Witwatia

Witwatia (from the Egyptian Arabic Wit Wat meaning "large, flapping wings") is an extinct genus of giant bat that contained two species which lived in the Al Fayyum in Egypt during the late Eocene (Priabonian epoch) and one species which lived in Tunisia during the early Eocene. It is known from a lower jaw and teeth. Three species have been named: the type species W. schlosseri, W. eremicus and W. sigei.[1][2]

Witwatia
Temporal range: 37–33 Ma
↓
Eocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: †Philisidae
Genus: †Witwatia
Gunnell et al., 2008
Species
  • W. schlosseri Gunnell et al., 2008 (type)
  • W. eremicus Gunnell et al., 2008
  • W. sigei Ravel et al., 2012

Ecology

These were large sized carnivorous bats, possessing large canines, robust jaws and slicing molars. Opportunistic frugivory has been suggested,[2] but since rejected.[3] The largest forms such as Witwatia schlosseri were comparable in size and possibly ecology to the modern Vampyrum spectrum.[3]

Witwatia is not related to Aegyptonycteris, a contemporary genus of similarly sized giant bat, indicating that the Fayum Depression environment was home to at least two lineages of large sized chiropterans that developed gigantism independently.[3]

References
  1. Gunnell, Gregg F.; Simons, Elwyn L.; Seiffert, Erik R. (2008). "New bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera from the late Eocene and early Oligocene, Fayum Depression, Egypt". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2008)28[1:NBMCFT]2.0.CO;2.
  2. Anthony Ravel; Laurent Marivaux; Rodolphe Tabuce; Mustapha Ben Haj Ali; El Mabrouk Essid & Monique Vianey-Liaud (2012). "A new large philisid (Mammalia, Chiroptera, Vespertilionoidea) from the late Early Eocene of Chambi, Tunisia". Palaeontology. 55 (5): 1035–1041. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2012.01160.x.
  3. Nancy B. Simmons; Erik R. Seiffert; Gregg F. Gunnell (2016). "A New Family of Large Omnivorous Bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) from the Late Eocene of the Fayum Depression, Egypt, with Comments on Use of the Name “Eochiroptera”". American Museum Novitates 3857: 1–43. doi:10.1206/3857.1.


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