Archaeopteryx dromaeosaurids and troodontids: jaws with sharp teeth, three fingers with claws, a long bony tail, hyperextensible second toes ("killing claw"), feathers (which also suggest warm-bloodedness), and various features of the skeleton. These features make "Archaeopteryx" a clear candidate for a transitional fossil between non-avian dinosaurs and birds. Thus, "Archaeopteryx" plays an important role, not only in the study of the origin of birds, but in the study of dinosaurs. It was named from a single feather in 1861. That same year, the first complete specimen of "Archaeopteryx" was announced. Over the years, ten more fossils of "Archaeopteryx" have surfaced. Despite
Wyoming Dinosaur Center program. Wyoming Dinosaur Center The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is located in Thermopolis, Wyoming and is one of the few dinosaur museums in the world to have excavation sites within driving distance. The museum displays the Thermopolis Specimen of "Archaeopteryx", which is the only real specimen of this genus on display outside of Europe. Fifteen minutes from the museum are their many dig sites. Located on the Warm Springs Ranch, more than 10,000 bones have been discovered and excavated, most of which are either on display or stored just down the hill at the museum. One of the most notable fossil