CC214.1: Archaeopteryx as a Transitional Bird

Claim CC214.1:

Source:

Response:

1. "Transitional" does not mean "ancestral." It means that the transitional fossil shows a mosaic of features from organisms before and after. It is wrong to say that Archaeopteryx was ancestral to modern birds. But it is also wrong to say that it is not transitional. It is indisputable that Archaeopteryx is intermediate between dinosaurs and modern birds. That makes it transitional and gives evidence of the relatedness between dinosaurs and birds.
   
   
2. Several other recently discovered dinosaur, bird, and intermediate dinosaur-bird fossils are starting to fill in the gaps and are providing further evidence that the interpretation of Archaeopteryx is correct.

Further Reading: