A particulary important and still contentious discovery is
Archaeopteryx lithographica, found in the
JurassicSolnhofenLimestone of southern Germany, which is marked by rare butexceptionally well preserved fossils.
Archaeopteryx is consideredby many to be the first bird, being of about 150 million years of age. It is actually intermediate between the birds that wesee flying around in our backyards and the predatory dinosaurs like
Deinonychus. In fact, one skeleton of
Archaeopteryxthat had poorly preserved featherswas originally described as a skeleton of a small bipedal dinosaur,
Compsognathus. A total of seven specimens of the bird are knownat this time.
It has long been accepted that Archaeopteryx was a transitional form between birds and reptiles, and that it is the earliest known bird.Lately, scientists have realized that it bears even more resemblance to its ancestors, the Maniraptora, than to modern birds; providing a strong phylogenetic link between the two groups. It is one of the most important fossils ever discovered.
Unlike all living birds, Archaeopteryx had a full set ofteeth, a rather flat sternum ("breastbone"), a long, bony tail, gastralia ("belly ribs"),and three claws on the wing which could have still been used to grasp prey (or maybe trees). However, its feathers, wings, furcula("wishbone") and reduced fingers are all characteristics of modern birds.
Cast of the Berlin specimen of Archaeopteryx lithographica, fromthe collections of UCMP.
Original at Humboldt University, Berlin.As you can see,Archaeopteryx certainly had feathers, although whether thesefeathers were used for regulating its body temperature or for flightis a matter still open for debate. Feathers may have originally evolved for insulation and then been co-opted into flight. The origin of flight, and the actual flight capabilitiesof Archaeopteryx,are debated. Two models of the evolution of flight have been proposed:in the "trees-down" model, birds evolved from ancestors that lived intrees and could glide down, analogous to today's flying squirrels. In the"ground-up" model, the ancestors of birds lived on the ground and madelong leaps. For more information, see our new exhibits on vertebrate flight and avian flight.
The flight stroke may have originated as an extension of thegrabbing forearm motions that smaller, agile theropodssuch as Deinonychus may have used to grab and hang on to prey.As you know if you've ever cut up a chicken, living birds (except forflightless birds like the ostrich and kiwi) have a keeled sternum to which the large, powerful flight muscles attach. Archaeopteryx, however, had a comparatively flat sternum. Although it is currently thought that Archaeopteryx could sustain poweredflight, it was probably not a strong flier; it may well have ran, leaped, glided, and flapped all in the same day.
Some years ago, the British astronomer Sir Frederick Hoyle and colleaguesproposed that Archaeopteryx was a clever forgery. Check outArchaeopteryx -- Is This Bird A Fraud?, an excellent essay that not only reviewsthe evidence for and against fraud, but assesses various theories of howthis creature lived.
FAQs
The earliest known (from fossils) bird is the 150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx, but birds had evolved before then. A range of birds with more advanced features appeared soon after Archaeopteryx. One group gave rise to modern birds in the Late Cretaceous.
What is the earliest known bird? ›
Archaeopteryx is considered by many to be the first bird, being of about 150 million years of age. It is actually intermediate between the birds that we see flying around in our backyards and the predatory dinosaurs like Deinonychus.
Is Archaeopteryx the ancestor of birds? ›
While Archaeopteryx is sometimes called the first bird or the earliest bird, scientists now think that there could be even older bird ancestors.
Is Archaeopteryx no longer the first bird? ›
Modern palaeontology has often classified Archaeopteryx as the most primitive bird. However, it is not thought to be a true ancestor of modern birds, but rather a close relative of that ancestor. Nonetheless, Archaeopteryx was often used as a model of the true ancestral bird. Several authors have done so.
What bird is older than the Archaeopteryx? ›
While Aurornis lived about ten million years earlier than Archaeopteryx, and very far from the prehistoric European archipelago that Archaeopteryx inhabited, the new study found that the two plumage-covered creatures were close relatives at the very base of bird evolution.
What is the oldest bird alive today? ›
- Wisdom (right), the world's oldest known wild bird, was recently seen dancing with potential mates. ...
- The Laysan albatross is believed to be about 72 years old. ...
- Wisdom (left) interacting with a potential suitor at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the North Pacific Ocean.
Vertebrate paleontologist Daniel Field of the University of Cambridge holds a 3-D–printed skull of Asteriornis maastrichtensis, which lived 66.7 million years ago and is the earliest known modern bird.
What came before Archaeopteryx? ›
Anchiornis is particularly important to this subject, as it lived at the beginning of the Late Jurassic, long before Archaeopteryx.
Is the oldest known fossil bird named as Archaeopteryx? ›
Archaeopteryx is known as the earliest and most primitive bird. Archaeopteryx is said to be considered a link between birds and reptiles, the first bird which changed from a land dweller to a bird. It was seen in the late Jurassic Period i.e. around 150–148 million years ago.
Did Archaeopteryx lay eggs? ›
Fossil evidence suggests that Archaeopteryx, both like modern birds and like dinosaurs, reproduced by laying eggs. It built its nest in trees rather than on the ground, like dinosaurs, so it could better protect its eggs and offspring. Its warm feathers incubated the eggs and helped to hide them from predators.
Archaeopteryx had teeth and a long bony tail, just like other dinos in the theropod family, including Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus. But it had characteristics of modern birds, too, like feathers and a wishbone, or furcula, which aids modern birds' flight. It also had wings—but with claws on them.
Is Archaeopteryx proof of evolution? ›
The discovery coincided with the publication of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species," and the specimen, dubbed the London Specimen, seemed to confirm his theories. Archaeopteryx has since become central to the understanding of evolution.
Is the Archaeopteryx related to the velociraptor? ›
Mounting evidence shows famous fossil more closely related to Velociraptor. Analysis of fossil traits suggests that Archaeopteryx is not a bird at all.
Did all birds evolve from Archaeopteryx? ›
There is no contrary evidence and any other explanation is illogical. All available evidence indicates unequivocally that Archaeopteryx evolved from a small coelurosaurian dinosaur and that modern birds are surviving dinosaurian descendants.
What are the predators of Archaeopteryx? ›
Archaeopteryx is rarely ever found on the ground where it is more vulnerable to predators such as Velociraptor and Compsognathus.
What was the first bird on Earth? ›
Archaeopteryx is the earliest undisputed bird. A weak flyer, it shared characteristics with its dinosaur ancestors. Fossils show that Archaeopteryx , like dinosaurs, had teeth, a long bony tail, and grasping claws on its wings, but also had a bird-style hip and feathers.
Which bird came first? ›
Diminished significance of Archaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx was the first and for a long time the only known feathered Mesozoic animal. As a result, discussion of the evolution of birds and of bird flight centered on Archaeopteryx at least until the mid-1990s.
Did birds exist before dinosaurs? ›
Modern birds originated a hundred million years ago—long before the demise of dinosaurs, according to new research. In searching for the first ancestors of modern birds, studies have shown discrepancies between results from fossils and genetic analyses.
What is the most primitive living bird? ›
Based on genetics and on the fossil record, there's general agreement that the most primitive groups of birds today are several families of flightless ground-dwellers—ostriches, emus, cassowaries, rheas, kiwis—plus the tinamous, which can fly, but not very well.
What is the oldest known bird fossil? ›
A fossil called Archaeopteryx (ar key-AHP-ter-icks) with feathers, hollow bones, clawed wings, fifty tiny teeth, and a long bony tail is the earliest known dinosaur that also qualifies as a bird. This spring, the Field Museum is becoming one of the few places on Earth to see a real Archaeopteryx fossil.
