Is it a bird? Is it a bat? Meet Yi qi, the dinosaur that is sort of both

29 April, 2015

A new find from China dubbed Yi qi (meaning ‘strange wing’) displays features akin to both birds and bats. Fully feathered, the specimen showed a greatly enlarged wrist bone extending backwards together with a membranous wing  between this and the fingers, as seen in modern bats and gliding mammals.

Not directly related to modern birds, this fossil is an excellent example of convergent evolution.

The Guardian: Is it a bird? Is it a bat? Meet Yi qi, the dinosaur that is sort of both