Difference between revisions of "Archaeopteryx"
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All were allegedly found in the limestone of the Solnhofen area in Germany and have not been substantiated by any discovery anywhere else in the world.<ref name="CFM">Magovern</ref> | All were allegedly found in the limestone of the Solnhofen area in Germany and have not been substantiated by any discovery anywhere else in the world.<ref name="CFM">Magovern</ref> | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
− | ! Specimen || When found || Location found || People involved || Current location || Comments | + | ! Image || Specimen || When found || Location found || People involved || Current location || Comments |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Feather<ref name="CN">Nedlin, 1999 (The TalkOrigins Archive)</ref> || 1860 || Near Solnhofen || Described by H. von Meyer || Humboldt Museum für Naturkunde in [[Berlin]] || Single feather only. | + | | [[File:ArchaeopterixFeather.jpg|100px]] || Feather<ref name="CN">Nedlin, 1999 (The TalkOrigins Archive)</ref> || 1860 || Near Solnhofen || Described by H. von Meyer || Humboldt Museum für Naturkunde in [[Berlin]] || Single feather only. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | London specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1861 || Near Langenaltheim || Announced by H. v Meyer || [[British Museum of Natural History]], [[London]] || Missing the head and neck | + | | [[File:ArchaeopteryxLondon.JPG|100px]] || London specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1861 || Near Langenaltheim || Announced by H. v Meyer || [[British Museum of Natural History]], [[London]] || Missing the head and neck; detailed feather impressions. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Berlin specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1877 || Near Blumenberg || Described by W. Dames || Humboldt Museum für Naturkunde || The most complete specimen | + | | [[File:Archaeopteryx1.jpg|100px]] || Berlin specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1877 || Near Blumenberg || Described by W. Dames || Humboldt Museum für Naturkunde || The most complete specimen |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Maxberg specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1958 || Near Langenaltheim || Found and owned by Eduard Opitsch || | + | | [[File:ArchaeopterixMaxberg.jpg|100px]] || Maxberg specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1958 || Near Langenaltheim || Found and owned by Eduard Opitsch || Maxberg Museum; currently lost or stolen || Torso, wings, and feather impressions |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Haarlem Specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1855 || Near Riedenburg || Described by H. von Meyer || Teylers Museum, [[Haarlem]] || Not classified as ''Archaeopteryx'' until 1970. | + | | [[File:ArchaeopterixHaarlem.jpg|100px]] || Haarlem Specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1855 || Near Riedenburg || Described by H. von Meyer || Teylers Museum, [[Haarlem]] || Not classified as ''Archaeopteryx'' until 1970. Remains of wing claws and leg bones. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Eichstätt Specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1951 || Near Workerszell || Described by Peter Wellnhofer || Jura Museum, [[Eichstätt]] || Smallest specimen | + | | [[File:ArchaeopteryxEichstätt.jpg|100px]] || Eichstätt Specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1951 || Near Workerszell || Described by Peter Wellnhofer || Jura Museum, [[Eichstätt]] || Smallest specimen |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Solnhofen Specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1960s || Near Eichstätt || Described by Wellnhofer || Bürgermeister-Müller-Museum in Solnhofen || | + | | [[File:ArchaeopteryxSolenhofen.jpg|100px]] || Solnhofen Specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1960s || Near Eichstätt || Described by Wellnhofer || Bürgermeister-Müller-Museum in Solnhofen || Nearly complete; no feather impressions. |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Munich specimen or Solnhofen-Aktien-Verein specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || | + | | [[File:ArchaeopterixMunich.jpg|100px]] || Munich specimen or Solnhofen-Aktien-Verein specimen<ref name="CN" /><ref name="CFM" /> || 1992 || Near Langenaltheim || Described by Wellnhofer || Paläontologisches Museum München, [[Munich]] || First specimen to be found with an intact sternum, proving ''Archaeopteryx'' was capable of powered flight like modern birds |
|- | |- | ||
− | | Thermopolis specimen<ref>The Wyoming Dinosaur Center]</ref><ref>Hartman, 2005</ref> || || || || Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, [[Wyoming]] || Had been privately owned in Switzerland | + | | [[File:ArchaeopterixThermopolis.jpg|100px]] || Thermopolis specimen<ref>The Wyoming Dinosaur Center]</ref><ref>Hartman, 2005</ref> || || || || Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, [[Wyoming]] || Had been privately owned in Switzerland |
|} | |} | ||
Revision as of 16:16, June 23, 2011
Archaeopteryx | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom Information | |
Domain | Eukaryota |
Kingdom | Animalia |
Subkingdom | Bilateria |
Branch | Deuterostomia |
Phylum Information | |
Phylum | Chordata |
Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
Class Information | |
Superclass | Tetrapoda |
Class | Aves |
Order Information | |
Order | Archaeopterygiformes |
Family Information | |
Family | Archaeopterygidae |
Genus Information | |
Genus | Archaeopteryx |
Species Information | |
Species | A. lithographica A. macrura A. recurva A. siemensii |
Population statistics | |
Conservation status | Extinct |
Archaeopteryx, an extinct bird known from a small number of fossilized remains found in southern Germany, is claimed by evolutionary biologists to be the first species of bird to appear on Earth[1], as well as a so-called "transitional form" between reptiles and birds.
