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A long time ago, a group of primates diverged into three main groups: Imps, Angels, and possibly fairies? Some characteristics of flying primates include:

  • being 4.1 feet
  • having pterosaur-like wings
  • are tetrapods instead of Hexapods like classical Angels
  • are erect bipeds (similar to gibbons or humans)
  • are monogamous (similar to kiwis or gibbons)
  • have a prehensile tongue, and owl like feet
  • are covered in white fur
  • are capable of flight
  • are quite slender
  • live in large groups
  • having a surprisingly human like face
  • have aggressiveness on par with chimpanzees
  • are omnivorous
  • have long hair which can range from blond to black (optional)
  • are smarter than chimpanzees but not as smart as a human
  • are capable of taking off from the ground with a running start but usually live up in trees and high up elevations

Given these characteristics, what species of primate could they have evolved from, and what evolutionary pressures would lead to them?

NOTE: Magic does not exist in my story

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  • $\begingroup$ How functional are their wings? Are they able to glide? Support their own weight? Take off from the ground? IMHO the answers to their flight capabilities are going to be drive yes/no of feasibility. $\endgroup$
    – kleer001
    Commented Mar 9, 2020 at 21:31
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    $\begingroup$ This seems like an Anatomically correct series question and you should format it to fit that format if it is. $\endgroup$
    – Shadowzee
    Commented Mar 9, 2020 at 23:47
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    $\begingroup$ Just a note of realism, despite all the lies of the Jurassic Park/World movies, we have known since the 1800s that Pterosaurs (which are not classified as dinosaurs) actually had fur more like marsupials or bats. Although they are not directly related to those creatures, if you would like to make that description more realistic, your "angels" will end up looking more like "fallen angels" or vampires... Just a thought. $\endgroup$
    – TitaniumTurtle
    Commented Mar 10, 2020 at 18:39
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    $\begingroup$ The one thing I say is not that likely is the long prehensile tail, since that would weight it down a fair bit and risk hindering flight, even for its size. I'd recommended instead giving it feet like those of an owl (zygodactly with a toe capable of coming forward) or even a long, prehensile tongue to do the handling parts, since those would be better ways to give it dexterous structures without weighting it down too much $\endgroup$
    – ProjectApex
    Commented Apr 21, 2020 at 14:23
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    $\begingroup$ @icewar1908 the moment you said their wings were pterosaur like and they were 4 feet tall I immediately thought about pteranodons, and I'm mostly sure your angels could have similar anatomic traits. By the way, even without opposing digits intellect is possible. Think about how crows (use their beak to make and handle tools) and dolphins (basically no visible digits) are remarkably intelligent. $\endgroup$
    – ProjectApex
    Commented Apr 21, 2020 at 14:33

2 Answers 2

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Yes, its easy to exist.

However, a pterosaur wing will use their superior limbs. Take in consideration Human inteligence evolve due the able to make tools. I'm not sure how this animal would evolve some kind of high inteligence without an opposite thumb. Unless than - this looks like weird - they use their inferior limbs to use tools, as the Dug specie from Star Wars.

Since they fly, is more probably they have a long tail to bring stability rather than a short one.

All this said, your angel creature would evolve from arboreal monkeys from American continent, with a long phehensile tail. Jump between different trees provide the pressure to appear one membrane between the limbs, as in the flying squirrel, and in the successive generations superior hands convert into wings.

Evolutinary pressure to inteligence is kinda hard to compare in this way. We can see capucchin monkeys with a justice sense, and use tools like stone age humans. Crows are master of logic, even without an opposite thumb, as show here and here. Since your angels will evolve to similar human face is easy to make they evolve to facial expressions and complex language, that are important steps. One other important boost in inteligence evolution is use of fire to cook food: more calories per portion, no demand all awake time of day hunting for food and soft food demand less strong teeth, opening room in the head to one brain expansion.

Your angel-monkey will demand one giant amount of calories to movement and metabolism, then the use of fire will provide a boost to improve inteligence without, although, they be smart enough to compare with humans. Issues in use inferior limbs instead superior limbs probably its a good reason to no evolve high as humans too.

The japanese macaque is the only (only I know) specie with white fur. This happen cause snowfall where they live. I cant wonder another good reason to one primate evolve white fur or hair beside it, even hominids no evolve white skin before explore northern regions. Highlands are a good bet too. Like humans, its easy build the specie evolving in a tropical region, expand to tall trees florests where fly evolve and after explore high montain regions, like the Amazon - Andes region looks like. White fur and hair will happen there, with brownish hair as recessive gene happen in some individuals.

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    $\begingroup$ For some reason this made me think of Sharovipteryx haha. $\endgroup$
    – TitaniumTurtle
    Commented Mar 10, 2020 at 19:13
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    $\begingroup$ Man, this look weird but is really a good one and works fine. $\endgroup$
    – Rodolfo Penteado
    Commented Mar 10, 2020 at 19:30
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Easily. When it comes to biological evolution and selective pressures, the sky's the limit. Nothing you've suggested is entirely unreasonable, the only thing that might be a stretch is the wings.

I would imagine they'd need to be roughly bat shaped in order to really effectively fly (or glide), and many different branches of biological life have covergently evolved to develop flight, from mammals to insects to arachnids to reptiles.

One example of a possible selective pressure is a canopy with trees of many varying heights. The need to survive a jump when escaping predators or ambushing prey could easily pressure skin flaps to slow or guide a free fall.

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