The remains of the first birds were found in 1861 in a limestone quarry in Bavaria. The second skeleton was discovered in 1877 and almost a century later, in 1956, the third. It is significant that all three skeletons were found at a distance of 15 km.
It is believed that all three skeletons belonged to the same species Archaeopteryx lithographica, in short Archaeopteryx.
This animal lived 150 million years ago.
![Fossil of complete Archaeopteryx, including indentations of feathers on wings and tail](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Archaeopteryx_lithographica_%28Berlin_specimen%29.jpg)
"Archaeopteryx lithographica (Berlin specimen)" by H. Raab (User: Vesta) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.
Social Plugin