Archaeopteryx

## *Archaeopteryx lithographica*

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*No Skin Data Available*

## Diet

 Insects

*Archeopteryx* is a Mini-Aviary Animal, comparable in size to *Microraptor.*

There are three known species of *Archaeopteryx*, *A. lithographica, A. siemensii,* and *A. albersdoerferi.*

## In-Game

### Description

*Archaeopteryx* is a mini-aviary species which functions similarly to *Microraptor*. It moves in pre-made animations that loop randomly as opposed to a constant loop. Males of *Archaeopteryx* ingame are largely black and white with blue accents while females are more brown, but those can vary greatly, and can even reach a pink/purple shade of color.

### Management

Archaeopteryx is a Mini-Exhibit animal that does not have the ability to free roam inside of normal exhibits and must be placed inside of a Mini-Aviary instead. Archaeopteryx are bred directly from the Mini-Aviary's menu rather than through the genetics lab.

### In-Game Trivia

"*This is an Archaeopteryx - its fossil was one of the most important scientific discoveries ever made.*"

"*Not only was it the first feathered dinosaur found, but we now know its colors were mostly black and white, much like a magpie.*"

"*In addition to it's obvious bird-like traits, it also sported many traditional 'dinosaur' features such as sharp teeth, a bony tail, and a 'killing claw', similar to its distant relative, the Velociraptor.*"

"*Its name means 'Ancient Wing'. Not to be confused with the similarly named Paleozoic tree, Archaeopteris, which means 'Ancient Fern'. The distinction, of course, is quite important!*"

### Paleontology

*Archaeopteryx* feathers were initially found in the 1860s in Germany. It was later dated back to the Jurassic and was classified as a primitive bird or derived dinosaur at the time. People would theorize this animal would be a transitional species between the birds and dinosaurs with known feathers.

Eventually, paleontologists would refer to this animal as the first bird, being one of the earliest known bird-lineage animals. It also changed the view on bird and dinosaur relationships, officially placing birds into Dinosauria, rather than being a ghost lineage as it was seen before. This would conclude to birds being dinosaurs, and since dinosaurs are reptiles, this would mean birds are very specialized reptiles.

Although some consider this to be the first bird, there is still much debate over where *Archaeopteryx* lies, as some consider it to be a non-avian dinosaur. Right now, the consensus is that *Archaeopteryx* is one of the most primitive birds, given it still has a bony tail and a snout full of teeth, but is also not the common ancestor of all modern birds, but was still a close relative of that common ancestor. *Archaeopteryx* is known from the Solnhofen Formation in Germany, and was contemporaneous with the other bird-like dinosaur *Compsognathus*.

Named by Hermann von Meyer in 1861, *Archaeopteryx* means "first wing" in reference to it being considered as the first bird. *Archaeopteryx* is sometimes also referred to by its German name, *Urvogel*, which translates to "first bird" in German.

*Archaeopteryx* is thought to have been a burst flyer, where it could perform powered flight for short periods of time. Comparison of the sclerotic rings of *Archaeopteryx* between those of other modern day reptiles and birds have determined that *Archaeopteryx* was probably a diurnal animal. Based on its carnivorous dentition, *Archaeopteryx* is thought to have most likely hunted small game such as insects, amphibians, small reptiles, and maybe even baby dinosaurs.

## Gallery

* Renders

Website Render.

## Trivia

* Archaeopteryx is the first bird to be introduced to Prehistoric Kingdom.
* Archaeopteryx is the second mini-exhibit and mini-aviary animal to appear in Prehistoric Kingdom, the first being Microraptor.