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: Eocene
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | †Philisidae |
| Genus: | †Witwatia Gunnell et al., 2008 |
| Species | |
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Ecology
editThese 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]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c 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.
External links
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