Ancient animals fly like birds

Squirrel-like animals that live at the same time as dinosaurs at least 130 years ago may have dominated the sky like birds. That is the newly discovered Volaticotherium antiquus .

This new flying species has pushed the record of the mammal's first sky flight back at least 70 million years ago compared to previous thoughts.

The fossil of Volaticotherium antiquus , which represents a group of previously unknown mammals, was found at rock shelves in northeastern China. Fossils show that other mammals from the Middle Age, about 248-65 million years ago, may have been richer than what scientists know.

"This animal is very different from what we know about Mesozoic mammals. So we think they represent a new branch of mammals in ancient times" , Jin Meng, home Antiques at the Museum of American Natural History in New York said.

The oldest known mammal known earlier is a rodent. But this new flying mammal is not a direct ancestor of any living animal today.

Fossils show that the animal weighs 450 grams, is agile, has sharp teeth for eating insects. The toe bones show that they also climb trees, helping them take off from above. It has a wide leather membrane that extends from the front leg to the hind legs like an airplane wing. They also have hair on the membrane and the whole body. The long tail can act as a rudder while flying.

Species Volaticotherium antiquus (Photo: nationalgeographic)

MT