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Yi qi facts for kids

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Yi qi
Temporal range:
Middle or Upper Jurassic, 160/165 mya
Yi qi restoration.jpg
Life restoration
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Class:
Subclass:
Order:
Suborder:
Family:
Scansoriopterygidae
Genus:
Yi
Binomial name
Yi qi

Imagine a dinosaur that could climb trees and glide through the air! That's exactly what Yi was. This amazing creature was a type of dinosaur that lived in China during the Jurassic period. Its full name is Yi qi, and scientists found only one fossil of it. This fossil was of an adult Yi qi and was discovered in Hebei, China. This special dinosaur lived about 160 million years ago!

Meet Yi qi: The Bat-Winged Dinosaur

Yi qi was a small dinosaur, probably about the size of a pigeon. It likely lived in trees, making it an arboreal animal. This means it spent most of its life in the forest canopy.

What Made Yi qi Special?

Yi qi had some very unique features that helped it move around. Like other dinosaurs in its family, it had a super long third finger. This wasn't just for pointing! This long finger helped to hold up a special skin flap.

How Did Yi qi Glide?

This skin flap was like a membrane or a "gliding plane." It was made of skin and stretched out from its body. To make it even stronger, Yi qi's gliding planes also had a long, bony rod. This rod was attached to its wrist.

This special wrist bone and the skin membrane are found in no other known dinosaur. Scientists think these features made Yi qi's wings look a lot like those of modern bats. This allowed Yi qi to glide from tree to tree, which was a great way to escape predators or find food!

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