Riversleigh Leaf-nosed Bat (Brachipposideros nooraleebus)
Riversleigh Leaf-nosed Bat.
Illustration: Copyright © A Musser.
Lived: 24-16 million years ago (late Oligocene - early Miocene)
Size: Wingspan: 15cm
Description: The Riversleigh Leaf-nosed Bat lived in limestone caves and ventured out into the forest to hunt insects.
The closest living relative of the Riversleigh Leaf-nosed Bat is its descendant the Orange Horseshoe Bat (Rhinonicterus aurantius), a rare bat that still lives in caves in the Riversleigh region.
Other relatives of this little bat are found further afield: close fossil relatives have been found as far away as France and the Arabian Peninsula, and it has living relatives in Madagascar and Vietnam.
Fossils: Hundreds of fossils of the Riversleigh Leaf-nosed Bat have been collected from Riversleigh in north-western Queensland.
Did you know?: The Riversleigh Leaf-nosed Bat was the first Australian fossil bat to be named.
