Cited by 156Paleontology and Evolutionary BiologyEvolution and Paleontology StudiesFossil Insects in Amber

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Evidence from Claw Geometry Indicating Arboreal Habits of Archaeopteryx

Feduccia, Alan·1993·Science

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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.

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It's ‘claw’-some: Ontogenetic claw shape changes in mites (Acari, Oribatida) as a consequence of ecological shifts
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“The inner and outer curvature measurements obtained in this study utilized a modified version of the methods out-lined by Feduccia (1993) and utilized by Cobb and Sellers (2020) for measuring the curvature of the ungual element rather than the claw sheath (Cobb & Sellers, 2020; Feduc-cia, 1993).”
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Authors: Feduccia, A.
Affiliations: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author: Feduccia, Alan
ORCID: Feduccia, Alan
Venue: Science
Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Published: 1993-02-05
Volume: 259
Issue: 5096
Pages: 790-793
ISSN: 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
1095-9203
DOI: 10.1126/science.259.5096.790
OpenAlex: W2037267175
Cited by: 156
References: 20
Citations by year: 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 5
FWCI: 6.04
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Science (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Fossil Insects in Amber
Keywords: Archaeopteryx, arboreal behavior, Passeriformes, avian evolution, Late Jurassic

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Evidence from Claw Geometry Indicating Arboreal Habits of Archaeopteryx

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