Body length
InferredAbout 32 cm (type reference)
Institutional report gives a whole-animal reference without detailed measurement method or maturity scope; not a species maximum. [D2]
EXHIBIT 220
Ambopteryx
Ambopteryx longibrachium
Dinosaur
Ambopteryx was a small feathered dinosaur with membranous wings, a shortened tail and preserved clues to an animal meal. [1]
TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST
Science & the silver screen
Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.
01 / SOURCE-INFORMED RECONSTRUCTION
A life reconstruction from the evidence
Image unavailableIllustrative life reconstruction of Ambopteryx in a period-appropriate environment; coloration and missing anatomy are interpretations.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
An illustrative reconstruction. Compare its anatomy with the evidence and limitations in the dossier. [1]
Source-informed reconstruction. Appearance evidence [1]. Original illustration; missing anatomy, coloration and scenery include interpretation.
Fossils constrain this life reconstruction. Missing anatomy, coloration and the environmental scene include interpretation; the dossier explains the evidence limits.
02 / MOVIE-STYLE INTERPRETATION
A cinematic imagination
Image unavailableIllustrative reconstruction of Ambopteryx longibrachium; missing anatomy, pose and colors are hypotheses.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
An illustrative reconstruction. Compare its anatomy with the evidence and limitations in the dossier. Lighting, coloration and scenery are artistic choices. This image does not document a fossil locality or behavior.
Original artwork · artistic interpretation.
Scientific view: source-informed reconstruction, credited paleoart or specimen-based imagery. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Reconstructions involve uncertainty.
PERIODLate Jurassic[2]
DIETOmnivoreEvidence and uncertainty in the dossier
TOTAL LENGTHSee the dossierEstimate scope matters
FOSSILS FOUNDChina[2]
MEET THE ANIMAL
Meet Ambopteryx
Ambopteryx was a small Late Jurassic dinosaur from Liaoning in China. An institutional report gives the featured fossil an estimated length of about thirty-two centimetres and mass of roughly three hundred grams. Its stomach area preserved stones and suspected undigested bones. Those remains suggest that animal food formed part of its diet, although they do not identify a particular prey animal or reveal every food it ate. [D2]
Like the related Yi, it had membranous wings supported by unusually long forelimbs and rods projecting from the wrists. It also had feathers and a shortened tail ending in a fused structure called a pygostyle. This combination makes it a dinosaur with a distinctive wing design. It should not be drawn simply as a bat or as a small bird with ordinary feathered flight wings. [D1]
Its way of moving was probably more complicated than a life spent only in treetops. A study of its foot claws found features suited to movement on the ground, without the opposing toes used by many modern grasping birds. Its forelimbs may still have helped it climb. Researchers therefore compare different parts of its body together, rather than letting the presence of wings decide its entire lifestyle. [D4]
PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER
A life in profile.
The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.
Ground-adapted feet complicate an exclusively tree-dwelling portrayal, even though forelimbs may have assisted climbing. [D4]
Profile scope: Genus — Ambopteryx longibrachium; holotype IVPP V24192 from Late Jurassic Liaoning, China, distinct from Yi. [D1]
- Time
- Late Jurassic
- Fossil locations in this exhibit
- China
How to read the evidence
Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.
A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.
Body mass
InferredAbout 306 g (type reference)
This is an estimated size reported for the featured specimen, not a measured adult species range. [D2]
Diet and feeding
InferredAnimal food consumed; omnivory proposed
Unidentified bony gut contents accompany stomach stones. Stones alone do not prove plant eating or identify prey. [D1]
Habitat and setting
InferredLiaoning Jurassic forest landscape
Ground-adapted feet and possible climbing forelimbs argue against automatically restricting it to a high-canopy habitat. [D4]
Movement
InferredClimbing and limited gliding inferred
Aerodynamic models do not support likely powered flight. Walking/climbing ecology also depends on foot and forelimb comparisons. [D3]
Recognizable anatomy
Source supportedMembrane wings and shortened tail
Long forelimbs and styliform wrist rods supported membranes; the short tail ends in a pygostyle. [D1]
Reproduction & life together
Reproduction and nesting
Not establishedNot established here
The reviewed skeleton and focused searches do not identify assigned nests, eggs, clutch size or parental care. [D1]
Mating and courtship
Not establishedNot established here
Wing anatomy is not proof of a mating display, display sound or sex-specific color pattern. [D1]
Social behavior
Not establishedNot established here
The described specimen does not establish communal nesting, flocking or cooperative feeding. [D2]
Dossier research & sources
Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.
