
    @johnlexter16tabag82 4 года назад +165

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

    • @Abyssaracnis
      @Abyssaracnis 3 года назад +18

      metobatmorphis

    • @shosha101390
      @shosha101390 3 года назад +30

      If animals were really Pokémon

    • @fart63
      @fart63 3 года назад +39

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

    • @innerslothamonggus9070
      @innerslothamonggus9070 3 года назад +9

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

    • @sMASHsound
      @sMASHsound 2 года назад

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

  • @michaelskywalker3089
    @michaelskywalker3089 4 года назад +1008

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

    • @perfolkesson7333
      @perfolkesson7333 4 года назад +103

      It's the most logical theory really

    • @richardholmes2268
      @richardholmes2268 4 года назад +13

      * FART SOUND *

    • @michaelskywalker3089
      @michaelskywalker3089 4 года назад +21

      It is , most logical.

    • @Wonka2208
      @Wonka2208 4 года назад +17

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

    • @Ysckemia
      @Ysckemia 4 года назад +11

      the longest prank of all geological times ^^

  • @mdkooter
    @mdkooter 4 года назад +467

    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
      @jonshaw840 4 года назад +18

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

    • @Alex-kp5pq
      @Alex-kp5pq 4 года назад +45

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

    • @frozenglaicericet-pose6104
      @frozenglaicericet-pose6104 4 года назад +10

      So do fruitbats use echo location?

    • @FYCH45
      @FYCH45 4 года назад +21

      @@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
      @lonjohnson5161 4 года назад +12

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

  • @chicorish_
    @chicorish_ 4 года назад +301

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

    • @brindlewalsh6202
      @brindlewalsh6202 4 года назад +1

      Sorry, this is really disappointing

    • @cadenrolland5250
      @cadenrolland5250 4 года назад +2

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

  • @sharksuperiority9736
    @sharksuperiority9736 4 года назад +97

    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
      @PjKneisel Год назад +4

      “Sea flap flaps” haha I love it

  • @thorish933
    @thorish933 3 года назад +54

    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
      @niludanilu Год назад

      This is an interesting hypothesis

    • @Cronicola
      @Cronicola Год назад +3

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

  • @zedmercury2605
    @zedmercury2605 4 года назад +34

    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
      @evanmanor7444 4 года назад +5

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

    • @steveharrison3007
      @steveharrison3007 4 года назад +5

      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
      @Ezullof 4 года назад

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

    • @ascaron137
      @ascaron137 4 года назад

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

    • @ascaron137
      @ascaron137 4 года назад

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

  • @joed3325
    @joed3325 4 года назад +47

    BATS! They responded to our requests for BATS!

  • @kman215
    @kman215 4 года назад +16

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

    • @TiltedHandle
      @TiltedHandle 2 года назад +2

      Some are didnt need to evolve much

  • @jacaliber
    @jacaliber 4 года назад +9

    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?

  • @thunderflare59
    @thunderflare59 4 года назад +136

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

    • @proudpapaprick
      @proudpapaprick 4 года назад +23

      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
      @phoule76 4 года назад +8

      why would Bruce Wayne have sonar gadgets?

    • @proudpapaprick
      @proudpapaprick 4 года назад +13

      @@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
      @AdamYJ 4 года назад +11

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

    • @Ezullof
      @Ezullof 4 года назад +5

      BECAUSE I'M BATMAN

  • @nickmalachai2227
    @nickmalachai2227 4 года назад +218

    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
      @dplocksmith91 4 года назад +45

      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
      @Alusnovalotus 4 года назад +2

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

    • @nickmalachai2227
      @nickmalachai2227 4 года назад +30

      @@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
      @Alusnovalotus 4 года назад +1

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

    • @nathanlevesque7812
      @nathanlevesque7812 4 года назад +7

      @@Alusnovalotus douche

  • @Falckie8008
    @Falckie8008 4 года назад +20

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

    • @itsmxtwist
      @itsmxtwist 3 года назад +2

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

  • @celluloidprojectile
    @celluloidprojectile 4 года назад +11

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

  • @isaiaha4647
    @isaiaha4647 4 года назад +216

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

    • @JR-gp2zk
      @JR-gp2zk 4 года назад +9

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

  • @Xnaut314
    @Xnaut314 4 года назад +5

    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!!!

  • @MCDexX
    @MCDexX 4 года назад +54

    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
      @mattj4005 4 года назад +14

      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
      @frozenflava 3 года назад

      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
      @shosha101390 3 года назад +1

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

  • @JHenrySmith2
    @JHenrySmith2 4 года назад +6

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

  • @shivamwasp
    @shivamwasp 4 года назад +180

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

    • @mal2ksc
      @mal2ksc 4 года назад +16

      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
      @x.p.3574 4 года назад +4

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

    • @pillowprincess3673
      @pillowprincess3673 4 года назад +3

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

    • @rizkyadiyanto7922
      @rizkyadiyanto7922 4 года назад

      @@pillowprincess3673 no.

