Archeopteryx

When the first Archeopteryx was found in 1861, the discovery shook the scientific world. For the first time, a possible link between reptile and the ancestors of birds had been found.

Habits

The Archeopteryx was probably capable of limited true flight. It could have run on the ground until it had enough momentum to lunch itself into the air.

It is also likely that the Archeopteryx spent much of its time in trees, using the sharp claws on its feet and wings to climb. It could then have used its wings to glide from branch or swoop down to the ground.

Breeding

The had a good covering of feathers, and was probably warm-blooded. It could have incubated its young in the same way as modern- day birds. If so, it would have built a crude nest on a rocky cliff face or in a tree as protection against predators.

It is likely that the young Archeopteryx would have emerged from their eggs without feathers, like modern-day birds. (Dinosaurs probably hatched as small, self-sufficient version of their parents.) The young Archeopteryx would have been extremely vulnerable during their first few weeks, so it is probable that the parents showed some degree of care, as do most of today's birds.

Food & Hunting

Its large, tooth-lined beak and long, well- developed legs indicate that the Archeopteryx was probably not a vegetarian. Because dinosaurs would have been too large to the 14- inch Archeopteryx to overpower, it is probably not a true carnivore, either.

It is likely that insects provided the staple diet of the Archeopteryx. Such insects as beetles and small dragonflies could have been caught either on the ground, in the woods, or in air.

Enemies

The Archeopteryx would have had many potential enemies in the world of carnivorous dinosaurs. But its ability to run quickly, climb trees, and fly would have made it hard to catch.

Today, the greatest enemy of small, flying birds is lager birds of prey, such as hawks and falcons. Pterosaurs, large flying reptile, also lived at this time, but it is likely that they were far less agile than today's birds of prey and found it difficult to catch the nimble Archeopteryx.

A living fossil

The modern bird most similar to the is the South American hoatzin It had weak flight muscles and climb trees to glide, rather than fly, from branch to branch Hoatzin chicks have claws on their wings.