A fish from China has displaced its European relatives to become the oldest known gliding fish. A near-complete skeleton of the fish, named Potanichthys xingyiensis, was found near Xingyi in Guizhou province in southwest China.
Potanichthys had well-developed pectoral fins, like modern flying fish. But what seals the deal for gliding flight is the fish's forked, asymmetrical tail, which had a chubby lower lobe similar to that seen in flying fish today.