Speculative Evolution: Feathered Mammal Concepts

Medium (920px wide max)

Wide - use max window width - scroll to see page ⇅

Fit all of image in window

set default image size: small | medium | wide

Download (new tab)

by Harpagornis

Gallery

Another commission by DiegoOA, this time focusing on a beloved speculative evolution concept of mine: what if some mammal lineage had wings made of specialised fur? Modern sifakas already are basically on the path to this, having long hairs and an a propatagium, basically a discount bird wing, so...

This baby is not a sifaka relative, though it's exact phylogenetic relations are supposed to be vague beyond being some early, non-therian mammal. I recently suggested an Ectypodus-like skull, so maybe this is canonized as a ptilodontoidean multie that took to the air.

Note propatagia and uropatagia. Modern birds have a propatagium and embryonic specimens shows an uropatagium, so the same applies to this mammal as they would help reinforce the airfoil. Basically, this is like a bat or volaticothere with no brachiopatagium!

Keywords