Scansoriopterygidae

Scansoriopterygidae is an extinct family of small maniraptoran dinosaurs known from Jurassic fossils. Its members had unusual anatomical features associated with climbing and, in some species, powered or gliding flight.

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Maniraptora: Maniraptora is a group of theropod dinosaurs that includes birds and several close relatives. Scansoriopterygids belong to this branch of theropod evolution.
Yi qi: Yi qi is a Jurassic scansoriopterygid dinosaur known from a specimen with membranous wings supported by elongated wrist bones. Its unusual wing structure makes it the family's most distinctive known member.
Gliding (flight): Gliding is aerial movement in which an animal travels through air without continuous powered wingbeats. Membranous wings in Yi qi and Ambopteryx have been interpreted as gliding surfaces.
Jurassic: The Jurassic is a geological period lasting from about 201 to 145 million years ago. Scansoriopterygids lived during this period, before the earliest widely recognized birds.
Dinosaur flight origins: Dinosaur flight origins concern how flight evolved among theropod dinosaurs and their close relatives. Scansoriopterygid wings provide a distinct case in debates about early aerial abilities.
Theropoda: Theropoda is a major dinosaur group that includes birds and numerous extinct bipedal species. This broader dinosaur lineage contains Maniraptora and Scansoriopterygidae.
Ambopteryx: Ambopteryx is a Jurassic scansoriopterygid dinosaur preserved with evidence of a membranous wing and stomach contents. It provides a second example of the family's unusual wing anatomy.
Patagium: A patagium is a membrane of skin or other tissue that forms an aerodynamic surface between body parts. A preserved membrane is associated with the elongated wrist supports of some scansoriopterygids.
Yanliao Biota: The Yanliao Biota is a Middle-to-Late Jurassic terrestrial ecosystem known from fossil deposits in northeastern China. Its deposits preserve scansoriopterygids alongside other feathered dinosaurs and early mammals.
Aerodynamics: Aerodynamics is the study of how gases interact with moving bodies and surfaces. Wing shape and membrane evidence must be interpreted through aerodynamic constraints.