Hassianycteris fossil map
Where fossils of Hassianycteris have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 56 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 56 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 56–48.07 million years ago (Ypresian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Hassianycterididae |
| Named by | Smith and Storch 1981 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Belgium, India |
| Rock formations | Kortijk Clay, Cambay Shale |
About Hassianycteris
Hassianycteris is an extinct genus of Early Eocene (Ypresian) to Middle Eocene (Lutetian) bats from the Hassianycterididae with four or five known species: the type (H. messelensis), H. magna, and H. revilliodi, all found in the Messel pit, Germany, H. kumari, found in the Cambay Shale Formation (Vastan Lignite Mine), India, and the possible fifth species "H." joeli, found in the Kortijk Clay Formation, Belgium, which may instead belong to Onychonycteridae. The Messel bats Palaeochiropteryx and Hassianycteris (alive roughly 48 million years ago) are the first fossil mammals whose colouration has been discovered: both were reddish-brown when alive.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Hassianycteris (revision 1360682414), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q104882675.
