A bat stored in the vaults of a London museum for 30 years is a previously unknown species, experts have discovered.
The Francis' Woolly Horseshoe Bat, Rhinolophus francisi, has been named after Charles Francis, who collected the specimen in Malaysia in 1983.
Bat species discovered at Natural History Museum after 30 years
BBC News
31 October 2015
A CT scanner was used to examine the bat's fragile bones without having to touch it
A bat stored in the vaults of a London museum for 30 years is a previously unknown species, experts have discovered.
The Francis' Woolly Horseshoe Bat, Rhinolophus francisi, has been named after Charles Francis, who collected the specimen in Malaysia in 1983.
The Natural History Museum said a CT scanner analysed its fragile bones.
Zoologist Roberto Portela Miguez said the scan showed "spiky, sharp-edged teeth that would work like scissors".
The bat was preserved in alcohol at the Natural History Museum
He said: "[They] would work like scissors to break open the hard outer-body casings of insects.
"This is a reminder of how much we still have to discover about the natural world."
Mr Miguez said discovering new insects and fish species happened relatively frequently, but indentifying new mammals was rarer.
A spokesman for the museum said the pickled bat would remain in the museum's collection for "further study", but would not be on public display.
The Natural History Museum in South Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 80 million items within five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology
Bat species discovered at Natural History Museum after 30 years - BBC News
The Francis' Woolly Horseshoe Bat, Rhinolophus francisi, has been named after Charles Francis, who collected the specimen in Malaysia in 1983.
Bat species discovered at Natural History Museum after 30 years
BBC News
31 October 2015
A CT scanner was used to examine the bat's fragile bones without having to touch it
A bat stored in the vaults of a London museum for 30 years is a previously unknown species, experts have discovered.
The Francis' Woolly Horseshoe Bat, Rhinolophus francisi, has been named after Charles Francis, who collected the specimen in Malaysia in 1983.
The Natural History Museum said a CT scanner analysed its fragile bones.
Zoologist Roberto Portela Miguez said the scan showed "spiky, sharp-edged teeth that would work like scissors".
The bat was preserved in alcohol at the Natural History Museum
He said: "[They] would work like scissors to break open the hard outer-body casings of insects.
"This is a reminder of how much we still have to discover about the natural world."
Mr Miguez said discovering new insects and fish species happened relatively frequently, but indentifying new mammals was rarer.
A spokesman for the museum said the pickled bat would remain in the museum's collection for "further study", but would not be on public display.
The Natural History Museum in South Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 80 million items within five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology
Bat species discovered at Natural History Museum after 30 years - BBC News