Archaeopteryx lived around 150 million years ago, which was during the
Jurassic period. The first Archaeopteryx fossil to be discovered was a feather.
It was found in the Solnhofen Limestone Formation in Germany in 1860. In
addition to the feather, eight specimens of Archaeopteryx have been found.
The measurements of Archaeopteryx are:

wingspan: 1.5 feet (0.5 m.)
length: 1 foot (30 cm)
weight: 11-18 ounces (300-500 g.)

Archaeopteryx had conical teeth. Each foot had four toes. Three pointed
forward and one pointed backward. The long arms each had three long fingers.
During the Jurassic period, the Solnhofen area was a stagnant lagoon. The
waters of the lagoon were anoxic near the bottom; the lack of oxygen at that
level made it easier for dead organisms to be preserved.
This feathered creature had the capability to fly and was definitely
bird-like in a number of ways.
The taxonomy of Archaeopteryx is:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Archosauria
Order: Saurischia
Suborder: Theropoda
Infraorder: Coelurosauria
Family: Archaeopteridae
Genus: Archaeopteryx
The species are:

Archaeopteryx lithographica (Hermann von Meyer 1861)
Archaeopteryx bavarica (Wellnhofer 1993)

Neal Robbins



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