There are two criticisms of Archaeopteryx. The first is that the fossils are an elaborate hoax as claimed by the British astronomer and physicist, Sir Fred Hoyle; the second is that Archaeopterix is a true bird, and not a transitional form suggesting evolution.
Contents
Description
Archaeopterix was roughly crow-sized, with an over-all body length of 18 inches. Discounting the feather impressions in some of the fossil specimens, Archaeopterix had a build generally-similar to that of a small theropod dinosaur, with the species Compsognathus cited. Both wings ended in three-fingered claws. The tail was long, feathered on either side. Evidence that the legs were feathered as well was shown in the Berlin specimen as recently as 1880, prior to that fossil's preservation.
The bill, like modern birds, was capable of independent movement in both the upper and lower jaws; unlike modern birds, both jaws were studded with small teeth.
The hip bones are fully-formed and bird-like, i.e. the pubic bone points to the rear, unlike theropod dinosaurs (which had a forward-pointing pubic bone) from which evolution claims an ancestry. Despite this contradiction, some authorities prefer to place Archaeopterix within the order Avetheropoda, which includes such theropods as Tyrannosaurus rex and Spinosaurus[2]
All known fossils - approximately ten - were found in the Solenhofen limestone formation of southern Bavaria, Germany.
Criticism
Evidence of fraud
In 1983, a half-dozen leading British scientists led by noted British Radio-astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle carefully studied the plates and counter-plates from the two best Archaeopteryx specimens, and found evidence of forgery.[3] They discovered that the front and back slabs of each specimen do not match.[4] They found that an alteration had been made to the left wing as depicted in an 1863 drawing.[4] They concluded that the feather markings had been imprinted by hand.[4] They also found that etching process had used cement blobs.[4] When the scientists requested the ability to use an electronic microscope and carbon-14 dating, the museum refused and withdrew the specimens from the scientists.[4] The same British Museum had been responsible for the Piltdown Man fraud. Scientists who have since inspected the London Archaeopteryx and other specimens have conlcuded these fossils are not forgeries[5]. In particular, the found the feathers on the Maxburg fossil continue underneath the bones - precluding the possibility of them being added to a reptile fossil, tiny fractures that could not have been seen at the time of Archaeopteryx's discovery matched in the plate and counter-plate and the 'blobs' cited by Hoyle are also have matching impressions on the counter plate (suggesting they weren't added). The evidence that Archaeopteryx is not a fraud is so strong that creationist site Answers in Genesis suggests creationists don't use this argument [6]
Not a transitional
The second criticism of the Archaeopteryx, that it is not a transitional form, has been strengthened by the work of anatomist Dr. David Menton[7] suggesting that Archaeopteryx is a true bird with flight feathers, not a transitional form at all. In 1994, an article explained that the Archaeopteryx was essentially a flying bird, with a large cerebellum and visual cortex. The fact that it had teeth is irrelevant to its alleged transitional status -- a number of extinct birds had teeth, while many reptiles do not (the South American hoatzin, Opisthocomus hoazin, also shares with Archaeopteryx clawed digits in its wings, albeit as juveniles).
Evidence for evolution?
In 1993, an article was published in Science magazine arguing that the Archaeopteryx had fully-formed flying feathers (including asymmetric vanes and ventral, reinforcing furrows as in modern flying birds), the classical elliptical wings of modem woodland birds, and a large wishbone for attachment of muscles responsible for the downstroke of the wings[8]
While most evolutionary scientists agree that the flight feathers of Archaeopteryx were essentially modern, several papers since have argued against Feduccia's claims about the anatomy of Archaeopteryx[9] Specimens such as the Thermoplis Specimen [10] are thought to clearly show that the arms, wishbone, tail, feet, hips, and palate of Archaeopteryx were more like meat-eating theropod dinosaurs than modern birds.
