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Mystacinidae
__NOTOC__ Mystacinidae is a family of unusual bats, the New Zealand short-tailed bats. There is one living genus, '' Mystacina'', with two species, one of which could have possibly become extinct in the 1960s. They are medium-sized bats, about in length, with grey, velvety fur. Species and range The origins of this family go back to the Late Oligocene of Australia, with the genus '' Icarops''. Several fossil species are also known from the contemporary Saint Bathans Fauna in New Zealand. The oldest unambiguous fossils of the living genus date to the Miocene of New Zealand. A second extinct genus, '' Vulcanops'', lived sympatrically with ''Mystacina'' in New Zealand from the Miocene until its extinction during the Pleistocene. The study describing ''Vulcanops'' also renders ''Icarops'' paraphyletic in regards to the rest of the family. Mystacines appear to have been an old Gondwanan lineage; they diverged from other bat groups within Noctilionoidea (a primarily Gondwanan gro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Zealand Lesser Short-tailed Bat
The New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat (''Mystacina tuberculata'') is a small-sized omnivorous mammal endemism, endemic to the islands of New Zealand. It is one of two extant and three overall terrestrial mammal species unique to New Zealand. Its closest relative, the New Zealand greater short-tailed bat (''M. robusta''), was last seen in 1965 and is presumed extinct due to intense predation from ship rats introduced in the last few centuries. These bats are also commonly referred to as pekapeka, their Māori-language name. Lesser short-tailed bats have unique adaptations that differentiate them from bats found in other parts of the world. For example, they are fully capable of moving along the ground to search for food, and the males sing to attract partners, taking turns to do so. Lesser short-tailed bats are a vulnerable species, so extensive conservation work and research are being done to prevent extinction. Taxonomy and evolution Taxonomic classification ''Mystacina t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vulcanops
''Vulcanops jennyworthyae'' is an extinct species of bat that lived during the Miocene in New Zealand, a large burrowing microchiropteran that probably ate arthropods and plant material around twenty million years before present. It is the type and only described species of the genus ''Vulcanops''. Taxonomy and etymology ''Vulcanops jennyworthyae'' was described in 2018 from fossilized teeth and bone fragments. The new genus and species were placed within the family Mystacinidae, commonly called the burrowing bats. The genus name "''Vulcanops''" is derived from the Roman god of fire and volcanoes, Vulcan. The suffix "-ops" is commonly used for bat genera. "Vulcan" was chosen in homage to the tectonic nature of New Zealand, as well as a historic hotel, Vulcan Hotel, in the mining town of Saint Bathans. The eponym for the specific epithet "''jennyworthyae''" is Jennifer P. Worthy "in recognition of her pivotal role in revealing the diversity of the St Bathans Fauna." Jenni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bat Families
Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out digits covered with a thin membrane or patagium. The smallest bat, and arguably the smallest extant mammal, is Kitti's hog-nosed bat, which is in length, across the wings and in mass. The largest bats are the flying foxes, with the giant golden-crowned flying fox (''Acerodon jubatus'') reaching a weight of and having a wingspan of . The second largest order of mammals after rodents, bats comprise about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide, with over 1,400 species. These were traditionally divided into two suborders: the largely fruit-eating megabats, and the echolocating microbats. But more recent evidence has supported dividing the order into Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera, with megabats as members of the former al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Icarops
''Icarops'' is an extinct, possibly paraphyletic genus of mystacine bat with three described species. The genus is known from fossils found at Riversleigh, north-western Queensland, Bullock Creek, Northern Territory, and Lake Ngapakaldi to Lake Palankarinna Fossil Area South Australia Australia. The fossils date from the late Oligocene to early Miocene. The name was derived from a figure of Greek mythology, Icarus, who the authors noted, "flew towards the sun, in reference to the ancient mystacinid that flew eastwards from Australia to New Zealand". A study describing the genus '' Vulcanops'' renders ''Icarops'' paraphyletic towards the rest of Mystacinidae, with ''I. paradox'' being closer to New Zealand mystacines than to other Australian mystacines, which form an independent clade. The described species are * ''Icarops'' :*''Icarops aenae'' :*''Icarops breviceps'' :*''Icarops paradox'' Terrestriality Like its modern relatives, the '' Mystacina ''short-tailed bats, ''Ic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mystacina
