What would the changes necessary for powered flight using rib-derived "wings" look like?
I'm working on a humanoid vertebrate species that I'd like to be capable of true, flapping flight, but still have arms and legs completely separate from the wings. I also wish to avoid a "six-limbed vertebrate" scenario, since it has a number of fairly closely related species that only have four limbs. So, I've locked onto the idea of rib-supported skin membranes like the ones that lizards of the genus Draco use to glide.
I know one question here already addressed the possibility of a similar set-up, but I'm working on the assumption of possibility and wanting to know what the changes required would look like. In particular, I want to know where the flight muscles for such wings would be located and whether, once flapping flight was evolved, a horizontal stabilizer like the Draco lizards' gular flag would still be necessary, but help visualizing any other prerequisite changes would also be appreciated.
If it matters, the species in question is a sort of warm-blooded pseudo-mammal, and the range of motion for its spine is more mammalian than reptilian.
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/106014. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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