Macroderma godthelpi facts for kids

Macroderma godthelpi was an ancient bat that lived in Australia a long, long time ago. We know about it from fossils, which are like stone records of past life. This bat was part of a group called Megadermatidae, which are known for eating meat. It was related to the modern Ghost bat, but much smaller than other bats in its family.

Discovering Macroderma godthelpi

How We Found This Bat

The first official description of Macroderma godthelpi was published in 1985. A scientist named Suzanne Hand, who studies ancient life (a palaeontologist), wrote about it. She found its fossils at a special place in Australia called the Riversleigh World Heritage Area. These fossils showed that it was a new type of bat in the Macroderma family.

Naming the Bat

The main fossil used to describe this bat was found at a spot called the Gag site in Riversleigh. Other pieces were found nearby at the Microsite. The most important fossil was part of a right upper jaw, still holding some of the bat's teeth.

The bat's name, godthelpi, honors another researcher named Henk Godthelp. He was the first person to notice that the Riversleigh area had many amazing bat fossils. His discovery helped scientists find many different kinds of ancient bats there.

What Macroderma godthelpi Was Like

A Bat That Ate Meat

Macroderma godthelpi belonged to the Megadermatidae family. These bats are predators, meaning they hunt other animals for food. Their teeth were perfect for catching and eating insects or even small animals with backbones, like tiny birds or lizards.

Where Macroderma godthelpi Lived

Home in Ancient Rainforests

Macroderma godthelpi lived in northwest Queensland, Australia. This area was once a thick rainforest during the early Miocene epoch, which was millions of years ago. Underneath the rainforest, there was a special type of rocky ground called a karst system. This system had many caves.

These caves were perfect places for many different kinds of bats to live and roost. The Riversleigh fauna refers to all the ancient animals found in this area. Many bat fossils, including those from the Megadermatidae family, were found here. They were often very well preserved on the floors of these limestone caves.

Fossil Clues

Scientists found places in the caves where bats used to live and eat. These spots contained the remains of the bats themselves and the small animals they hunted. Sometimes, there were even chewed-up pieces or digested fragments of their prey. These conditions were just right for these remains to turn into fossils over time.

A famous artist named Peter Schouten drew a picture of this bat in 1983, even before it was officially named. His drawing showed what the bat might have looked like. It showed the bat holding a small bird, which was a type of songbird found in the Riversleigh area. Scientists found the remains of these birds where the bats used to feed.