Scientists Found a 150-Million-Year-Old Fossil With Wings Spread… What It Revealed Was Unexpected

Researchers highlighted a recently discovered fossil, which sheds more light on the beginning of birds. This fossil is part of an ancient species called Archaeopteryx, which is considered a link between dinosaurs and birds.

What surprised researchers about this fossil is not its presence, but rather its condition. The fossil is posed with its wings spread wide, giving the impression that it is stuck in time. This is not common, especially with fossils found in the Late Jurassic period, which are 150 million years old. Most of these fossils are flattened, distorted, or too deep to study.

What made this fossil unique is that much of its skeleton is preserved in one piece. There is even evidence of faint impressions of feathers on its wings.


Due to the fossil not being heavily compressed, the researchers were able to examine the structure, something which is often lost in older specimens.

According to Science News, this was deemed one of the most informative Archaeopteryx fossils discovered in recent times, as it gave researchers an idea as to how this creature might have looked, lived, and even flown.

The interest in Archaeopteryx isn't new, as this species has been in talks and the center of debate with respect to the evolution from dinosaurs to birds.

While Archaeopteryx is a dinosaur, its wings and feathers are extremely similar to those of birds; on the other hand, its teeth, claws, and long bony tail resemble those of small dinosaurs.

This recently studied fossil is providing more information about this bridge, making it easier for scientists to understand.

Feather Structure Suggests Capabilities for Flight

A very intriguing indicator is found in the bird’s wings themselves. Scientists have discovered, through the fossil record, specialized feathers called tertials located along the upper arm area. Today, these feathers are used to provide a smooth surface between the wing and body, increasing efficiency in flight. This smooth surface is very evident in the newly discovered Archaeopteryx fossil.

In a piece published in The Guardian, this was cited as one of the important clues: the tertial feathers suggested that this creature could have been active in flight, not just gliding from branch to branch.

Paleontologist Jingmai O'Connor, who specializes in the early history of birds, has repeatedly emphasized that Archaeopteryx was not the first dinosaur to have feathers. In fact, dinosaurs with feathers existed already in the Jurassic period.

Archaeopteryx also stands out because more and more evidence points to the fact that the feathers it had were used for flight. This is supported by an article from Science News that discusses the study “Archaeopteryx Had Wings Made for Flapping, Not Just Gliding.” By examining the wings of the creature, it was concluded that it was capable of lifting off into the air by flapping its wings.

If this is correct, Archaeopteryx could have been testing flight much sooner than we thought.

Climbing abilities could have given birds a push into flight.

This fossil also gave us some information about the hands.

The finger bones appear flexible, and the digits seem capable of movement similar to grasping claws. According to reports summarized by Science News, these mobile fingers may have helped Archaeopteryx climb trees.

That ability could have been important in a forest environment.

Climbing would allow the animal to reach higher branches, search for food, or escape predators. Many scientists believe early flight may have developed in animals that already spent time in trees.

From elevated branches, short glides could gradually develop into stronger wing-assisted movement.

Over long periods of evolution, those movements may have led to the powerful flapping flight seen in modern birds.

The new fossil does not answer every question about how flight began. But it does provide rare physical evidence from a key moment in evolutionary history.

Yet, even after over a century and a half since the first Archaeopteryx fossil was discovered, scientists continue to learn new things about it. The latest discovery suggests that the path to flight was not as simple as once thought. Maybe it was a combination of climbing, gliding, and wing movement that led to flight.