Now I'm going to tell you about the Archaeopteryx. It is the most valuable dinosaur in the world. If you find a full fossil you can get over $16 million each. They were15-20 inches long, and weighed 1 pound. They lived in the late Jurassic period about 156-150 million years ago. They were found in Southern Germany and Europe. Archaeopteryx was the first bird ever found. It lived near lagoons with soft mud. It could run 30 miles per hour. It was first found in 1861. The Archaeopteryx limb hallow bones. Some scientist think that dinosaurs didn't go extinct, they just evolved into a bird. Now I'll talk about the Baptornis. Baptornis means "diving bird." It lived in shallow waters in the Cretaceous period, 83-80 million years ago. It was found in central North America. It is 3 feet long and weighs 15 pounds. It's relatives are the Hesperornis. The dinosaur expert, Othniel Charles Marsh discovered the bones in late 1870's. Baptornis was one of the first birds discovered. It has little wings that might have helped it steer. They're feet were set back so it could hardly walk. It is normally found in chalk, a type of rock formed from shore. No complete fossils are found yet. It only went on land to lay eggs and raise there young.
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| Archaeopteryx | |
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| Baptornis |
