News Paleontology

Bat-winged dinosaurs were clumsy fliers

Yi and Ambopteryx were a dead end on the evolutionary road to bird flight

Ambopteryx longibrachium

Even though it had batlike wings, Ambopteryx longibrachium (illustrated) was more of a short-distance glider than an active flier.

Chung-Tat Cheung

By Carolyn Gramling

- More than 2 years ago

Only two dinosaur species are known to have had wings made out of stretched skin, like bats. But unlike bats, these dinos were capable of only limited gliding between trees, a new anatomical analysis suggests.