Why Is the Discovery of the Fossil Archaeopteryx Significant? It

question 47

Multiple Choice

Why is the discovery of the fossil Archaeopteryx significant? It supports the

• A) phylogenetic relatedness of birds and reptiles.
• B) contention that birds are much older than we originally thought.
• C) claim that some dinosaurs had feathers well before birds had evolved.
• D) idea that the first birds were ratites.
• E) hypothesis that the earliest birds were ectothermic.

---

Definitions:

Cranial Nerve

One of twelve pairs of nerves that originate in the brain and primarily serve the head and neck (except the vagus nerve which extends to the abdomen).

Optic Nerve

A cranial nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain.

Choroid

A layer of the eye between the retina and the sclera, rich in blood vessels, supplying nutrients to the eye's inner parts.

Retina

The inner layer of the eye sensitive to light, where the conversion of light images to nerve signals that are sent to the brain occurs.