Researchers working in the Karoo Basin have identified a remarkable new fossil of a small, gliding cynodont from the Late Triassic period. Named the Karoo-Glider, this creature possessed elongated rib structures and skin membranes that allowed it to glide between prehistoric conifers, pre-dating the evolution of similar traits in true mammals by millions of years.
The find is crucial because it demonstrates that early synapsids were experimenting with diverse ecological niches, including arboreal and aerial lifestyles, much earlier than the Jurassic period. The fossil includes a nearly complete skull with specialized molar teeth, indicating a diet of high-protein insects and soft plant material, highlighting a complex evolutionary branch in the lineage of modern mammals.