Fossil More Firmly Ties Birds to Archaeopteryx

A new analysis of the prehistoric creature archaeopteryx, the earliest-known birdlike animal, shows it had feet like dinosaurs -- a finding that adds weight to the belief that the birds frequenting backyard feeders today are descendants of mighty ancient carnivores.

Contrary to what had been thought, the new archaeopteryx fossil shows that its first toe was not reversed, as is the case with birds, German researchers reported in the current issue of the journal Science. Lack of the reversed toe would hamper the animal’s ability to perch like current birds, the researchers said, but would aid in eviscerating prey. Archaeopteryx was about the size of a magpie and lived about 150 million years ago.