Archaeopteryx

"Only now do we know the true story- Megarachne was a giant prehistoric sea scorpion." The following card or its illustration are outdated. When transcribing the information from the card itself, please refrain from updating or changing the text in the process, and leave this for the trivia section.

Archaeopteryx
Front Back
Monsters of the Past
Previous	Gallimimus
Next	Woolly Mammoth
Card	20
Creature Features
Species	Archaeopteryx lithographica
Size	Length 14 in; Weight less than 1 lb.
Where?	Fossils have been found in the forests of southern Europe
Prey	Insects and small animals
Did You Know?
Modern birds still have wing claws while in the egg, but most lose them before hatching. An exception is the hoatzin of South America. Like the Archeopteryx, it keeps its wing claws until adulthood for climbing trees.

Archaeopteryx is a blend of different creatures, sharing traits of both dinosaurs and birds. The oldest feathered, flying animal ever discovered, archaeopteryx shows that today's feathered friends were probably at one time yesterday's reptiles.

Body of a Bird: The fossilized feather impression of archaeopteryx looks similar to the feathers of modern birds.

Jaws of a Reptile: Rather than a beak, this creature had skin-covered jaws. The jaws were lined with sharp, pointed teeth like other meat-eating dinosaurs.

Claws of a Bat: Three claws stuck out from each wing, similar to the fingers of a bat. They were used for climbing among the branches of trees.

First In Flight

Archaeopteryx could sail down from a tree to snag a meal in midair, then fly back up.

With claws on its feet and wings, archaeopteryx could climb. From the tops of trees, this "birdosaur" probably glided to the ground or to other nearby branches. Over the eons, this bird's feathers evolved and allowed the animal to fly farther.

Tail Mix: Even though its tail was feathered like a bird's, it was also made of bone, which would have made it too heavy for archaeopteryx to fly long distances.

Missing Link: Archaeopteryx was called a "missing link" when first discovered. It represented the halfway stage of the evolution from reptiles to modern birds.

Timeline

Archaeopteryx lived about 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period.

Trading Card

Archaeopteryx Part bird and part lizard, this dinosaur may have been small, but the ability to fly gave it a big advantage. It could attack prey from the air, or take flight when a bigger dino came along. Say What? Archaeopteryx was about the size of a pigeon. Stats Life 110 Attack 3 Defense 5

Trivia

• Due to recent discoveries, scientists now know that Archaeopteryx had black crow-like feathers. The turkey-like pattern here is inaccurate.
• The Did you Know? section of the card features no spaces after any of the periods or commas.
• Archaeopteryx shares the subheading "First in Flight" with Protodonata and Coelurosauravus.
• The archaeopteryx is one of few creatures to have three subheadings on the front, along with Piranhas, Green Anaconda, Coyote and Impala.
• The Archaeopteryx is featured in It's All Relative! on Monster Mania 30.