Fossils of bats very similar to modern individuals have been found in rocks of the Eocene Epoch approximately 50 million years old.Before human population growth began to impact them recently, bats were extremely abundant. In some places they probably dominated the night skies just as passenger pigeons filled the daytime skies of the eastern United States prior to the nineteenth century.
In the evolution of nature's system of checks and balances, bats long have played essential roles; their loss today could compromise the health and stability of our environment.
