Question

Archaeopteryx, toothed fossil bird occurred during
A. Jurassic
B. Triassic
C. Cretaceous
D. Permian

Answer 1

Mesozoic era occurred about 252 to 66 million years ago and it is subdivided into three periods named as Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous period. The Mesozoic era is also called the Age of Reptiles.

Complete answer: Archaeopteryx lived 150 million years ago in the Mesozoic era and got extinct during the late Jurassic period. Archaeopteryx is also called lizard bird and it is a missing link between reptiles and birds. Its fossil was found by Andreas Wagner in Germany (1861) and is now displayed in British Museum, London. Some of the characteristics of reptiles are teeth in the jaw, fingers with claws, kneel less sternum, long tails with vertebrae, while birds like characters include forelimbs form wings, presence of only three fingers, toes adapted for perching, presence of wishbone, cranium with fused bones. Development of the first coral reefs also occurred during this period in the shallow water at the coast of Pangaea. Reptiles like Ichthyosaurs were commonly found.
a) Cretaceous period occurred approximately 79 million years ago in the Mesozoic era. Ancient birds took flight in this period and Pterosaurs were also found in this period.
b) The Permian period was dominated by early mammals, turtles, Lipidosis, etc.
So, the correct answer is option A.

Note: Living fossils are organisms that were believed to have become extinct but they still survive without undergoing much change i.e., a living organism with some ancestral/ancient characters. For example Latimeria (oldest living bony fish),Periapts (Arthropoda), Anteon (Feather star), Neophilia (Mollusca), Limulus (King crab), Sphenodon (Reptilia), Cycas , etc.