Used with
permission of Maiken Naylor, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA,
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/sel/exhibits/stamps
Archaeopteryx (above, bottom row, center), the most ancient type of fossil bird yet discovered, dates from the upper Jurassic period, or 160 million years ago. The fossil has a reptilian skull and tail, somewhat like those of the pterodactyl shown at right in the row above. The ubiquitous trilobite appears on many stamps; it is a common, small, and easily recognized fossil.