There are so many creatures that once roamed planet Earth, our own little oasis in the vast expanse of the desert we call the cosmos. But what were these creatures like? What would their everyday lives have been like?
Well I'm here to answer those q...
The moon hangs low in the sky over Jurassic China, the Earth's natural satellite reflecting the sun's rays, causing it to cast a ghostly glow across the dense forests that cover this warm and humid subtropical environment.
Ferns, horsetails, cycads and club mosses may be very common, with large clusters populating the forest floor, but it's the Ginkgoales such as the Ginko, Bareia and Phoenicopsis which are the true stars here. This order makes up a large portion of the forests here, with the conifers playing out a supporting role in this habitat.
Although it may appear as if everything is asleep, for one small Mammal, this is the perfect time to be awake.
Flitting through the woods are vast quantities of nocturnal insects searching for food, but they themselves are about to become prey.
Suddenly a shadowy figure dives through the clouds of bugs, as it lands on the trunk of a tree. The moonlight reveals its identity, a Volaticotherium antiquum.
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Despite their resemblance to modern day flying squirrels, Volaticotheriums aren't related in any way to the rodents, instead belonging to the extinct Eutriconodonta order.
Growing from 5 to 6 inches long, Volaticotheriums are barely noticeable in the dark forest, but just because potential predators can't see them, doesn't mean that the Jurassic squirrels can't detect them.
With excellent night vision and acute hearing, little escapes their senses, especially when it comes to insects.
Holding the invertebrate it just caught in its jaws, the Volaticotherium's sharp canines and molars shear through the insect's exoskeleton.
As it finishes its meal, it begins to turn around so it can once again face the swarm, the animal's grasping toes and claws letting it keep a good grip on the bark when doing this.
The Mammal takes aim, its tiny brain having already calculated its trajectory, and then leaps into the void. As it falls, the Volaticotherium spreads out its limbs and glides towards the bug cloud.
Thanks to the specialized gliding membrane between its arms, legs, part of his tail, and even its digits known as a patagium, it's able to create enough lift to stay airborne. This is farther complimented by the length of its limb, forcing the skin flaps to cover a wider area. Even its flattened tail maximizes its gliding efficiency by increasing airflow. This species uses these adaptations for traveling, hunting, and escaping predators. However, there is one huge problem with their anatomy: the same tools that make them so graceful in the air, becomes a major handicap on the ground.
However, they aren't the only airborne creature out tonight. While the Volaticotheriums glide in the dark forest, a tiny Pterosaur flies out over the bank of a lake. This is Polaris, a female Dendrorhynchoides curvidentatus.
