Weigeltisaurid

Weigeltisaurids were a group of extinct reptiles that lived during the Late Permian period, between 259.51 and 251.9 million years ago.
They are known from fossils found in Madagascar, Germany, Great Britain, and Russia.
A possible weigeltisaurid, Wapitisaurus, has been found in Early Triassic strata in North America, but its poor preservation makes its identification uncertain.

Weigeltisaurids had long, hollow rod-like bones that extended from their lower abdomen and supported wing-like membranes.
These structures allowed them to glide from tree to tree, similar to modern gliding lizards.
They also had horns and tubercles on their skulls and jaws, which may have been used for display or defense.
Their skeletons were lightened by large air spaces within the bones, and their fingers and toes were elongated and adapted for grasping tree bark.

Weigeltisaurids were probably insectivores that fed on small arthropods in the trees.
They may have faced competition from other arboreal reptiles, such as kuehneosaurids and Mecistotrachelos, which also evolved gliding membranes independently.
Weigeltisaurids went extinct at the end of the Permian period, along with many other groups of animals, in the largest mass extinction event in Earth's history.

A Weigeltisaurid is an extinct reptile that lived in the Late Permian period, about 260 to 252 million years ago.
It had a slender body, a long tail, and four limbs with elongated fingers and toes.
Its head was adorned with horns and frills, giving it a chameleon-like appearance.
But the most remarkable feature of a Weigeltisaurid was the presence of long, hollow rods that extended from its lower abdomen.
These rods supported a membrane that allowed the animal to glide from tree to tree, similar to modern flying lizards.
A Weigeltisaurid probably ate insects and other small animals that it caught with its sharp teeth.