The first description of Archaeopteryx lithographica by the German palaeontologist Hermann von Meyer (1861) referenced a fossil of an imprint of a single feather found in a limestone quarry near Solnhofen, Germany. In the same year, the first fossil skeleton of Archaeopteryx was discovered, also in Solnhofen. On 3 October 2011, this skeleton, now housed at the Natural History Museum in London, was officially declared the type specimen of Archaeopteryx lithographica by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). This transfer of the holotype status from the feather to the skeleton specimen was due to evidence that the feather may not belong to the species scientists have long referred to as Archaeopteryx lithographica.
Archaeopteryx was a carnivorous theropod. It ate fish and flying bugs. This dinosaur is considered the 'missing link' because it shares bird-like features with theropod-like features. Two (2) famous preserved fossil plates show impressions of feathers on the wings, tail, and body. It also has clawed feet and a tooth-filled mouth. Scientists believe that Archaeopteryx could glide but not fly.