    • @thatkidwiththehoodie
      @thatkidwiththehoodie 4 года назад +1

      @@x.p.3574 chill yo

  • @Skysthelimit212
    @Skysthelimit212 4 года назад +30

    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

  • @mzeemrefu
    @mzeemrefu Год назад +1

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

  • @megan5867
    @megan5867 Год назад +3

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

  • @Cahos_Rahne_Veloza
    @Cahos_Rahne_Veloza 4 года назад +204

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

  • @lemuelbocayong8944
    @lemuelbocayong8944 4 года назад +89

    Evolution of trees please.

    • @lurking_silhouette5802
      @lurking_silhouette5802 3 года назад +1

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

    • @ContinentTurtle
      @ContinentTurtle 3 года назад +5

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

    • @sebastianleung2897
      @sebastianleung2897 3 года назад +1

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

    • @Percy1800sDetective
      @Percy1800sDetective 3 года назад +1

      And GRASS!

    • @thespacebaryonyx6007
      @thespacebaryonyx6007 3 года назад +1

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

  • @tyto6705
    @tyto6705 4 года назад +11

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

  • @Piarou
    @Piarou 4 года назад +10

    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
      @RD9_Designs 4 месяца назад

      Yes! How about an episode about colugos'?

  • @levi12howell
    @levi12howell 4 года назад +212

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

    • @rac1equalsbestgame853
      @rac1equalsbestgame853 4 года назад +47

      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
      @wadespencer3623 4 года назад +64

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

    • @DanStaal
      @DanStaal 4 года назад +25

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

    • @mayday6916
      @mayday6916 4 года назад +11

      To avoid predators?

    • @KarlBunker
      @KarlBunker 4 года назад +34

      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?

  • @Alusnovalotus
    @Alusnovalotus 4 года назад +4

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

  • @scorpion3128
    @scorpion3128 4 года назад +1

    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.

  • @garethtudor836
    @garethtudor836 4 года назад +5

    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

  • @thienn5827
    @thienn5827 4 года назад +23

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

    • @ammarif618
      @ammarif618 4 года назад +2

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

  • @veggieboyultimate
    @veggieboyultimate 4 года назад +59

    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
      @Ezullof 4 года назад +10

      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
      @KlavierMenn 3 года назад +3

      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
      @lama99654 3 года назад +1

      Bats are actually very understudied

  • @Tareltonlives
    @Tareltonlives 3 года назад +2

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

    • @Kuwagumo
      @Kuwagumo 3 года назад +1

      Amazing! Wish I could visit it someday :)

  • @JoeBardales
    @JoeBardales 4 года назад +3

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

    • @MerkhVision
      @MerkhVision 2 года назад

      They sure look like flying rodents!

    • @RD9_Designs
      @RD9_Designs 4 месяца назад

      Rat, mouse, flying mouse?

  • @100bc4
    @100bc4 4 года назад +116

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

    • @anidiotwithinternetconnect8011
      @anidiotwithinternetconnect8011 4 года назад +12

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

    • @jacobhoover1654
      @jacobhoover1654 4 года назад +12

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

    • @batcat1736
      @batcat1736 4 года назад +13

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

    • @randomguy263
      @randomguy263 4 года назад +12

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

    • @peterprime2140
      @peterprime2140 4 года назад +17

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

  • @hollyodii5969
    @hollyodii5969 4 года назад +7

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

  • @marsan7917
    @marsan7917 4 года назад +8

    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
    @marssilver 4 года назад +1

    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!

  • @Yurt_enthusiast7
    @Yurt_enthusiast7 4 года назад +5

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

  • @onytay75
    @onytay75 4 года назад +60

    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
      @zalenahquaddy4354 4 года назад +6

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

  • @kezkezooie8595
    @kezkezooie8595 4 года назад +2

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

  • @Boom12
    @Boom12 4 года назад +2

    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!

  • @novaoak7297
    @novaoak7297 4 года назад +37

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

    • @NothingParticularVid
      @NothingParticularVid 4 года назад +14

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

    • @peterprime2140
      @peterprime2140 4 года назад +10

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

    • @Malenassaura
      @Malenassaura 4 года назад +10

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

    • @jamespearsoniii914
      @jamespearsoniii914 4 года назад +1

      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
      @Ezullof 4 года назад

      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.

  • @Jesse__H
    @Jesse__H 4 года назад +10

    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.

  • @grantcirks362
    @grantcirks362 4 года назад +2

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

  • @noahdawkins9917
    @noahdawkins9917 4 года назад +2

    Thanks PBS Eons. I have been waiting for this!

  • @dsoma1071
    @dsoma1071 4 года назад +9

    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
      @jamespearsoniii914 4 года назад

      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
      @YagamiKou 4 года назад +1

      @@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
      @jamespearsoniii914 4 года назад

      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
      @YagamiKou 4 года назад +1

      @@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
      @jamespearsoniii914 4 года назад +1

      八神こう thanx, I’ll give them a look!

  • @DerpfishsaysNO
    @DerpfishsaysNO 4 года назад +6

    :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!

  • @justacrow9847
    @justacrow9847 3 года назад +2

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

  • @FloozieOne
    @FloozieOne 2 года назад

    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.

