Searching for Bat Fossils in Colombia

Big animals like dinosaurs make big fossils–but how do scientists find fossils of small animals like bats and rodents? Join a Museum bat biologist on an expedition to Colombia as the team looks for fossils the size of a grain of rice.

#Fossils #Paleontology #Colombia #Desert

In June 2022, Museum Curator Nancy Simmons and colleagues traveled to the La Venta region of Colombia–a site world-famous for revealing a detailed paleontological history of New World primates and bats. Since these fossils are tiny, the researchers have to use different methods than paleontologists who look for big animals like mammoths or dinosaurs. The fossils may be small, but what they reveal could be key to understanding how bats evolved such incredible diversity in the present day. Watch to learn more!

The Constantine S. Niarchos Expedition featured here was generously supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

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[evanhiltzik]

So fascinating and always worthwhile to delve into the past using fossils, and so incredible and admirable the effort going into finding these miniscule fragments of history

[costlylimejacoborivasperez]

This is great! I’m from Colombia 🇨🇴 🎉❤

[christinawillis]

Bats and their fossils can get very small!

[williamkuhns]

Ant hills are the best spots for finding microfossils concentrated in one place.

[horseinwindow]

Do you think you guys could possibly upload the soundtrack of your exhibits? As example, you could post the backround music in the exhibit “T-rex the Ultimate Predator”