Evidence from Claw Geometry Indicating Arboreal Habits of Archaeopteryx

1993/02/05 by Alan Feduccia · 14 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Mathematics · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Morphological variations and asymmetry

paper · doi:10.1126/science.259.5096.790

openalex publication_date 1993/02/05 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

The Late Jurassic Archaeopteryx has been thought to have been a feathered predator adapted to running that represented a terrestrial stage in the evolution of true birds from coelurosaurian dinosaurs. Examination of claw geometry, however, shows that (i) modern ground- and tree-dwelling birds can be distinguished on the basis of claw curvature, in that greater claw arcs characterize tree-dwellers and trunk-climbers, and (ii) the claws of the pes (hind foot) and manus (front hand) of Archaeopteryx exhibit degrees of curvature typical of perching and trunk-climbing birds, respectively. On this basis, Archaeopteryx appears to have been a perching bird, not a cursorial predator.

Citations

• Exaptation—a Missing Term in the Science of Form
• ADAPTIVE EVOLUTION IN THE AVIAN WING

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• Lung Structure and Ventilation in Theropod Dinosaurs and Early Birds
• Phalangeal curvature and positional behavior in extinct sloth lemurs (Primates, Palaeopropithecidae)
• Foraging modes of Mesozoic birds and non-avian theropods
• The first 85 million years of avian evolution
• THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF DINOSAURS
• A beaked bird from the Jurassic of China
• Physical theory, origin of flight, and a synthesis proposed for birds
• The Predatory Ecology of Deinonychus and the Origin of Flapping in Birds
• Assessing Arboreal Adaptations of Bird Antecedents: Testing the Ecological Setting of the Origin of the Avian Flight Stroke
• Predatory Functional Morphology in Raptors: Interdigital Variation in Talon Size Is Related to Prey Restraint and Immobilisation Technique
• Archaeopteryx [wikipedia]