  • @kylep007
    @kylep007 4 года назад +16

    PBS eons should do a video on the Wallace Line.

    • @anth1768
      @anth1768 4 года назад

      and the man him self

  • @sent4dc
    @sent4dc 4 года назад +10

    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
      @steveharrison3007 4 года назад

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

    • @jessiemayfield6749
      @jessiemayfield6749 3 года назад +1

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

  • @daianalettieri216
    @daianalettieri216 Год назад +1

    It's really hard to find an informative video that doesn't put me to sleep. This one was very interesting and well put. Amazing work! Besides that the subject is totally awesome.

  • @PalmettoNDN
    @PalmettoNDN 3 года назад +2

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

  • @logandyck5356
    @logandyck5356 4 года назад +31

    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

  • @bonzaisubber8535
    @bonzaisubber8535 4 года назад +5

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

  • @R.G.962
    @R.G.962 4 года назад +2

    She's got a soothing voice!

  • @Jak3thusn4ke
    @Jak3thusn4ke 3 года назад +5

    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

  •  4 года назад +4

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

  • @roboslug7582
    @roboslug7582 Год назад +3

    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
      @bless_M Год назад

      I enjoyed reading this

  • @orangelion03
    @orangelion03 4 года назад +2

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

  • @imnotcreativeenough7208
    @imnotcreativeenough7208 2 года назад

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

  • @akumaking1
    @akumaking1 4 года назад +10

    Evolution of cats when?

    • @pierreabbat6157
      @pierreabbat6157 4 года назад +1

      After bats and before dats.

    • @coopergelb9914
      @coopergelb9914 4 года назад +1

      Eons did a video of it.

    • @jamespearsoniii914
      @jamespearsoniii914 4 года назад

      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

  • @kinoeclux6852
    @kinoeclux6852 4 года назад +104

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

    • @themarvellouschannel3032
      @themarvellouschannel3032 4 года назад +10

      Pandemic*

    • @broomemike1
      @broomemike1 3 года назад +6

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

    • @aldridgemaeverick8096
      @aldridgemaeverick8096 3 года назад +1

      @@broomemike1 this aint math so shut your nerdy mouth

    • @broomemike1
      @broomemike1 3 года назад +4

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

    • @jamielishbrook2384
      @jamielishbrook2384 3 года назад

      Lmao

  • @cogitoergosum9069
    @cogitoergosum9069 Год назад +1

    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).

  • @RV-dr8gc
    @RV-dr8gc 3 года назад

    thanks for providing the references, truly a lifesaver!

  • @chelsey8737
    @chelsey8737 4 года назад +12

    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
      @JamesTheFoxeArt 4 года назад +2

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

    • @chelsey8737
      @chelsey8737 4 года назад +2

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

  • @Blue_Fire-Chibi
    @Blue_Fire-Chibi 4 года назад +10

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

  • @nawsh2252
    @nawsh2252 Год назад +1

    This is so interesting to think about. Love the content, y'all!

  • @santiagoolascuaga8062
    @santiagoolascuaga8062 4 года назад +1

    Eons let me just say, thank you so much for this episode, me and others have been asking for it for a while

  • @valasafantastic1055
    @valasafantastic1055 4 года назад +6

    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?

  • @lizardkingwalking
    @lizardkingwalking 2 года назад +4

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

  • @DaveTexas
    @DaveTexas 4 года назад

    Truly fascinating! Bats are such amazing creatures. And they’re adorable!

  • @TheTilitus
    @TheTilitus 2 года назад +1

    Your channel has been great during the last few weeks.

  • @natanshick
    @natanshick 4 года назад +6

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

  • @robertkirby8685
    @robertkirby8685 4 года назад +3

    Been waiting on this episode.

  • @Hochspitz
    @Hochspitz 4 года назад +1

    I love watching this channel, Thank you!

  • @mattperkinson9604
    @mattperkinson9604 4 года назад +1

    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?

  • @zooemperor3954
    @zooemperor3954 4 года назад +3

    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
      @MaureenLycaon 4 года назад

      I second that. Hyaenodontids are awesome.

  • @Raakhushili
    @Raakhushili 4 года назад +14

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

    • @saraviena2829
      @saraviena2829 4 года назад

      And do not make me wait 👏👏

    • @jamespearsoniii914
      @jamespearsoniii914 4 года назад

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

    • @chadliampearcy
      @chadliampearcy 4 года назад

      I want Moth evolution.

  • @whiplash8277
    @whiplash8277 4 года назад +1

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

  • @mrapistevist
    @mrapistevist 4 года назад

    You are one of my favorite channels, keep up the good work! :)

  • @SlyPearTree
    @SlyPearTree 4 года назад +13

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

  • @edgarmatias
    @edgarmatias 2 года назад +4

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

  • @adamcuster8626
    @adamcuster8626 4 года назад +2

    This is awesome, I love bats very unique creatures.

  • @gyozakeynsianism
    @gyozakeynsianism 4 года назад +1

    Awesome video as always.