Archaeopteryx Enhanced
by Weston Westmoreland
Title
Archaeopteryx Enhanced
Artist
Weston Westmoreland
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Berlin Archaeopteryx enhanced.
An enhanced view of the Berlin Archaeopteryx, the most iconic specimen found so far.
Archaeopteryx is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The Greek name means "ancient feather" or "ancient wing". Between the late 19th and early 21st centuries Archaeopteryx was generally accepted as the oldest known bird.
Archaeopteryx lived in the Late Jurassic in what is now southern Germany at a time when Europe was an archipelago of islands in a shallow warm tropical sea much closer to the equator than it is now.
Similar in size to a Eurasian magpie, with the largest individuals possibly attaining the size of a raven, the largest species of Archaeopteryx could grow to about 1 foot 8 inches in length.
Despite their small size, broad wings, and inferred ability to fly or glide, Archaeopteryx had more in common with other small Mesozoic dinosaurs than with modern birds: jaws with sharp teeth, three fingers with claws, a long bony tail, hyperextensible second toes ("killing claw"), feathers (which also suggest warm-bloodedness), and various features of the skeleton.
These features made Archaeopteryx a clear candidate for a transitional fossil between non-avian dinosaurs and birds. Thus, Archaeopteryx plays an important role, not only in the study of the origin of birds, but in the study of dinosaurs. It was named from a single feather in 1861, the identity of which has been controversial. That same year, the first complete specimen of Archaeopteryx was announced. Over the years, ten more fossils of Archaeopteryx have surfaced. Despite variation, most experts regard all the remains as a single species.
Archaeopteryx was long considered to be the beginning of the evolutionary tree of birds. 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 and which are their relatives.
Most of these eleven fossils include impressions of feathers. Because these feathers are of an advanced form (flight feathers), these fossils are evidence that the evolution of feathers began before the Late Jurassic. The type specimen of Archaeopteryx was discovered just two years after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. Archaeopteryx 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.
An absolutely amazing creature.
More dinosaurs and other creatures of prehistoric Earth one copy-paste away in my Gallery at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/dinos
Weston Westmoreland
Uploaded
December 26th, 2021
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