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Description
Yi qi

Dinosaurs by the Mid to Late Jurassic had diversified into a myriad of different groups and species across the globe. In what is today northeastern China, a formation known as Tiaojishan Formation has produced a variety of well-preserved fossils over the years. Among the most recent and most bizarre was a small basal paravian known as Yi qi.

History and Discovery:
In 2007, a local farmer named Wang Jianrong was prospecting in a quarry near his village of Mutoudeng. He sold the fossil to the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature later that year. The specimen was shown to be very unique during its preparation, with feathers and soft tissue found during the fossil’s preparation. In 2015, a study published by paleontologist Dr.Xu Xing unveiled the fossil to the world. He named the creature “Yi qi”. The genus name is derived from the mandarin “Yi” meaning wing and the species name, “qi” meaning “strange”.

Taxonomy:
It’s classified as a basal paravian dinosaur, part of the family Scansoriopterygidae. Dated to around 159,000,000 years ago, this small, bizarre dinosaur was among the most unique dinosaurs announced during the 2010s.

Description:
In terms of size, it was around the size of a pigeon. Not even weighing a pound in weight. Approximately 6-8in tall and just over 2ft long (including the tail feathers). However, among Scansoriopterygids, it’s the largest member of the family. The animal was covered in downy feathers across its body and long and very simple pennaceous feathers on its short tail (although only part of two feathers are on the holotype fossil). While simple, they were as long as the body itself was and made up more than half of its length. The tail feathers were likely used for display between sexes.
The head on Scansoriopterygids was almost always universal, and Yi was no exception. Having a short and blunted snout, with a downturned tip on the mandible of the skull. Peg-like teeth were in their mouths designed for snagging prey.
And in terms of the prey itself, Scansoriopterygids’ diets are believed to have been insectivorous. This was probably the same with Yi as well, likely eating insects and grubs in the Mid-Jurassic Forests of China.
The aspect that stands out the most is its titular odd wings. Unlike its distant cousins, birds, or even basal dromaeosaurs like Microraptor or Sinornithosaurus, the wings on Yi, while they have some feathers, they have an aspect that is far more bat-like in terms of how they are structured. With a membrane stretching across its three fingers and either a modified wrist bone or a sort of pseudo-finger made of cartilage. It’s somewhat reminiscent of bats, and an example of convergent evolution. However, in bats, the membrane stretches between the fingers and no cartilaginous wrist bone is present.

Coloration:

From the beginning of paleontology, color in dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals was thought to be impossible to determine. However, in the 2010s, a technique was developed to try and determine to some degree what color some animals were. By using an electron microscope, paleontologists could get an image of the pigmentation and compare it to modern birds.
It was done with dinosaurs like Microraptor, Sinornithosaurus, Anchiornis, and Sinosauropteryx. And in the description of the holotype, Yi Qi was determined to have a black color on most of the downy wing feathers and the head had some yellow-brownish colors on it.

Habitat:
The habitat of this small dinosaur was a tropical forest environment with cycad, conifers, and primitive fern trees dotting the landscape. However, the thing that made the fossil so well-preserved was likely a pyroclastic eruption. Akin to Mount St. Helens or Pompeii. A volcanic eruption occurred and likely encased the animal in volcanic ash.

Behavior and Flight Capabilities:
When one looks at the wings of this strange dinosaur, it’s tempting to think that this creature could fly like a bat from tree to tree. However, this cannot be extrapolated given the compressed (2-D) preservation of this fossil. Paleontologists have not been able to determine how thick the wings were on this animal. The thicker the wing would have enabled more air to pass over and below the membrane. However, even if it were as thick as it possibly could get, the impressions on the preserved femur do not show evidence of the strong muscles required for powered flight.
It’s now generally accepted that Yi was largely a gliding animal. The cartilaginous structure, while somewhat like bats, is also seen in flying squirrels. Given its forested habitat, these creatures could glide fairly easily from tree to tree and snag mayflies, beetles, and dragonflies on the various trunks.

Extinction:
Yi and its kin were mainly successful in what is now Asia. Fossils have been found during the Mid to Late Jurassic around 165-156,000,000 years ago, never persisting past that point nor have any other fossils have been found outside of Asia. Many paleontologists think that the Scansoriopterygids went extinct due to competition with more derived paravians like basal dromaeosaurs and early birds. They were never able to diversify enough during their reign. Within 20-22,000,000 years, basal birds like the toothed-enantiornithes would dominate the regions where these peculiar dinosaurs once roamed.
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An oddity of the Mesozoic and Mid-Jurassic of China and one of my favorite dinosaurs of China.

It was made by Tyranachu and no mods were made to this animal aside from the pose.

Will this be in Past Meets Present? Honestly, it was on the cards at first, but I basically planned to throw the Shamxiao, Tiaojishan, and Shishugou Formations together. The likes of Monolophosaurus, Yangchuanosaurus, Guanlong, Mamenchisaurus, Tuojiangosaurus, and Yi qi together. However, unfortunately, I needed to get a basal Tyrannosaur for this animal to work (for Guanlong). And there was no good model for it, and ultimately, I decided to abandon that plan and target the Morrison instead. Furthermore, it was a bit too much with a lot of time wanderers together. So I ultimately scrapped it and went with the far more commonly shown Morrison Formation.

Interesting fact: Both this primitive dinosaur and of all things, the Great evening bat from Asia have the shortest binomial name of any animal with just 4 characters in total.

