HardArchaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx lithographica
ar-kee-OP-ter-iks· “ancient wing”
🕰️ Jurassic🥩 carnivore🦴 Archaeopterygidae
0.5 m
Length
0.3 m
Height
1 kg
Weight
A crow-sized creature that is half dinosaur, half bird — with feathers and wings but also teeth, clawed fingers and a long bony tail. It is one of the most famous fossils ever found.
When
Late Jurassic, ~150 million years ago
Found in
Germany
Discovered
Hermann von Meyer, 1861
Did you know?
- It is often called the 'first bird' and links dinosaurs to modern birds.
- It had feathers and wings like a bird but teeth and a bony tail like a dinosaur.
- Its fossils were found in Germany just after Darwin published his theory of evolution.
Artwork: TotalDino, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.