What kind of bird is that?
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A rare small dinosaur bird skull caught in amber. It has a long name in Latin: Oculudentavis. (Los Angeles Natural History Museum) -
An artist drew what the bird might have looked like, flying around the forest. (Los Angeles Natural History Museum) -
The artist’s idea of what the living Oculudentavis head would look like. (Los Angeles Natural History Museum) -
Another type of dinosaur with wings was the pterodactyl. This one was fossilized in stone, instead of amber. -
Amber is tree sap that hardened over time. It catches anything walking on the treebark, like these bugs.
Scientists found a bird from long ago in amber. It has a tiny head, big eyes, and sharp teeth.
They named it Oc-u-lu-den-ta-vis. That means “eye-tooth-bird” in Latin.
READ MORE: Scientists looked inside an old piece of amber. Surprise! The amber hid the smallest bird in the world. The ancient bird is perfectly preserved. Its skull is the size of a fingernail. Inside the skull are holes for huge eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The tiny bird is a big mystery to scientists. But it isn’t a mystery to our Creator. Psalm 50:11 reminds us, “I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.”
Section #8: Ten-Minute Writing. If your children love to write, or if some are reluctant writers, this idea might help them maintain and improve their writing skills over the summer. Set aside ten minutes during which everyone—including you—will write for ten minutes, no more, no less. (Seeing your crossed-out words and corrections will reassure them that writing is not easy for anyone.) Use the tiny dinosaur discovery for this week’s topic: “Trapped in Amber!” or “Found At Last!” or any other ideas you come up with. Decorated notebooks and some impressive pencils also might help everyone to get started on a good note. “My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king.” (Psalm 45:1)
