What does Archaeopteryx look like? The ancient bird Archaeopteryx. It is generally believed that birds evolved from some kind of ancient reptile in the Mesozoic Era, but the direct ancestor is still difficult to determine. There are 6 primitive bird fossils discovered so far (discovered or named in 1861, 1877, 1956, 1970, 1973 and 1987 respectively), all of which were collected from marine sediments near Solnhofen, Bavaria, Germany. Among the printed limestones, the origins are not far apart, and the age is the Late Jurassic, about 140 million years ago. The two fossils collected in 1861 and 1877 are the most complete and were named Archaeopteryxlithographica and Archaeor-nissiemensi respectively. In 1954, after research by G.R. de Beer, he believed that although the two birds were different, their basic characteristics were completely the same, and they should belong to the same genus and species. In view of the fact that this ancient bird has the characteristics of both reptiles and birds, and it lived earlier, it is considered to be a transitional type from reptiles to birds and the ancestor of birds, so it is regarded as the ancestor of birds in our country. Scholars translate it as Archaeopteryx. The characteristics of its reptiles are: the mouth has teeth; the tail is composed of 18 to 21 separate tail vertebrae; the forelimbs have 3 separate metacarpals and claws on the finger tips. The characteristics of its birds are: it has feathers and wings; its pelvis is "open"; its hind feet have 4 toes, 3 in front and 1 in back. It is as big as a crow and can only glide, not yet fly. In 1986, American scholars announced that they had discovered an ancient bird fossil that was more like modern birds and was named Protoavis, dating back 225 million years ago, in western Texas. Some people say that this may be the direct ancestor of modern birds, and Archeopteryx is just a side branch in the evolution of birds. Since 1988, a number of the world's earliest flying birds have been discovered in Chaoyang, Liaoning, my country. Some of them have been named Sinornissantensis and Cathayornisyandico. They are considered to be the latest birds after Archaeopteryx. An evolved ancient bird fossil.