Paleontologists in Liaoning Province have unearthed the fossilized remains of a new species of mammaliamorph from the Late Jurassic. The specimen is extraordinary for the preservation of its patagium—the soft skin membrane used for gliding—which allows scientists to confirm that ancient mammals were mastering aerial movement alongside early pterosaurs.
Named Volatilis jura, the creature was roughly the size of a modern sugar glider. The find indicates that the ecological niches occupied by small vertebrates in the Jurassic were far more diverse than previously thought, with complex adaptations for life in the forest canopy appearing millions of years before modern bats or squirrels.