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Archaeopteryx shook the scientific world when it was announced in 1861. This small crow-sized creature had large feathers but also retained primitive reptilian features including sharp teeth, hands, and a long bony tail. This ‘missing link’ between reptiles and birds helped to shape our understanding of dinosaur evolution. To this day, Archaeopteryx is still the most ancient fossil bird ever found, and one of the most famous fossils in the world. It lived in Germany during the late Jurassic, 150 million years ago.