Yi qi

Yi Qi is a fascinating and enigmatic dinosaur that lived around 160 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period. Its fossil was discovered in the Tiaojishan Formation of northeastern China, providing important insights into the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and the later flying vertebrates like birds.
What makes Yi Qi stand out is its wing structure. Unlike the typical long-winged pterosaurs or birds, Yi Qi had a wing membrane that stretched between its arm and an exceptionally long fourth finger, much like the wings of modern bats. This wing configuration was radically different from anything seen in other known dinosaurs, suggesting that flight or gliding may have evolved in unexpected ways during this period.

Despite being relatively small—about the size of a crow—Yi Qi's unique anatomy, including its feather-like coverings, indicates that it was likely adapted for some form of aerial movement, though it might not have been capable of powered flight. The discovery of Yi Qi has provided valuable evidence that flight in the animal kingdom could have developed in multiple, varied forms, showing that early flying animals experimented with a range of different wing structures.

The name "Yi Qi" is derived from the Chinese words for "strange wing," reflecting its unusual and groundbreaking wing design. This dinosaur's discovery has sparked numerous discussions about the evolutionary steps leading to the emergence of flight, offering a deeper understanding of how flight might have evolved in non-avian dinosaurs. It also has the least characters of any named dinosaurs.