THE "DINOSAUR BIRD" - ARCHAEOPTERYX CAST. ...

Description

THE "DINOSAUR BIRD" - ARCHAEOPTERYX CAST
Archaeopteryx lithographica
Late Jurassic
Solnhofen formation, Eichstätt, Germany
This cast was taken from one of the most important fossils ever discovered, the Berlin Archaeopteryx. Discovered in 1876 or 1877 (and initially bartered in exchange for a cow!) It was the second specimen of this remarkable creature discovered, the most complete and the first with a complete head. The significance of the Archaeopteryx lies in its being a "missing link" between the theropod dinosaurs and today's birds; recognizably bird-like in form with extensive primitive feathers, the oldest such known, its osteology is in fact much closer to that of the dinosaurs and, first discovered in 1861 only two years after the publication of Darwin's On The Origin of Species, it has always held a key place in debates over evolution. Portions of only 11 examples have ever been discovered, the first being a sole feather. The specimen in the Humboldt Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin is especially important as it has been the subject of the most research into the bird's feathers. Here they are spectacularly displayed, with two full wings widespread, a long lizard-like tail with extensive plumage, and curious "trouser" feathers of a downy nature along its legs. The three-dimensionality and detail on this already extraordinary specimen is outstanding, from the tiny blood grooves on its curving claws to the row of tiny dinosaur-like teeth. A spectacular reproduction of one of the most significant fossils in the world, it has been meticulously cast and hand-painted, presented on a matrix 19 x 15 ¾ inches.

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