Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
448 / Mesozoic
Longisquama
Longisquama insignis
A row of exaggerated dorsal appendages has been called scales, feathers or gliding surfaces.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 235 million years ago
- Final stage
- Late Triassic
- Geographic range
- Lakeshore woodland · Kyrgyzstan
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Longisquama?
Longisquama (Longisquama insignis) was an extinct organism known from About 235 million years ago, with a range in Lakeshore woodland · Kyrgyzstan.
Life and ecology
This small arboreal reptile may have displayed the structures; gliding remains disputed.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Longisquama disappear?
Known from rocks about 235 million years old, it cannot be linked to the end-Triassic crisis more than 30 million years later. Its extinction cause is unknown.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Longisquama?
Few skeletons and isolated appendages permit several competing reconstructions.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Removed an extinction cause that credited a mass extinction occurring after this species' last dated record.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS