Volaticotherium

Volaticotherium Temporal range: Middle Jurassic, 164 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Holotype, Paleozoological Museum of China
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†Eutriconodonta
Clade:	†Volaticotherini
Genus:	†Volaticotherium Meng et al., 2006
Type species
†Volaticotherium antiquum Meng et al., 2006[1]

Volaticotherium antiquum (meaning "ancient gliding beast") is an extinct, gliding, insectivorous mammal that lived in Asia during the Jurassic period, around 164 mya. It is the only member of the genus Volaticotherium.

The discovery of Volaticotherium provided the earliest-known record of a gliding mammal (70 million years older than the next oldest example),^[2] until the discovery of the contemporary haramiyidans Maiopatagium, Vilevolodon and Xianshou, and provided further evidence of mammalian diversity during the Mesozoic Era. The closely related and significantly older Argentoconodon shows similar post-cranial adaptations for aerial locomotion also seen in Volaticotherium.^[3]