Tagged: archaeopterix

Evolution of flight : Flying from Gliding

  While many animals are able to fly, birds are the creatures that have mastered flight. They evolved feathers and an aerodynamic body shape. But how exactly did they evolve the ability for complex flight? Were birds first capable of gliding then modified this advantage into powered flight? Or did they begin flapping their wings […]

Archaeopteryx – First Bird or Transitional Species?

The archaeopteryx was long considered to be the transitional form the between reptiles and birds—the evolutionary link between non-avian dinosaurs and birds. First discovered in 1861 immediately after the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, this ancient species—about 150 million years old—had teeth, a flat sternum, a long, bony tail, gastralia, and three […]