A single fossilized feather was discovered in a German quarry in 1860. It was identical to the feather of a modern bird, and a year later Archaeopteryx was discovered, also in Germany. This find caused a sensation, because Darwin’s theory of evolution had just been published and was causing enormous interest. Archaeopteryx looked like a small dinosaur, but there were clear impressions of feathered wings and a tail. It had teeth in its jaws, a long tail and fingers extending from the front of the wing. It appeared to be a true ‘missing link’.
Modern birds never have teeth, and their tail is reduced to a small stump; the ‘parson’s nose’. Archaeopteryx had clearly evolved from a reptile, but the type of reptile is still a matter for dispute.
Why was Archaeopteryx thought to be a fake?
Ever since its discovery, scientists have argued about Archaeopteryx. In 1985 some scientists expressed the views that the fossils (several had been discovered) were nothing but an elaborate hoax. They claimed that the feather impressions had been printed over the remains of a small dinosaur. Detailed re-examination proved this claim to be false, and there is no doubt that Archaeopteryx did have true feathers. Whether it was a dinosaur or a bird is open to argument, however.
Picture credit: google