-797x638.jpg "Volaticotherium (flying squirrel-like glider)")
Volaticotherium (flying squirrel-like glider)
202123202123Volaticotherium (†Volaticotherium (Meng et al., 2006))
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Order: †Eutriconodonta
Clade: †Volaticotherini
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic, 164 Ma
Dimensions: length ~ 35 сm
Type species: †Volaticotherium antiquum
Volaticotherium is an extinct, gliding, insectivorous mammal that lived in Asia during the Jurassic period. It was had a gliding membrane, sometimes compared to modern-day flying squirrel, that extended not just between the limbs but also least the tail base. It was densely covered by fur.
It is the only member of the genus Volaticotherium. The discovery of this animal provided the earliest-known record of a gliding mammal (70 million years older than the next oldest example), until the discovery of the contemporary haramiyidans Maiopatagium, Vilevolodon and Xianshou, and provided further evidence of mammalian diversity during the Mesozoic Era.
The toes were grasping, as typical for arboreal mammals; the hand, however, was poorly preserved and its anatomy is therefore unclear. The teeth of Volaticotherium were highly unusual, possessing long, curved, backwards-pointing cusps, possibly used for shearing; this, combined with the long canines, indicates a carnivorous diet, which at its small size was probably composed of insects. It has been noted that most gliding mammals are predominantly herbivorous, which would make volaticothere carnivory truly exceptional. In particular, Volaticotherium itself has been compared to insectivorous bats, and its femur has unique adaptations among mammals that make it resistant to flight stresses, and render terrestrial locomotion cumbersome.
-70x56.jpg "2")
Volaticotherium (†Volaticotherium (Meng et al., 2006))
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Order: †Eutriconodonta
Clade: †Volaticotherini
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic, 164 Ma
Dimensions: length ~ 35 сm
Type species: †Volaticotherium antiquum
Volaticotherium is an extinct, gliding, insectivorous mammal that lived in Asia during the Jurassic period. It was had a gliding membrane, sometimes compared to modern-day flying squirrel, that extended not just between the limbs but also least the tail base. It was densely covered by fur.
It is the only member of the genus Volaticotherium. The discovery of this animal provided the earliest-known record of a gliding mammal (70 million years older than the next oldest example), until the discovery of the contemporary haramiyidans Maiopatagium, Vilevolodon and Xianshou, and provided further evidence of mammalian diversity during the Mesozoic Era.
The toes were grasping, as typical for arboreal mammals; the hand, however, was poorly preserved and its anatomy is therefore unclear. The teeth of Volaticotherium were highly unusual, possessing long, curved, backwards-pointing cusps, possibly used for shearing; this, combined with the long canines, indicates a carnivorous diet, which at its small size was probably composed of insects. It has been noted that most gliding mammals are predominantly herbivorous, which would make volaticothere carnivory truly exceptional. In particular, Volaticotherium itself has been compared to insectivorous bats, and its femur has unique adaptations among mammals that make it resistant to flight stresses, and render terrestrial locomotion cumbersome.
