Editing Archaeopteryx (section)

== Palaeoecology ==
[[File:Archaeopteryx lithographica by durbed.jpg|thumb|Restoration of ''Archaeopteryx'' chasing a juvenile ''[[Compsognathus]]'']]
The richness and diversity of the [[Solnhofen limestone]]s in which all specimens of ''Archaeopteryx'' have been found have shed light on an ancient Jurassic Bavaria strikingly different from the present day. The latitude was similar to [[Florida]], though the climate was likely to have been drier, as evidenced by fossils of plants with adaptations for arid conditions and a lack of terrestrial sediments characteristic of rivers. Evidence of plants, although scarce, include [[cycad]]s and conifers while animals found include a large number of insects, small lizards, [[pterosaur]]s, and ''[[Compsognathus]]''.<ref name=Chiappe_07/>

The excellent preservation of ''Archaeopteryx'' fossils and other terrestrial fossils found at [[Solnhofen]] indicates that they did not travel far before becoming preserved.<ref name=Davis_1/> The ''Archaeopteryx'' specimens found were therefore likely to have lived on the low islands surrounding the Solnhofen lagoon rather than to have been corpses that drifted in from farther away. ''Archaeopteryx'' skeletons are considerably less numerous in the deposits of Solnhofen than those of pterosaurs, of which seven genera have been found.<ref name=Bartell_90/> The pterosaurs included species such as ''[[Rhamphorhynchus]]'' belonging to the [[Rhamphorhynchidae]], the group which dominated the [[ecological niche]] currently occupied by [[seabird]]s, and which became extinct at the end of the Jurassic. The pterosaurs, which also included ''[[Pterodactylus]]'', were common enough that it is unlikely that the specimens found are [[Vagrancy (biology)|vagrants]] from the larger islands {{cvt|50|km}} to the north.<ref name=Paul_1/>

The islands that surrounded the Solnhofen lagoon were low lying, [[semi-arid]], and sub-[[tropical]] with a long [[dry season]] and little rain.<ref name=Buison/> The closest modern analogue for the Solnhofen conditions is said to be [[Orca Basin]] in the northern [[Gulf of Mexico]], although it is much deeper than the Solnhofen lagoons.<ref name=Bartell_90/> The [[flora]] of these islands was adapted to these dry conditions and consisted mostly of low ({{cvt|3|m|disp=sqbr|0}}) shrubs.<ref name=Paul_1/> Contrary to reconstructions of ''Archaeopteryx'' climbing large trees, these seem to have been mostly absent from the islands; few trunks have been found in the sediments and fossilized tree [[pollen]] also is absent.

The lifestyle of ''Archaeopteryx'' is difficult to reconstruct and there are several theories regarding it. Some researchers suggest that it was primarily adapted to life on the ground,<ref name=Ostrom_3/> while other researchers suggest that it was principally arboreal on the basis of the curvature of the claws<ref name="Feduc 1"/> which has since been questioned.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pike |first1=A. V. L. |last2=Maitland |first2=D. P. |date=2004 |title=Scaling of bird claws |journal=Journal of Zoology |language=en |volume=262 |issue=1 |pages=73–81 |doi=10.1017/s0952836903004382 |issn=0952-8369}}</ref> The absence of trees does not preclude ''Archaeopteryx'' from an arboreal lifestyle, as several species of bird live exclusively in low shrubs. Various aspects of the morphology of ''Archaeopteryx'' point to either an arboreal or ground existence, including the length of its legs and the elongation in its feet; some authorities consider it likely to have been a [[Generalist and specialist species|generalist]] capable of feeding in both shrubs and open ground, as well as along the shores of the lagoon.<ref name=Paul_1/> It most likely hunted small prey, seizing it with its jaws if it was small enough, or with its claws if it was larger.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}