''Mystacina'' is the sole surviving genus of the Mystacinidae family of bats. It has three known species, of which only the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat (''Mystacina tuberculata'') is confirmed to survive today. The closely related New Zealand greater short-tailed bat (''Mystacina robusta'') has not had a confirmed sighting since 1965 and is thought to be extinct. The third species, '' Mystacina miocenalis'', is known from the Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), epoch made up of two Stage (stratigraphy), stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0. ..., some 19–16 million years ago. References {{Authority control Bat genera Mammal genera with one living species Taxa named by John Edward Gray Mystacinidae Bats of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Endemic mammals of New Zealand ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noctilionoidea
Noctilionoidea is a Taxonomic rank, superfamily of bats containing seven families: Thyropteridae, Furipteridae, Noctilionidae, Mormoopidae, Phyllostomidae, Myzopodidae, and Mystacinidae. It is one of three superfamilies in the suborder Yangochiroptera, the others being Vespertilionoidea and Emballonuroidea. The inclusion of Myzopodidae has been questioned, as other studies have placed it outside the superfamily as a sister group to Vespertilionoidea, sister group to Emballonuroidea, or within Emballonuroidea as part of Nycteridae. References {{taxonbar, from=Q1492660 Bat taxonomy Taxa named by John Edward Gray Mammal superfamilies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saint Bathans Fauna
The St Bathans fauna is found in the lower Bannockburn Formation of the Manuherikia Group of Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It comprises a suite of fossilised prehistoric animals from the late Early Miocene (Altonian) period, with an age range of 19–16 million years ago. The layer in which the fossils are found derives from littoral zone sediments deposited in a shallow, freshwater lake, with an area of 5600 km2 from present day Central Otago to Bannockburn and the Nevis Valley in the west; to Naseby in the east; and from the Waitaki Valley in the north to Ranfurly in the south. The lake was bordered by an extensive floodplain containing herbaceous and grassy wetland habitats with peat-forming swamp–woodland. At that time the climate was warm with a distinctly subtropical Australian climate and the surrounding vegetation was characterised by casuarinas, eucalypts and palms as well as podocarps, araucarias and southern beeches. The fossilifero ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cats In New Zealand
Cats are a popular pet in New Zealand. Cat ownership is occasionally raised as a controversial environmental issue, conservation issue due to the Cat predation on wildlife, predation of endangered species, such as birds and lizards, by feral cats. Population of cats The domestic cat (''Felis catus'') first arrived at New Zealand on James Cook, Captain James Cook's ship ''HMS Endeavour'' in the mid-18th century, but were established by European settlers a century later. Domestic cats Companion animals are popular in New Zealand, with 60% of households having either a cat or a dog. In 2020, Companion Animals New Zealand reported that there are around 1.2 million domestic cats in New Zealand, with around 41% of households having at least one cat. Trends in cat ownership are: Stray and feral cats The estimated populations of stray and feral cats are 200,000 and 2.4 million respectively. Legislation, code of practice and bylaws There are extensive sections of the Animal Welfare Ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marsupials
Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a relatively undeveloped state and then nurtured within a pouch on their mother's abdomen. Extant marsupials encompass many species, including kangaroos, koalas, opossums, possums, Tasmanian devils, wombats, wallabies, and bandicoots. Marsupials constitute a clade stemming from the last common ancestor of extant Metatheria, which encompasses all mammals more closely related to marsupials than to placentals. The evolutionary split between placentals and marsupials occurred 125-160 million years ago, in the Middle Jurassic-Early Cretaceous period. Presently, close to 70% of the 334 extant marsupial species are concentrated on the Australian continent, including mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, and nearby islands. The remaini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monotremes
Monotremes () are mammals of the order Monotremata. They are the only group of living mammals that lay eggs, rather than bearing live young. The extant monotreme species are the platypus and the four species of echidnas. Monotremes are typified by structural differences in their brains, jaws, digestive tract, reproductive tract, and other body parts, compared to the more common mammalian types. Although they are different from other living mammals in that they lay eggs, female monotremes are like other mammals in that they nurse their young with milk. Monotremes have been considered by some authors to be members of Australosphenida, a clade that contains extinct mammals from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of Madagascar, South America, and Australia, but this categorization is disputed and their taxonomy is under debate. All extant species of monotremes are indigenous to Australia and New Guinea, although they were also present during the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene epochs in sou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
