Maiopatagium furculiferum

Overview

Maiopatagium documents an airborne way of life among mammal relatives long before living flying squirrels evolved. The fossil from China preserves a patagium, the skin membrane spread between limbs, alongside fur and a skeleton adapted to gliding. Its shoulder apparatus includes a fused wishbone. This is a distinct construction from feathered bird wings and does not imply powered flight.

The 2017 description places it among haramiyidans, an extinct mammaliaform lineage. A membrane can support a glide without identifying the animal as a bat or a direct ancestor of any living glider. Its unusual shoulder girdle resembles the condition in the platypus in some respects, while the overall combination is its own evolutionary experiment.

University of Chicago reporting describes CT work used to reconstruct bones still enclosed in rock and explains how those reconstructions informed anatomical artwork. Preserved soft tissue constrains the membrane and fur, but artistic restorations still require choices. Ear outline, coat colour and a particular midair pose should be read as interpretive additions rather than observations of a living Jurassic animal.

Origins & earliest records

Described by Meng and colleagues in 2017 from the Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of China. The approximate fossil age dates the preserved occurrence, rather than the origin of mammalian gliding.

Evidence & interpretation

The anatomical case combines preserved soft-tissue outlines with limb and shoulder anatomy. CT reconstructions clarify concealed skeletal features. Locomotion is inferred from this combination; exact glide performance, coat colour and behaviour are not directly recorded.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   New gliding mammaliaforms from the Jurassic

   Qing-Jin Meng and colleagues · 2017

   Selected bibliography; bounded source account, not exhaustive coverage.

2. 02

   Mammals like us

   Ingrid Gonçalves; University of Chicago · 2017

   Selected bibliography; bounded source account, not exhaustive coverage.

Family, evolution & connections

Taxonomic classification

A hierarchy of classified groups, not a chain of direct ancestors.

Source note: Conservative selected clades follow the describing study. Haramiyidan relationships and membership within crown Mammalia are debated; omitted ranks are not supplied by analogy with modern flying squirrels.

1. kingdomAnimalia
2. phylumChordata
3. cladeMammaliaformes
4. cladeHaramiyida
5. genusMaiopatagium
6. speciesMaiopatagium furculiferum

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. ResearchNew gliding mammaliaforms from the JurassicResearch access: 2026-10-10
2. InstitutionalMammals like usResearch access: 2026-10-10

Image credits

Maiopatagium furculiferum - AI-generated scientific interpretation.

Modern AI-generated scientific illustration; diagnostic features follow the cited research. Colour, pose and unpreserved fine details are interpretive; this image is not fossil or photographic evidence.