New Bat Species Found in Mizoram Forests

Aizawl: Researchers found two bat species in India for the first time. The discovery happened during biodiversity surveys held in Mizoram between 2023 and 2025. It pushes India's official bat count to 138 species.

A team from the Zoological Survey of India worked with scientists from the Hungarian Natural History Museum. They identified the Indo-Chinese thick-thumbed bat and the Indo-Chinese mouse-eared bat. They confirmed the find using genetic tests, echolocation data, and physical exams.

The thick-thumbed bat was previously only seen in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. This new record puts the species 670 kilometers west of its last known home in Serchhip district. The mouse-eared bat appeared in Reiek, moving its range 1,300 kilometers west from its base in China, Laos, and Vietnam.

Lead researcher Uttam Saikia believes this area hides more secrets. He said, "Northeast India, located at the intersection of the Indian and Southeast Asian biogeographic regions, continues to reveal previously undocumented species and distribution patterns."

Experts think a genetic sample from Bangladesh might also belong to the mouse-eared bat. This would mean the species lives across much more of South Asia than people thought. The study, printed in the journal Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, suggests more field work is needed to map these remote forests.