Why Is Archaeopteryx The Missing Link?
Archaeopteryx is the missing link because it had distinct dinosaur features while it also had distinct bird features at the sametime. Archaeopteryx had the dinosaur parts of (Padian): • Claws • Mouth full of teeth • A long bony tail Archaeopteryx also had the parts of a bird consisting of (Padian): • Wings • Feathers Archaeopteryx is believed to be able to fly for short periods of time, but was believe to mainly glide around (Enhanced Learning.com). Archaeopteryx Filled In The Gap Archaeopteryx filled in the gap on the cladogram showing the evolution of birds. The bird cladogram is pictured on the right, as you can see Archaeopteryx is between a dinosaur and a bird. A cladogram is diagram that shows evolutionary relationships between the animals (Padian). Meaning that every connecting point on a cladogram shares a common ancestors with every point and animal above it. For instance the Herrerasurus a common ancestor with all the animals above it in the picture. I will go through all the
