First known bird
Archaeopteryx
was a small meat-eating bird with feathers and dinosaur-like features
such as teeth and clawed hands. It is the first known bird, living
around 147 million years ago during the Upper Jurassic Period.
Ten specimens
Previously there were only nine specimens of Archaeopteryx
, seven of which have been described scientifically. This tenth find,
like the others from Bavaria, is very well preserved, especially around
the head and feet.
Hyperextendible toe
Gerald Mayr of the Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg in Frankfurt, Germany
and his colleagues studied this tenth specimen and found the feet were
anatomically almost identical to theropods. They discovered a
hyperextendible second toe, meaning a limb or joint that can be
extended beyond its normal limits, very similar to the large claw of a Velociraptor .
More than 150 years of study
'It is fascinating that we are still learning more about Archaeopteryx after more than 150 years of study,' says Dr Angela Milner, palaeontology expert at the Natural History Museum.
'This research shows yet one more dinosaur-like feature whereas other recent research on Archaeopteryx , led by the Natural History Museum, demonstrated its bird-like brain and ear.'
Dr Angela Milner continues 'Archaeopteryx
is certainly a "half-way house" between what we traditionally think of
as small theropod dinosaurs and birds. The evidence for the origin of
birds from theropod dinosaurs is both extensive and overwhelming.'
The research is reported in the journal Science.
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