Pickled
bat that has lain in the museum for 30 years is a previously unknown species
named Francis’ woolly horseshoe bat, experts have confirmed
Press
Association
Saturday
31 October 2015 06.01 GMTLast modified on Saturday 31 October
201506.03 GMT
A
pickled bat kept in the vaults of London’s Natural History Museum for 30 years is a previously unknown
species, experts have confirmed.
The
discovery of a new creature of the night at the museum was announced
appropriately on Halloween.
It
was named Francis’ woolly horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus
francisi) after Charles Francis, who collected the specimen in Malaysia in
1983.
A
computerised tomography (CT) scanner was used to analyse the animal’s fragile
bones without having to touch it.
Museum
zoologist, Roberto Portela Miguez, said: “The scan of the bat skull reveals
spiky, sharp-edged teeth that would work like scissors to break open the hard
outer-body casings of insects.
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