- A new Jurassic scansoriopterygid and the loss of membranous wings in theropod dinosaurs (Wang et al., 2019)Nature 569:256–259 · Accessed 2026-10-05Original publisher abstract and extended anatomical figure captions inspected. IVPP V24192 documents membrane wings with styliform rods, elongated forelimbs, short pygostyle-bearing tail, gastroliths and unidentified bony gut contents. Main subscription text was not represented as fully inspected. · Inspected: excerpt
- Chinese Scientists Discover Bizarre Winged Dinosaur (2019)Chinese Academy of Sciences · Accessed 2026-10-05Full institutional news account inspected. Late Jurassic Liaoning, roughly 163 Ma; educational type references 32 cm and 306 g without detailed model or maturity justification. Suspected undigested bones with gastroliths support omnivory proposal, not specific prey identity. · Inspected: page
- Aerodynamics Show Membrane-Winged Theropods Were a Poor Gliding Dead-end (Dececchi et al., 2020)iScience 23:101574 · Accessed 2026-10-05Full original article inspected through official NCBI BioC XML PMC7756141. Flight models for Yi and Ambopteryx support limited gliding and reject likely powered flight. Body mass, wing outlines and launch assumptions affect performance; shared source budget with Yi. · Inspected: page
- Exceptional preservation and foot structure reveal ecological transitions and lifestyles of early theropod flyers (Pittman et al., 2022)Nature Communications 13:7684 · Accessed 2026-10-05Full original article inspected, especially Ambopteryx morphology/discussion/methods. Published claw measurements and photographs were analyzed, not newly preserved Ambopteryx toe pads. Weakly curved claws and lack of opposed digits suggest ground-adapted hindlimbs; forelimbs could nevertheless permit climbing. This qualifies the earlier exclusively arboreal reconstruction. · Inspected: page
THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS
Evidence behind Ambopteryx
Its foot study used claw form rather than preserved toe-pad skin. The distinction matters when reconstructing how it gripped a surface. [4]
The reported gut bones indicate animal food, but their identity and the complete diet remain uncertain. [2]
A note on scale and time
The dossier identifies the scope of each reference estimate. A mount, an individual fossil and a species-wide adult range are different measurements. Comparison metrics remain unavailable where adult scope has not been established. Unknown does not mean zero.
Sources & editorial notes
Sources support the stated claims and scopes. Refer to the evidence notes for uncertainty.
- A new Jurassic scansoriopterygid and the loss of membranous wings in theropod dinosaurs (Wang et al., 2019)Nature 569:256–259 · Accessed 2026-10-05Original publisher abstract and extended anatomical figure captions inspected. IVPP V24192 documents membrane wings with styliform rods, elongated forelimbs, short pygostyle-bearing tail, gastroliths and unidentified bony gut contents. Main subscription text was not represented as fully inspected. · Inspected: excerpt
- Chinese Scientists Discover Bizarre Winged Dinosaur (2019)Chinese Academy of Sciences · Accessed 2026-10-05Full institutional news account inspected. Late Jurassic Liaoning, roughly 163 Ma; educational type references 32 cm and 306 g without detailed model or maturity justification. Suspected undigested bones with gastroliths support omnivory proposal, not specific prey identity. · Inspected: page
- Aerodynamics Show Membrane-Winged Theropods Were a Poor Gliding Dead-end (Dececchi et al., 2020)iScience 23:101574 · Accessed 2026-10-05Full original article inspected through official NCBI BioC XML PMC7756141. Flight models for Yi and Ambopteryx support limited gliding and reject likely powered flight. Body mass, wing outlines and launch assumptions affect performance; shared source budget with Yi. · Inspected: page
- Exceptional preservation and foot structure reveal ecological transitions and lifestyles of early theropod flyers (Pittman et al., 2022)Nature Communications 13:7684 · Accessed 2026-10-05Full original article inspected, especially Ambopteryx morphology/discussion/methods. Published claw measurements and photographs were analyzed, not newly preserved Ambopteryx toe pads. Weakly curved claws and lack of opposed digits suggest ground-adapted hindlimbs; forelimbs could nevertheless permit climbing. This qualifies the earlier exclusively arboreal reconstruction. · Inspected: page
KEEP EXPLORING
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