Archaeopteryx lived in the Late Jurassic around 150 million years ago. It was named from a single feather in 1861, the identity of which has been controversial. It has qualities that helped define what it is like to be a bird, such as its long, powerful front limbs. However, in recent years, the discovery of several small, feathered dinosaurs has created a mystery for paleontologists. Analysis of fossil traits indicates that ArchaeopteryX is not a bird at all.
About Archaeopteryx in brief
Archaeopteryx lived in the Late Jurassic around 150 million years ago. It was named from a single feather in 1861, the identity of which has been controversial. It has qualities that helped define what it is like to be a bird, such as its long, powerful front limbs. However, in recent years, the discovery of several small, feathered dinosaurs has created a mystery for paleontologists, raising questions about which animals are the ancestors of modern birds. An analysis of fossil traits indicates that ArchaeopteryX is not a bird at all. The latest fossil discovery that walks the line between birds and non-avian dinosaurs is leading paleontologist to re-evaluate the evolutionary link between the two. Most of these eleven fossils include impressions of feathers. Because these feathers are of an advanced form, these fossils are evidence that the evolution of feathers began before the Lateassic. The first skeleton was unearthed in 1861 near Langenaltheim, Germany, and given to local physician Karl Häberlein in return for medical services. It is currently located at the Natural History Museum of Berlin. Despite variation among these fossils, most experts regard all the remains that have been discovered as belonging to a single species, although this is still debated. In 2019 it was reported that laser imaging had revealed the structure of the quill, and that the feather was inconsistent with the morphology of all other Archaeoperyx feathers known, leading to the conclusion that it originated from another species. The feather was identified as the primary covert feather, most likely having an upper major morphology as it may have been an upper covert feather.
In the subsequent edition of his fourth edition of On Origin of Species, Charles Darwin described how some authors had maintained how the whole class of birds had come to be known as Archaeopteros. In 1863, it was described by Richard Owen as Macrura macrura, allowing the possibility for the possibility that it did not belong to the same species as the feather. That same year, the first complete specimen was announced. Over the years, ten more fossils have surfaced, including Anchiornis, Xiaotingia, and Aurornis. The type specimen was discovered just two years after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of species. It seemed to confirm Darwin’s theories and has since become a key piece of evidence for the origin of birds, the transitional fossils debate, and confirmation of evolution. The fossils come from the limestone deposits, quarried for centuries, near Solnhofen, Germany. They were discovered in 1860 or 1861 and described in 1861 by Hermann von Meyer. Though it was the initial holotype, there were indications that it might not have been from the same animal as the body fossils. The largest species of Archaeopryx could grow to about 0. 5 m in length. Despite their small size, broad wings, and inferred ability to fly or glide, they shared the following features with the dromaeosaurids and troodontids: jaws with sharp teeth, three fingers with claws, a long bony tail, hyperextensible second toes, feathers, and various features of the skeleton.
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This page is based on the article Archaeopteryx published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 02, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
