Berlin Archaeopteryx
Archaeopteryx lithographica
Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Germany
Specimen Details
Nickname Origin
Named for the Berlin museum where it has been housed since its discovery.
Historical Significance
The Berlin Archaeopteryx is one of the most celebrated fossils in the world — a near-perfect transitional form between non-avian dinosaurs and birds, and a cornerstone of evolutionary evidence.
Interesting Facts
Archaeopteryx is widely considered the most famous transitional fossil between non-avian dinosaurs and modern birds.
The Berlin specimen is the most complete and best-preserved Archaeopteryx ever found.
It preserves exquisite feather impressions in the fine-grained Solnhofen limestone.
It was described just years after Darwin's On the Origin of Species, providing dramatic support for evolution.
On display at
Museum für Naturkunde Berlin