Specimens of Archaeopteryx feather's earlier discovery, von Meyer made the London fossil the type specimen of the genus ("Archaeopteryx") and species ("lithographica"), establishing it as the exemplar of the species' features. Its discovery and subsequent descriptions, a mere handful of years after Darwin's "On the Origin of Species", fulfilled the hope of a truly transitional form in its then-unique amalgamation of bird and reptilian characters. The specimen is preserved on two counter slabs broken originally into four pieces. The main, overlaying slab contains most of the skeletal elements, while only impressions and a few bone fragments are visible on the counter slab. This
Specimens of Archaeopteryx first time with six other original fossils of "Archaeopteryx" at the "Munich Mineral Show" in October 2009. A first, quick look by scientists indicates that this specimen might represent a new species of "Archaeopteryx". It was found in a limestone bed that was a few hundred thousand years younger than the other finds. The eighth specimen of "Archaeopteryx" was officially announced in February 1996 at a special exhibition at Bavaria’s Naturkunde Museum. Its director, Matthias Mäuser, made the announcement to a surprised audience that the specimen had already been casted and that this was on display in the exhibit. Few