Interesting Facts About Archaeopteryx for Kids

I am the proud mother of a budding paleontologist. My preschool-age daughter is absolutely obsessed with prehistoric life, especially dinosaur. Not a single day passes without my daughter lecturing my about subtle differences between chasmosaurus and centrosaurus, or between gorgosaurus and allosaurus.

Because I’m dedicated to involving myself in my child’s interests, I have made a point of educating myself and my daughter about dinosaurs– including her current favorite, archaeopteryx. Archaeopteryx is a fascinating animal to both children and adults. Here are a few interesting facts about archaeopteryx to share with your kids.

1. Archaeopteryx is pronounced “ark-ee-op-ter-ix.”

The name “archaeopteryx” is hard to pronounce and even harder to spell, especially if you’re a kid. Its name means “ancient wing” in Latin. “archae,” which you may have heard in words like “archaeology,” means “ancient” or “very old.” “Pter,” also seen in the name of the more famous pterodactyl, means “wing.”

2. Scientists think archaeopteryx was in between being a bird and a dinosaur.

Paleontologists, or scientists who study prehistoric life, still aren’t completely sure whether archaeopteryx is a dinosaur-like bird or a bird-like dinosaur. Many scientists think of it as the first “true” bird, but it shared many traits with its dinosaur ancestors. Its feathers, feet and beak were very similar to a bird’s, but it had the teeth, fingers, and claws of a dinosaur.

3. Archaeopteryx is a transitional fossil.

Animals like archaeopteryx, which seem to be partially one kind of animal and partially another, are called “transitional fossils.” They are examples of how animals have looked when changing from one identifiable species to another. However, the birds we recognize today probably didn’t descend from archaeopteryx, but from other bird-like dinosaurs that arrived separately– after archaeopteryx had already become extinct.

4. Archaeopteryx was about the size of many modern birds.

We tend to think of dinosaurs as very large, and the idea of a massive dinosaur-bird is romantic and beautiful. One of the most interesting facts about archaeopteryx is that it wasn’t much different than the birds we know today. It measured only about twenty inches from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail, and probably weighed about two pounds. In other words, it was about as big as a large pigeon or a small parrot.

5. Archaeopteryx probably couldn’t fly very well.

Scientists believe that archaeopteryx’s wings were weak. It might have been almost entirely unable to fly, instead using its wings to glide, like a flying squirrel. However, since its bones were hollow and it may have been very light, it is possible that its weak wings could power flight for short periods of time. No one knows if it spent its time in tree-tops, gliding from tree to tree, or instead dwelled on the ground like modern chickens and peacocks.

Archaeopteryxes are fascinating to kids because they are one of the only dinosaurs that we can recognize as very similar to the modern animals we see on a daily basis. By learning facts about archaeopteryx, we can help to find a connection between the seemingly distant world of the dinosaurs, and the world now dominated by humans and other mammals.

TalkOrigins has more information about archaeopteryx, its history and its biology