introduction
The thousand-year-old rat turns into a white bat, and the black hole hides deep in the snare. Far from harming the whole body sincerely, what about the darkness of life? - "Bat in the Hole"
In the long history of the earth, countless species have emerged, most of them appear in the form of passers-by, and then disappear in a hurry. The evidence that they ever existed is fossils that are still buried deep in the ground. At the beginning of 2020, the virus broke out, bringing people panic and disaster, and bats, a species that has existed on Earth for nearly 88 million years, appeared in the public eye. In the folk legend of the older generation, rats will become bats if they eat too much salt, but this is actually an unfounded statement. Although mice and bats roughly look alike, as if bats are just mice with an extra pair of wings, the difference is still very large, and the only thing in common is probably that both are mammals.
The earliest known bats are the 50 million-year-old index finger god bat, which was first found in Oming, USA, and then found more complete fossils in France, dating back to the Eocene period. Interestingly, bats, as the only flying mammals, do not have such thick feathers as other birds, but only fly by the wing membrane connected between the toes. Because of their own habit of day and night, plus most of them are active in the mountains and forests. This has led to the fact that bats often carry dozens of viruses, and once infected, they are often tricky, but they are not regarded as the ancestors of bats.
Bats are full of danger, but also have great medical value, so if you can deeply understand bats, whether from the perspective of prevention or treatment, it has great value. Until the beginning of 2006, the question of bats has more research directions, what is the ancestor of bats? Archaeologists have found fossils dating back 125 million years, and they are terrifying.
Since bats have been thrust to the forefront, people have also paid more and more attention to them. As a veteran species on Earth, bats naturally have their own unique place. In ancient times on the mainland, the bat was once considered a symbol of good luck, and if it flew into the home, it was a symbol of good luck, and there was a carving of five bats holding peaches on the palace of Empress Dowager Cixi. It is worth mentioning that the Eastern Jin Dynasty Taoist Ge Hong's "Holding Puzi" once recorded that after they reach a certain age, their hair will become snow-white, because they are upside down all year round, and the brain body will also enlarge, and they can be medicated at this time. Some ancient books also record that its blood can stop itching on the skin. However, the bat droppings are indeed a Chinese medicine, poetically making you not think of its relationship with bats - night sand.
In Western legends, bats are often associated with demons and are a fearsome symbol. Vampires like we know them are based on bats. Often before the villain appears, there will be several bats flying by, using such behavior to indicate that bats symbolize evil. One of the reasons for this is that in ancient times in the West, animal husbandry was mostly developed, and cattle and sheep were flocked. And they often carry a large number of viruses, and its appearance means the emergence of the plague. Their historical image is also understandable in this light.
In early 2006, mainland paleontologists discovered an animal fossil with a wing membrane in Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia. What does the discovery of this fossil represent, that this type of fossil has never been found before? For this reason, paleontologists had to create a new order specifically for it, the order of Shomma. According to the follow-up in-depth research, it can be known that Xiangbeast probably lived in an era with dinosaurs, about 125 million years ago, that is, it experienced the era of great collapse with dinosaurs. It is worth mentioning that the Xiang beast appeared a full 1.5 million years earlier than the now recognized ancestor of modern birds, the Yumen Gansu bird. The discovery advanced the gliding time of mammals by at least 79 million years. That is, perhaps when the ancestors of birds were still practicing flying, they were already enjoying the sky, which shows how tough they are.
Through the study of the fossils of the beast, paleontologists have roughly restored its characteristics. From the point of view of appearance, it combines the characteristics of squirrels and bats, and its weight is also very light, suitable for gliding between jungles, and its main food is insects between jungles. Unfortunately, like the dinosaurs, it disappeared in the catastrophe of the Great Apocalypse, leaving no descendants left, and we can only rely on fossils to understand it at present.
Even now there is no definite evidence to prove that bats are the evolution of Xiangbeasts, but it is certain that the earliest discovery of index finger god bats, not all their ancestors, at best just a branch, index finger god bats molars structure is very similar to primitive insect eaters, the number of teeth varies from 22 ~ 38, which is conducive to better hunting. Different from the blood-sucking species of bat groups, the habits of the two are also manifestations of different evolutionary directions.
epilogue
No matter who the ancestor of the bat is, we cannot stop searching, once discovered, it can greatly promote the development of science and medicine. Going back to our roots can help even our own human history. However, we need to pay attention to not catch bats casually because of your curiosity, in case you are infected with the virus, it is not worth the loss. Moreover, some bats are also protected animals by the state and are already endangered, so whether it is for ourselves or the country, we just need to watch from afar.
Bibliography:
"Bat in the Hole"
Encyclopedia of Animals