BIO 113 — Dinosaurs
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Lab 14
Origin of Birds: Fossil Evidence

Compare the fossils of Archaeopteryx (below) with: the skeletons of various archosaurs, including an alligator and several dinosaurs; small coelurosaur dinosaur fossils (below); the extinct bird Confuciusornis (below); and modern birds


Fossil reproductions of two compsognathid dinosaurs

Fossil cast of the compsognathid dinosaur Compsognathus longipes
Compsognathus
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Below: Fossil reproduction of the compsognathid dinosaur Sinosauropteryx prima, showing preserved protofeathers
Sinosauropteryx replica

Fossils of the Earliest Bird Archaeopteryx

A cast of the "Berlin specimen" of Archaeopteryx siemensii
Archaeopteryx
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A photograph of the actual "Thermopolis specimen" of Archaeopteryx siemensii (at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center)
Archaeopteryx 2
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A photograph of the actual "Chicago specimen" of Archaeopteryx lithographica (at the Field Museum). Note that this is a different species than the above specimens.
Archaeopteryx 3
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A fossil cast of the primitive mesozoic bird Confuciusornis (a female)

Confuciusornis
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This page last updated 16 November 2024 by Udo M. Savalli ()
Images and text © Udo M. Savalli. All rights reserved.