Wikipedia
Xianglong (meaning "flying dragon" in Chinese) is a genus of Cretaceous lizard discovered in the Zhuanchengzi, near Yizhou, Yixian, Liaoning Province of China. It is known from LPM 000666, a single complete skeleton with skin impressions. The specimen comes from the Barremian-age Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation, near Yizhou. The most notable feature about Xianglong is its bizarre oversized ribs, eight on each side, which were attached to a membrane of body tissue and allowed the lizard to glide. It was an acrodont lizard, and a cladistic analysis indicates it was grouped with iguanians such as agamines, chamaeleonids, and leiolepidines.
The fossil specimen found was long, of which was tail, but the describers say it was a juvenile. So far this is the only known fossil gliding lizard, though there are other unrelated animals that also use their ribs to glide.
Xianglong may refer to:
- Xianglong, a genus of Cretaceous period lizards.
- Guizhao Xianglong, Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle concept.
- Xianglong Subdistrict, subdistrict in the Hunan Province of the People's Republic of China.
- Dai Xianglong