Archaeopteryx
What Did It Look Like?
Archaeopteryx was small, with the largest species estimated to have reached around 50 cm in length and up to around 1 kg in weight. It had small, sharp teeth, a long bony tail, and 3 long fingers with claws on each arm. Each foot had 4 toes with claws, though unlike modern birds the first toe was not fully reversed, meaning it would not be well-suited to perching on branches. The second toe had a curved claw and was hyperextendable, meaning it could be held high off the ground to keep it sharp - giving Archaeopteryx a raptor-like "killing claw" on each foot. It likely hunted small prey like reptiles, insects, etc. - though unfortunately we do not yet have any direct evidence of its diet.
Fossil Discoveries
Fossils of Archaeopteryx are found in Germany, with the first being discovered in 1861 and a total of 12 specimens found so far. The first fossil was just a single feather, and whether it actually belonged to Archaeopteryx is debated, but since then a number of very well-preserved specimens have been found. At the time Archaeopteryx lived, Europe was an archipelago (a large group of islands) and was much closer to the equator than it is today, so the climate is thought to have been warm and dry. Of the 12 specimens discovered to date, many of them include evidence of long, advanced flight feathers. These advanced feathers suggest that feathers likely began to evolve much earlier in the Jurassic.Could it Fly?
Despite having so-called "flight feathers", it’s still unclear how well Archaeopteryx could fly. While some have argued it may have only glided, currently many paleontologists think that Archaeopteryx probably could fly, but was not a strong flier. The debate continues, but it's widely agreed that it wasn’t as capable in the air as modern birds.Feather Color and Appearance
There is some evidence of the color of Archaeopteryx feathers. Color is not directly preserved in the fossil record, but microscopic analysis of fossils allows us to observe pigment cells within the feathers called melanosomes. In modern birds, the structure and arrangement of these melanosomes influences the color of feathers as well as the iridescence ("glossiness"). So far, analysis of wing feathers on Archaeopteryx has shown they were likely matte black - but what the rest of the plumage looked like remains unclear. The image here shows what it might have looked like with all-black feathers.
Brain and Senses
CT scans of fossils can give scientists an idea of the shape of the animal's brain by creating a 3D reconstruction of the area of the skull that housed the brain, known as the "braincase". Archaeopteryx appears to have had a relatively large brain for its size compared to earlier dinosaurs (though still much smaller than in modern birds). In particular, the areas of the brain associated with vision, hearing and coordination were notably enlarged. This, along with analysis of the relatively big eyes of Archaeopteryx and its inner ear, suggests that it likely had keen senses of vision and hearing. It has been suggested that Archaeopteryx may have been diurnal (active during the day) based on comparisons of its eyes to those of modern birds, but this has been debated.Habitat: Trees or Ground?
Whether Archaeopteryx was arboreal (lived in trees) or lived on the ground is unclear, but many researchers suspect that it was probably at home in both - similar to present-day crows. While the fossil record does suggest a lack of large trees in its environment, an arboreal lifestyle is still possible as many arboreal birds today live in shrubs.References & Attributions
Image: Artist's Restoration of Archaeopteryx - NobuTamura http://paleoexhibit.blogspot.com/ http://spinops.blogspot.com/, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image: Fossil Specimen of Archaeopteryx - H. Raab (User:Vesta), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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