Prehistoric bat

This specimen has become downright famous. Like one of the prehistoric horses, it already served as the subject of a postage stamp, and in 1993, it was even taken into space as a mascot aboard the space shuttle Columbia. It is Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon, by far the most common species of bat from the Messel Pit. The smallest among the bats found at Messel, it reached a wingspan of 25 to 30 centimeters.