The Fossil that Changed the World
Meet the Chicago Archaeopteryx
The Chicago Archaeopteryx is a rare fossil that reveals the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds. The fossil is on display inside the Griffin Halls of Evolving Planet.
Exhibition Summary
Included with General Admission
Opened Sep 27, 2024
All ages
Alert
Exhibition Highlights
What is an Archaeopteryx?
Every bird you’ve ever seen— every pigeon at a bus stop, every penguin at the zoo— is a living, breathing dinosaur. Birds are the only group of dinosaurs that survived the mass extinction caused when an asteroid hit the Earth 66 million years ago. A fossil called Archaeopteryx, with feathers, hollow bones, clawed wings, fifty tiny teeth, and a long bony tail, is the earliest known dinosaur that also qualifies as a bird.
Photographer(s):Delaney Drummond
(c) Field Museum
Photographer(s):Delaney Drummond
(c) Field Museum
Image slideshow
Gallery
A cast of the Chicago Archaeopteryx sits beside the fossil so visitors can touch the specimen’s intricate, delicate features.
Dr. Jingmai O’Connor poses at the Chicago Archaeopteryx exhibition on its opening day.
Watch a documentary on the Chicago Archaeopteryx to hear from the world-class team that brought this fossil to the world.
See an Archaeopteryx come to life, then discover how its body became fossilized.
See the earth from the eyes of Archaeopteryx with an animated mural that brings the Jurassic into the modern day.
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A cast of the Chicago Archaeopteryx sits beside the fossil so visitors can touch the specimen’s intricate, delicate features.
Photographer(s):Kyle Flubacker 2024
Archaeopteryx Timeline
The Jurassic Period begins.
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There are 10 Archaeopteryx on public exhibition. The Chicago specimen is the only one in a major city in the Western Hemisphere.
Meet the Team
Countless people devoted their time and expertise to procuring, preparing, and researching the Chicago Archaeopteryx and sharing it with the world. Here are three of the leaders of the project from the Field Museum.
Archaeopteryx press kit
Multimedia materials are available to accompany articles and other press mentions (with proper credit and copyright adherence). Unless otherwise noted, all materials are © Field Museum.
Acknowledgments
Acquisition of the Chicago Archaeopteryx was made possible through the generosity of the Walter Family Foundation and a challenge grant from an anonymous donor.
Additional support is provided by:
Diana and David Moore; Jessica and Steve Sarowitz; Nicholas J. Pritzker; Lauer Foundation for Paleontology, Science and Education, Bruce Lauer and René Lauer; Marshall B. Front Family Charitable Foundation/Laura De Ferrari and Marshall B. Front
Corporate funding provided by