Original model and skin by Tyranachu:
Yi (Tyranachu) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom

Description
Yi qi

Dinosaurs by the Mid to Late Jurassic had diversified into a myriad of different groups and species across the globe. In what is today northeastern China, a formation known as Tiaojishan Formation has produced a variety of well-preserved fossils over the years. Among the most recent and most bizarre was a small basal paravian known as Yi qi.

History and Discovery:
In 2007, a local farmer named Wang Jianrong was prospecting in a quarry near his village of Mutoudeng. He sold the fossil to the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature later that year. The specimen was shown to be very unique during its preparation, with feathers and soft tissue found during the fossil’s preparation. In 2015, a study published by paleontologist Dr.Xu Xing unveiled the fossil to the world. He named the creature “Yi qi”. The genus name is derived from the mandarin “Yi” meaning wing and the species name, “qi” meaning “strange”.

Taxonomy:
It’s classified as a basal paravian dinosaur, part of the family Scansoriopterygidae. Dated to around 159,000,000 years ago, this small, bizarre dinosaur was among the most unique dinosaurs announced during the 2010s.

Description:
In terms of size, it was around the size of a pigeon. Not even weighing a pound in weight. Approximately 6-8in tall and just over 2ft long (including the tail feathers). However, among Scansoriopterygids, it’s the largest member of the family. The animal was covered in downy feathers across its body and long and very simple pennaceous feathers on its short tail (although only part of two feathers are on the holotype fossil). While simple, they were as long as the body itself was and made up more than half of its length. The tail feathers were likely used for display between sexes.
The head on Scansoriopterygids was almost always universal, and Yi was no exception. Having a short and blunted snout, with a downturned tip on the mandible of the skull. Peg-like teeth were in their mouths designed for snagging prey.
And in terms of the prey itself, Scansoriopterygids’ diets are believed to have been insectivorous. This was probably the same with Yi as well, likely eating insects and grubs in the Mid-Jurassic Forests of China.
The aspect that stands out the most is its titular odd wings. Unlike its distant cousins, birds, or even basal dromaeosaurs like Microraptor or Sinornithosaurus, the wings on Yi, while they have some feathers, they have an aspect that is far more bat-like in terms of how they are structured. With a membrane stretching across its three fingers and either a modified wrist bone or a sort of pseudo-finger made of cartilage. It’s somewhat reminiscent of bats, and an example of convergent evolution. However, in bats, the membrane stretches between the fingers and no cartilaginous wrist bone is present.

Coloration:

From the beginning of paleontology, color in dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals was thought to be impossible to determine. However, in the 2010s, a technique was developed to try and determine to some degree what color some animals were. By using an electron microscope, paleontologists could get an image of the pigmentation and compare it to modern birds.
It was done with dinosaurs like Microraptor, Sinornithosaurus, Anchiornis, and Sinosauropteryx. And in the description of the holotype, Yi Qi was determined to have a black color on most of the downy wing feathers and the head had some yellow-brownish colors on it.

Habitat:
The habitat of this small dinosaur was a tropical forest environment with cycad, conifers, and primitive fern trees dotting the landscape. However, the thing that made the fossil so well-preserved was likely a pyroclastic eruption. Akin to Mount St. Helens or Pompeii. A volcanic eruption occurred and likely encased the animal in volcanic ash.

Behavior and Flight Capabilities:
When one looks at the wings of this strange dinosaur, it’s tempting to think that this creature could fly like a bat from tree to tree. However, this cannot be extrapolated given the compressed (2-D) preservation of this fossil. Paleontologists have not been able to determine how thick the wings were on this animal. The thicker the wing would have enabled more air to pass over and below the membrane. However, even if it were as thick as it possibly could get, the impressions on the preserved femur do not show evidence of the strong muscles required for powered flight.
It’s now generally accepted that Yi was largely a gliding animal. The cartilaginous structure, while somewhat like bats, is also seen in flying squirrels. Given its forested habitat, these creatures could glide fairly easily from tree to tree and snag mayflies, beetles, and dragonflies on the various trunks.

Extinction:
Yi and its kin were mainly successful in what is now Asia. Fossils have been found during the Mid to Late Jurassic around 165-156,000,000 years ago, never persisting past that point nor have any other fossils have been found outside of Asia. Many paleontologists think that the Scansoriopterygids went extinct due to competition with more derived paravians like basal dromaeosaurs and early birds. They were never able to diversify enough during their reign. Within 20-22,000,000 years, basal birds like the toothed-enantiornithes would dominate the regions where these peculiar dinosaurs once roamed.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
An oddity of the Mesozoic and Mid-Jurassic of China and one of my favorite dinosaurs of China.

It was made by Tyranachu and no mods were made to this animal aside from the pose.

Will this be in Past Meets Present? Honestly, it was on the cards at first, but I basically planned to throw the Shamxiao, Tiaojishan, and Shishugou Formations together. The likes of Monolophosaurus, Yangchuanosaurus, Guanlong, Mamenchisaurus, Tuojiangosaurus, and Yi qi together. However, unfortunately, I needed to get a basal Tyrannosaur for this animal to work (for Guanlong). And there was no good model for it, and ultimately, I decided to abandon that plan and target the Morrison instead. Furthermore, it was a bit too much with a lot of time wanderers together. So I ultimately scrapped it and went with the far more commonly shown Morrison Formation.

Interesting fact: Both this primitive dinosaur and of all things, the Great evening bat from Asia have the shortest binomial name of any animal with just 4 characters in total.

Original model and skin by Tyranachu:
Yi (Tyranachu) | ZT2 Download Library Wiki | Fandom