Archaeopteryx

huxley-paleozoo:

Scientific name: Archaeopteryx lithographica
Diet: Insects and small vertebrates
Projected natural lifespan: 10+ years
Length: 50 cm (20 inches)
Weight: 0.8-1 kg (1.8-2.2 lbs)
Locality: Bavaria, Germany (Solnhofen Limestone); 150-148 Ma
Exhibit: Anning Palaeontological Museum

About
The first bird (if you have a very specific definition of what a bird is), Archaeopteryx has been known to science since the 1860′s. Universally agreed to be related to modern birds, its affinities to theropod dinosaurs had first been suggested in 1868 by Thomas Henry Huxley and popularized in the 1970s by John Ostrom. It has quite a few features in common with theropod dinosaurs, dromaeosaurids in particular – a small head filled with teeth, clawed wings, small “sickle claws” on the second toes, and a long bony tail. Many Archaeopteryx fossils preserve impressions of large feathers on the wings and tail.

At Huxley
Archaeopteryx is one of our Animal Ambassadors. Nominated due to the taxon’s scientific importance, they’re good candidates for the job due to their small size and agreeable personality.

Notable Behavior
Our Archaeopteryx are pretty social birds, and they seem to enjoy the company of humans almost as much as each others’. They prefer being in large groups, and due to the way we raised and trained them, they seem to count people as part of these groups. Hence, they do well around groups of people during educational demonstrations. If you’re lucky, on certain days you might have the ability to touch them when you visit the Museum! Archaeopteryx feathers are very soft. Please keep contact to the neck and back.

The Archaeopteryx can fly, but not very well, and mostly for short distances. Their arms can’t go back as far as modern birds, so they can’t do a full flight stroke. Instead, they tend to get around by climbing or simply walking. Or hopping. It’s cute when they hop.

Keeper Notes
As several of you have guessed, the post on April 1 was written by an Archaeopteryx. We covered the keyboard with mealworms and let him have at it.