Rhinonicteris tedfordi facts for kids

Rhinonicteris tedfordi was an ancient type of microbat. It is now extinct, meaning it no longer lives on Earth. Scientists found its fossil remains in Australia.

Discovering an Ancient Bat

Scientists gave this extinct bat its name, Rhinonicteris tedfordi, in 1997. The scientist who described it was Suzanne J. Hand. This bat is related to the only living species in its family, the Orange Leaf-Nosed Bat. This living bat can be found in northern Australia today.

The name Rhinonicteris comes from ancient Greek words. Rhis means "nose," and nycteris means "bat." The second part of the name, tedfordi, honors Richard Tedford. He was a scientist who helped find many ancient mammals in the fossil beds at Riversleigh.

Suzanne J. Hand compared the fossils of Rhinonicteris tedfordi with other bat fossils. She also compared them to the living Orange Leaf-Nosed Bat. This helped her figure out that the fossils belonged to a new, extinct species. The main fossils used were parts of bat skulls and bones. They were found in a place called the Bitesantennary Site. These fossils are very old, from a time called the early Miocene period.

What it Looked Like

Rhinonicteris tedfordi was a type of bat from the family Rhinonycteridae. Scientists have found its remains in several places. These places are part of the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh).

How it Lived

Life in the Miocene Period

The bat species Rhinonicteris tedfordi lived during the early Miocene period. This was a long time ago. The fossils show that this bat family has lived in Australia for a very long time. Scientists have found other Rhinonicteris fossils from different times, all the way up to today.

The place where many of these bat fossils were found was once a cave. This cave was open to the outside world. Inside the cave, scientists found the remains of more than ten other types of microbats. They also found shells from freshwater snails. The fossils were preserved very well. This means they were covered and turned into rock soon after the bats died. The snail shells suggest that the cave was underwater at some point. The cave floor also had a large stalagmite, which is a rock formation that grows up from the ground.