MUNICH.- Just one week after the announcement of one of the most beautiful theropod dinosaurs yet discovered, from Kelheim, Bavaria, and just in time for the "the 150th anniversary of Archaeopteryx, an 11th and previously unknown specimen of one of the most famous fossil species has emerged in Germany. It was also registered as part of the German Cultural Heritage. Experts hope this will act as a signal for others to follow this lead. For the first time this new Archaeopteryx can be seen among other remarkable theropods and the most important original dinosaur finds from Europe such as Europasaurus, Compsognatus and Balaur - exclusively presented at Munich Show – Mineralientage München from the 28th to the 30th of October.

‘Of particular interest are the superbly preserved imprints of the feathers which will surely help to answer some important, unresolved questions’, said Dr. Oliver Rauhut, conservator of Bavaria's Paleontological State Collection in Munich. According to first scientific findings, the 11th Archaeopteryx is a relatively small specimen, comparable in size to the Berlin or Munich specimens. The skeleton is substantially complete and is preserved in articulation, only one wing and parts of the skull are missing.

‘Of course we are delighted by the good example set by the owner in making specimens of this kind accessible to science and to secure their accessibility by registration as part of the National Cultural Heritage and we hope that excellent cooperation between science and private collectors can be established’, Dr. Rauhut adds.

‘I think, that the owners behaved in an exemplary manner: the voluntarily registration of the specimen as part of the ‘German Cultural Heritage’ enables scientists to publish about this outstanding find in almost any high-ranking journal’, Prof. Dr. Haszprunar, president of the “Bavarian Natural History Collections (SNSB)” pointed out. ‘Finally it was a win-win-win-situation for the owner, the science and the public, fed by an ideal of ‘working and living together’.’

On Thursday, 27th October 2011, at 6 pm, the Munich Show – Mineralientage München celebrated its formal opening with invited guests from all over the world. The new discovered eleventh specimen and the carnivorous theropod dinosaur were unveiled by the president of the “Bavarian Natural History Collections”.