What does archaeopteryx mean?

Definitions for archaeopteryx
ˌɑr kiˈɒp tə rɪksar·chaeopte·ryx

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word archaeopteryx.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. archaeopteryx, archeopteryx, Archaeopteryx lithographicanoun

    extinct primitive toothed bird of the Jurassic period having a long feathered tail and hollow bones; usually considered the most primitive of all birds

Wikipedia

  1. Archaeopteryx

    Archaeopteryx (; lit. 'old-wing'), sometimes referred to by its German name, "Urvogel" (lit. Primeval Bird), is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The name derives from the ancient Greek ἀρχαῖος (archaīos), meaning "ancient", and πτέρυξ (ptéryx), meaning "feather" or "wing". Between the late 19th century and the early 21st century, Archaeopteryx was generally accepted by palaeontologists and popular reference books as the oldest known bird (member of the group Avialae). Older potential avialans have since been identified, including Anchiornis, Xiaotingia, and Aurornis.Archaeopteryx lived in the Late Jurassic around 150 million years ago, in what is now southern Germany, during a time when Europe was an archipelago of islands in a shallow warm tropical sea, much closer to the equator than it is now. Similar in size to a Eurasian magpie, with the largest individuals possibly attaining the size of a raven, the largest species of Archaeopteryx could grow to about 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) in length. Despite their small size, broad wings, and inferred ability to fly or glide, Archaeopteryx had more in common with other small Mesozoic dinosaurs than with modern birds. In particular, they shared the following features with the dromaeosaurids and troodontids: jaws with sharp teeth, three fingers with claws, a long bony tail, hyperextensible second toes ("killing claw"), feathers (which also suggest warm-bloodedness), and various features of the skeleton.These features make Archaeopteryx a clear candidate for a transitional fossil between non-avian dinosaurs and birds. Thus, Archaeopteryx plays an important role, not only in the study of the origin of birds, but in the study of dinosaurs. It was named from a single feather in 1861, the identity of which has been controversial. That same year, the first complete specimen of Archaeopteryx was announced. Over the years, ten more fossils of Archaeopteryx have surfaced. Despite variation among these fossils, most experts regard all the remains that have been discovered as belonging to a single species, although this is still debated. Archaeopteryx was long considered to be the beginning of the evolutionary tree of birds. However, in recent years, the discovery of several small, feathered dinosaurs has created a mystery for palaeontologists, raising questions about which animals are the ancestors of modern birds and which are their relatives. Most of these eleven fossils include impressions of feathers. Because these feathers are of an advanced form (flight feathers), these fossils are evidence that the evolution of feathers began before the Late Jurassic. The type specimen of Archaeopteryx was discovered just two years after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. Archaeopteryx seemed to confirm Darwin's theories and has since become a key piece of evidence for the origin of birds, the transitional fossils debate, and confirmation of evolution.

ChatGPT

  1. archaeopteryx

    Archaeopteryx is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs that is transitional between non-avian feathered dinosaurs and modern birds. Its fossils dates back to the late Jurassic period, around 150 million years ago. It is one of the first and most primitive birds, with features such as teeth, a long bony tail and three fingers with claws that resemble their dinosaur ancestors, along with the presence of feathers and wings which are associated with birds.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Archaeopteryxnoun

    a fossil bird, of the Jurassic period, remarkable for having a long tapering tail of many vertebrae with feathers along each side, and jaws armed with teeth, with other reptilian characteristics

  2. Etymology: [Gr. 'archai^os ancient + pte`ryx wing.]

Wikidata

  1. Archaeopteryx

    Archaeopteryx, sometimes referred to by its German name Urvogel, is a genus of early bird that is transitional between feathered dinosaurs and modern birds. The name derives from the ancient Greek ἀρχαῖος meaning "ancient", and πτέρυξ, meaning "feather" or "wing". Since the late nineteenth century, it had been generally accepted by palaeontologists, and celebrated in lay reference works, as being the oldest known bird. However, older potential avialans have since been identified, including Anchiornis, Xiaotingia, and Aurornis. Archaeopteryx lived in the Late Jurassic period around 150 million years ago, in what is now southern Germany during a time when Europe was an archipelago of islands in a shallow warm tropical sea, much closer to the equator than it is now. Similar in shape to a European Magpie, with the largest individuals possibly attaining the size of a raven, Archaeopteryx could grow to about 0.5 m in length. Despite its small size, broad wings, and inferred ability to fly or glide, Archaeopteryx has more in common with other small Mesozoic dinosaurs than it does with modern birds. In particular, it shares the following features with the deinonychosaurs: jaws with sharp teeth, three fingers with claws, a long bony tail, hyperextensible second toes, feathers, and various skeletal features.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of archaeopteryx in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of archaeopteryx in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of archaeopteryx in a Sentence

  1. Gaberiel Bever:

    Turtles have been missing their Archaeopteryx, their missing link to the rest of the vertebrate tree, since Darwin told us that we should be looking for one, with Odontochelys, Pappochelys and now Eunotosaurus, we now have a remarkable series of transitional forms that take us from an almost lizard-like creature to the modern turtle body plan that is so interesting and bizarre.

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"archaeopteryx." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/archaeopteryx>.

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