Archaeopteryx (meaning 'ancient feather') is the earliest and most primitive known
avian to date. It lived in the late
Jurassic Period around 155-150 million years ago in what is now southern
Germany. At the time
Archaeopteryx lived,
Europe was an archipelago of islands in a shallow warm tropical sea, much closer to the equator than it is now.
Archaeopteryx lived during the time of the
dinosaurs, yet was set apart from them because of the inclusion of both avian and
theropod dinosaur features. Similar in size and shape to a
European Magpie, it bore broad, rounded wings and a long tail.
Archaeopteryx could grow to about half a metre, or 1.6 feet in length. Its
feathers resembled those of modern birds but
Archaeopteryx was rather different from any bird known today, in that it had jaws lined with sharp teeth, three 'fingers' ending in curved
claws and a long bony tail. These features, which are consistent with theropod dinosaurs, have made the
Archaeopteryx a hot topic in the debate on
evolution. Indeed, in 1862 the description of the first intact specimen of
Archaeopteryx, just two years after
Charles Darwin published
The Origin of Species, set off a firestorm of debate about evolution and the role of
transitional fossils that endures to this day.
The eleven fossils currently classified as Archaeopteryx are the oldest evidence of feathers on the planet and the only ones dated from Jurassic times. Furthermore, their advanced nature and placement suggest their origins must have been even earlier. All remains have been regarded by most as a single species, though this has been debated. (see more...)
