Yi qi

Yi qi

Period

Jurassic

Location

China

Length

33 cm

Weight

0.52 kg

Diet

Omnivore

Category

Dinosaurs - Ornithopods

Family

Scansoriopterygidae

About Yi qi

Yi qi

Overview

Yi qi (pronounced "ee chee") is one of the most bizarre and wonderful dinosaurs ever discovered! Living approximately 160 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period in China, this tiny dinosaur had bat-like wings—something never seen in any other dinosaur. Its name means "strange wing" in Chinese, and strange it certainly is!

Taxonomy & Classification

  • Clade: Theropoda / Scansoriopterygidae
  • Family: Scansoriopterygidae
  • Diet: Possibly omnivorous
  • Size Class: One of the smallest dinosaurs!

Yi qi belonged to a group of small, tree-dwelling dinosaurs.

Physical Characteristics

Size & Build

  • Length: Only 33 cm (13 inches)—about the size of a pigeon!
  • Weight: About 0.52 kg (1.1 lbs)
  • Wingspan: Estimated 60 cm (24 inches)

The Bat Wings

Yi qi had wings unlike any other dinosaur:

  • Had a long, bony rod extending from its wrist (called a "styliform element")
  • A membrane of skin stretched between this rod, fingers, and body
  • Similar to bat wings, not bird wings!
  • Completely different from feathered wings

Feathers AND Membranes

Yi qi had both:

  • Feathers covering its body
  • Membranous wings for gliding
  • The only known dinosaur with this combination!

Flight Abilities

Could It Fly?

Scientists debate this:

Probably NOT powered flight:

  • Muscles may not have been strong enough
  • Wing structure suggests gliding not flapping
  • More like a flying squirrel than a bird

Likely a Glider:

  • Could glide from tree to tree
  • Used wings to slow falls
  • May have parachuted to escape predators

Evolution's Experiment

Nature's Test Flight

Yi qi shows us:

  • Multiple types of wings evolved in dinosaurs
  • Flight/gliding evolved differently in different groups
  • The bat-wing design didn't catch on (birds with feathers won!)
  • Evolution "experiments" with different solutions

Why Didn't Bat-Wings Win?

  • Feathered wings proved more efficient
  • Membrane wings are more easily damaged
  • Bird-style wings eventually dominated
  • Yi qi's lineage went extinct

Discovery

Found in China

  • Discovered in the Tiaojishan Formation, Hebei Province, China
  • Announced in 2015
  • Only one specimen known
  • Found by a local farmer
  • Preserved with feathers and membrane impressions!

Record Holder

Shortest Dinosaur Name!

Yi qi holds a special record:

  • Only 2 letters in its genus name
  • Shortest scientific name of any dinosaur!
  • "Yi" = "wing" in Mandarin Chinese
  • "qi" = "strange" in Mandarin Chinese
  • Total: just 4 letters!

Lifestyle

Tree-Dwelling Mini Dinosaur

Yi qi probably:

  • Lived in trees
  • Climbed using its clawed hands
  • Glided between trees
  • Ate insects, seeds, and small animals
  • Was active during the day (had good color vision)

The Scansoriopterygids

Yi qi had relatives that were also tree-dwellers:

  • Ambopteryx—also had membrane wings!
  • Epidexipteryx—had long display feathers
  • All were small and specialized for life in trees

Cool Facts

  • Yi qi had the shortest name of any dinosaur (2 letters)!
  • It's the only dinosaur known with bat-like wing membranes
  • Some scientists thought the wing bone might be fake at first!
  • It had four fingers on each hand (most theropods had three)
  • Feathers were brush-like, not flight feathers
  • Shows dinosaurs experimented with different ways to fly
  • Probably looked like a feathered bat!
  • The membrane was made of skin, not feathers

Yi qi reminds us that evolution is full of surprises—a bat-winged dinosaur that shows nature tries many solutions before finding ones that last!