Archaeopteryx

The Archaeopteryx is known to be a close relative to the earliest ancestor of the modern bird.  It lived in the Jurassic Age, about 150 million years ago, with fossils mainly being found in southern Germany and Portugal.  Archaeopteryx, when discovered, was the first dinosaur to have evidence of feathers and the possibility of flight, a big idea at the time as it was found just a few years after Darwin’s Origin of Species was published, giving new life to the argument of evolution.  Archaeopteryx  fossils have given conflicting evidence on whether it could fly of just glide, it could flap its wings but paleontologists are not sure if it could create an upward lift motion of which most modern birds are capable.  It had sharp teeth, claws, and a “killing-claw” on its second toe, which is found on most dromaeosaurids, making it more similar to various species of raptor than modern birds.

This painting was made with oils on masonite board.  It measures 9″ x 6.5″.