The eternal problem of paleontological evidence of biological evolution is the search for transitional forms, namely intermediate links in the phylogenetic lines of modern life forms. In this vein, the “sacred cow” is considered the transitional form from reptiles to birds - archeopteryx (this means “ancient wing” in Greek). But recent research, which we will talk about later, shook these established beliefs. But is archeopteryx a bird or a reptile? We will try to answer this question.
Find history
Today, paleontology has at its disposal more than ten skeletal prints of this creature, and they all belong to the late Jurassic period (200-150 million years ago) and are found in Austria and Germany.
The most famous image and imprint of Archeopteryx is a Berlin specimen, which is stored in the Museum of Natural History of Berlin. This print was discovered in 1876 by the archaeologist Jacob Neimer, who traded it for a cow. But another archaeologist described it - Wilhelm Dames in 1884. Since that time, archeopteryx - a transitional form from reptiles to birds, went down in the history of paleontology.
But the best-preserved specimen is thermal polysilicon. He was in a private collection for a long time and only in 2007 was described in detail. We can say that only these two specimens have almost all parts of the skeleton in relatively complete safety.
Already not a reptile, but also not a bird
This creature has been described as an intermediate link between cold-blooded reptiles and warm-blooded birds. As a reptile, Archeopteryx has;
- conical teeth, in structure very similar to crocodiles;
- the tail of the skeleton;
- four-phalangeal fingers on the forelimbs with pronounced claws.
There are other features of the skeleton that bring it closer to reptiles (the occipital part, the structure of the lower leg and ribs).
The feather plumage, which is clearly printed in skeletal prints, is considered a sign of birds in Archeopteryx. The feathers and tail feathers, with grooves like those of modern birds, feathers leave no doubt that in front of us is one of the ancestors of birds. There are other features of the skeleton, namely a fork - fused clavicles. Separately, it is worth mentioning the size of the brain of Archeopteryx (this is rather controversial evidence, but it is), its volume is 3 times larger than that of reptiles.
If he lived today
If this great bird lived now, then we would see that Archeopteryx is a creature the size of a pigeon, most likely dark or black in color and with feathered legs. At the same time, his muscles are well developed, and asymmetric plumage contributes to a quick flight, but difficult landing and heavy take-off. The anatomical features of the skeleton indicate that this half-bird half-cave uses short-and occasionally active flight with flapping wings. Most likely, archeopteryxes would now live on rocky cliffs of rivers and it would be from a height that they would begin their flight with elements of planning. Presumably these animals would lead a solitary and nocturnal lifestyle, only occasionally gathering in groups. Archeopteryx food is worms, insects, small reptiles. Only he would not bite them, but would direct his clawed forelimbs into his toothy beak.
Avian Genesis in Evolution
Since 1867, when the English zoologist and supporter of Darwinism, Thomas Henry Huxley introduced into the biology of archeopteryx as a transitional form in the evolution of birds, although this point of view has been periodically criticized, but retained its position. Subsequent findings of fossils only added significance in the justification of feathered phylogenetics. In paleontology, the point of view was maintained that archeopteryx was like Tutankhamun in Egyptology. But…
The works of the American paleontologist Shankar Chatterjee, published in 1991 on the findings of Texas skeletal prints, called protoavis, introduced some confusion to the established system of views on the evolution of birds. Protoavis was more like modern birds than Archeopteryx, and lived 70-75 million years earlier than it.
In 2010, a find appeared, which even more shook the "pedestal" of the half-cave-half-bird. In northeast China, skeletal fossils of a feathered creature that lived 10 million years earlier than Archeopteryx were discovered. A team led by a professor at Lingying University, China, Xing Xu, found the remains of a feathered dinosaur. The research and conclusions of these scientists come down to the assertion that Archeopteryx is a representative of a dead end branch of evolution and is not at all an ancestor of birds.
Other reasonable doubts
Michael Hubbib, a paleontologist at the University of Southern California, provides data on a structural analysis of the skeleton of the archeopteryx, according to which this “feather miracle” could not fly at all.
The authority of the archeopteryx is also undermined by numerous studies of the evolution of the brain of ancient reptiles and birds. Although the ratio of brain mass to body weight in birds is greater than that of dinosaurs, the “paleontology icon” had a brain volume even smaller than its contemporaries dinosaurs.
Non-bird feathers
But the research of the pen Archeopteryx, which was carried out with the help of a scanning microscope, a paleontologist from England Alik Walker, gave shocking information that the feathers of the great bird and modern birds are fundamentally different in structure. What was previously considered grooves, similar to the grooves on the feathers of modern birds, at Archeopteryx - this turned out to be only ridges to increase mechanical strength. And if the main bird trait does not at all bring Archeopteryx closer to modern birds, then who is he?
