Archaeopteryx lithographica – The Berlin specimen

The globally first fossil of a feather was discovered 1860 in a quarry near Solnhofen. It was described in 1861 as Archaeopteryx – "old feather, old wing".

History of discovery: The „Berlin specimen“ of Archaeopteryx was discovered between 1874 and 1876 near Eichstätt in Germany. The original finder sold it for the value of a cow (approx. 150 Mark) to a quarry owner, who sold it for 2000 Mark to E.O. Häberlein, who placed it internationally on sale for 20 000 Goldmark. This high price exceeded the financial abilities of several interested museums. In 1879 Werner von Siemens (shown here) financed the transaction, placing the specimen with the Humboldt Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. After 2 years, the museums could pay the money back and has been the owner ever since. Described in 1884 by Wilhelm Dames, with its excellent preservation of feathers and skull it is considered the most complete and beautiful specimen of Archaeopteryx.

The long tail is a characteristic of dinosaurs, while the tail feathers are typical for birds. In modern birds the vertebrae of the tail are shortened and fused into a single ossification, still bearing the tail feathers.

While the long asymmetrical wingfeathers, the elongated arm and the collarbone show a clear similarity with modern birds, the three clawed fingers are a trait of dinosaurs.

Among modern birds, only the juveniles of the hoatzin have claws on their wing digits. Some scientists therefore postulated a relationship with Archaeopteryx. This has since been found to be false

The counterslab of the Berlin specimen is partly damaged. Nevertheless, the information it contains is of the highest scientific value.

If you want to know more about Archaeopteryx, feathers and bird flight, we recommend our online exhibit "Feathered Flight — 150 years of Archaeopteryx"!