Specimens
There are currently only ten known specimens of Archaeopteryx.[11] All were allegedly found in the limestone of the Solnhofen area in Germany and have not been substantiated by any discovery anywhere else in the world.[12]
Image | Specimen | When found | Location found | People involved | Current location | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Feather[13] | 1860 | Near Solnhofen | Described by H. von Meyer | Humboldt Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin | Single feather only. | |
London specimen[13][12] | 1861 | Near Langenaltheim | Announced by H. v Meyer | British Museum of Natural History, London | Missing the head and neck; detailed feather impressions. | |
Berlin specimen[13][12] | 1877 | Near Blumenberg | Described by W. Dames | Humboldt Museum für Naturkunde | The most complete specimen | |
Maxberg specimen[13][12] | 1958 | Near Langenaltheim | Found and owned by Eduard Opitsch | Maxberg Museum; currently lost or stolen | Torso, wings, and feather impressions | |
Haarlem Specimen[13][12] | 1855 | Near Riedenburg | Described by H. von Meyer | Teylers Museum, Haarlem | Not classified as Archaeopteryx until 1970. Remains of wing claws and leg bones. | |
Eichstätt Specimen[13][12] | 1951 | Near Workerszell | Described by Peter Wellnhofer | Jura Museum, Eichstätt | Smallest specimen | |
Solnhofen Specimen[13][12] | 1960s | Near Eichstätt | Described by Wellnhofer | Bürgermeister-Müller-Museum in Solnhofen | Nearly complete; no feather impressions. | |
Munich specimen or Solnhofen-Aktien-Verein specimen[13][12] | 1992 | Near Langenaltheim | Described by Wellnhofer | Paläontologisches Museum München, Munich | First specimen to be found with an intact sternum, proving Archaeopteryx was capable of powered flight like modern birds | |
Thermopolis specimen[14][15] | Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, Wyoming | Had been privately owned in Switzerland |
Bibliography
- Anon., Archaeopteryx: The Thermopolis Specimen The Wyoming Dinosaur Center
- Bakalar, Nicholas, Earliest Bird Had Feet Like Dinosaur, Fossil Shows, National Geographic News, 1 December, 2005
- Feduccia, A., "Evidence from Claw Geometry Indicating Arboreal Habits of Archaeopteryx," Science, 259(5096):790-793, February 5, 1993 (abstract)
- Gish, Duane, As a Transitional Form Archaeopteryx Won't Fly Impact, September 1, 1989
- Hartman, Scott, Clarification statement on Thermopolis specimen 1st December 2005 (The Wyoming Dinosaur Center).
- Magovern, Charlie and Florence, Archaeopteryx
- Nedlin, Chris, All About Archaeopteryx, 1999 (The TalkOrigins Archive)
- Sarfati, Jonathan, Archaeopteryx (unlike Archaeoraptor) is NOT a hoax—it is a true bird, not a “missing link”, Creation Ministries International, March 24, 2000
- Sarfati, Jonathan, Bird evolution?, Chapter 4 of Refuting Evolution.
- Wieland, Carl, Archaeopteryx, Creation 1(1):12–16, June 1978.
- Wieland, Carl, Bird evolution flies out the window, Creation 16(4):16–19, September 1994
See also
References
- ↑ "Archaeopteryx is the oldest bird in the fossil record." - John Wells [1]
- ↑ http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=basicTaxonInfo&taxon_no=55483
- ↑ Sarfati, 2000
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 British Journal of Photography (March-June 1985).
W.J. Broad, "Authenticity of Bird Fossil is Challenged," N.Y. Times C1, C14 (May 7, 1985).
T. Nield, "Feathers Fly Over Fossil 'Fraud'," New Scientist 1467:49-50.
G. Vines, "Strange Case of Archaeopteryx 'Fraud'," New Scientist 1447:3. - ↑ Charig et al. 1986. Archaeopteryx is not a forgery. Science 232: 622-626
- ↑ http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/topic/arguments-we-dont-use
- ↑ http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/bios/d_menton.asp
- ↑ Feduccia, 1993
- ↑ "The tenth skeletal specimen of Archaeopteryx," Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 149:97-116, 2007.
- ↑ Wyoming Dinosaur Center.
- ↑ Wikipedia claims an eleventh specimen, but only lists ten.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 Magovern
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 Nedlin, 1999 (The TalkOrigins Archive)
- ↑ The Wyoming Dinosaur Center]
- ↑ Hartman, 2005