Archaeopteryx: The Transitional Fossil

The Archaeopteryx, sometimes known as the first bird, is what scientists believe is the
most primitive bird to have ever existed. The creature lived during the late Jurassic
Period in a southern region of present-day Germany, at a time when Europe was
nothing but an archipelago of islands. It is said that the prehistoric animal was only the
size of the common magpie we all know today, which is about 1.6 feet in length.
However, while the Archaeopteryx was petite, full of feathers, and seemed harmless; the
creature actually had extremely broad wings and razor sharp teeth. It also had claws
located on the fingers and the second toes. The toe claws were hyper-extensible into
something referred to as the ‘killing claw’.
Ancient Ancestors
Scientific research has found that the Archaeopteryx is more related to dinosaurs than
to birds. With this said, scientists believe that this creature may be the first of its kind,
starting a new generation of animals that were dinosaurs, but were the first to change
from land-roaming animals to those that were able to fly and eventually become birds.
When looking at links, it’s safe to say that the Archaeopteryx is probably related to all
birds today, as it is the first-known example of flight feathers.