Interlude.

The Earwing, Otopteryx volitans, is one of a number of now-extinct mammals native to the Hy-yi-yi Archipelago in the Pacific. Isolated since the Late Cretaceous, the Hi-yi-yi Islands developed a number of endemic mammals that evolved very strange noses. Of these "Snouters", the Rhinogrades were amongst the oddest. Many species had evolved their noses into one or more "legs", their traditional hind legs often atrophying and their forelegs turning to grooming and grasping instead of locomotion.

One of these strange creatures was the earwing, a Snouter capable of limited flight using its ears once it had launched itself into the air with its nose. Their fur was very colorful, coming in a variety of colors. Because they tend to jump and fly hindquarters first, this one is fleeing away from the viewer.

Alas, the Hi-yi-yi Islands sank beneath the waves thanks to distant nuclear testing, accidentally wiping out this weird branch of the mammal family tree.

Art © 10/2017 Marvin E. Fuller
Snouters — Gerolf Steiner