Volaticotherium
| Volaticotherium antiquum Temporal range: Upper Jurassic, 154 Ma |
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| Artist's impression | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Volaticotheria Meng et al., 2006 |
| Family: | †Volaticotheriidae Meng et al., 2006 |
| Genus: | †Volaticotherium |
| Species: | V. antiquum |
| Binomial name | |
| Volaticotherium antiquum Meng et al., 2006 |
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Volaticotherium antiquum was an actively mobile ancient gliding insectivorous mammal that lived in what would become Asia during the Jurassic period, around 154 mya. It is the only member of the genus Volaticotherium, family Volaticotheriidae, and order Volaticotheria.
It was not closely related to any other mammalian group currently known. It had a gliding membrane similar to a modern-day flying squirrel. The teeth of Volaticotherium were highly specialized for eating insects, and its limbs were adapted to living in trees. The gliding membrane (patagium) was insulated by a thick covering of fur, and was supported by the limbs as well as the tail. The discovery of Volaticotherium provided the earliest-known record of a gliding mammal (70 million years older than the next oldest example),[1] and provided further evidence of mammalian diversity during the Mesozoic Era.
The only known fossil of Volaticotherium was recovered from the Daohugou Beds of Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, China. The age of the Daohugou Beds is currently uncertain and the subject of debate — they appear to be either preceding or around the Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous boundary (c. 140-120 mya).[2] The description was published in an issue of the journal Nature.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Smithsonian Magazine (2007). "Wild Things: Life As We Know It". Smithsonian Magazine. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/wild_things_feb07.html. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
- ^ Wang, X.; Zhou, Z.; He, H.; Jin, F.; Wang, Y.; Wang, Y.; Zhang, J.; Xu, X. et al (2005). "Stratigraphy and age of the Daohugou Bed in Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia". Chinese Science Bulletin 50 (20): 2369–2376. doi:10.1007/BF03183749.
- ^ Meng, J., Hu, Y., Wang, Y., Wang, X., Li, C. (Dec 2006). "A Mesozoic gliding mammal from northeastern China". Nature 444 (7121): 889–893. doi:10.1038/nature05234. PMID 17167478. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7121/abs/nature05234.html.
- Meng, J.; Hu, Y.-M.; Wang, Y.-Q.; Wang, X.-L.; Li, C.-K. (2007). "Corrigendum: A Mesozoic gliding mammal from northeastern China". Nature 446 (7131): 102. doi:10.1038/nature05639.
[edit] External links
- Online article from Nature, with illustration
- BBC News: Earliest flying mammal discovered
- NY Times: Early Mammals Took to the Air, Fossil Suggests
- AP: Mammals may have flown before birds
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