RE: Campbell's even crazier than a MANIAC? (archeopteryx climbing)

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Dann Pigdon wrote:


> Were there any bush-like plants about in the Jurassic?


I suppose small conifers would count as 'bushes', or even 'shrubs'.  Viohl 
(1985) described _Archaeopteryx_'s  Solnhofen habitat as "a bushland of 
conifers and Bennititaleans alternating with areas of sparse vegetation".



> What if they were webbed like gulls' feet? 


Hmm... would webbed feet make a difference?  I would say that the issue has 
more to do with the ability of the pedal digits to wrap around a branch.  That 
comes down to the ability of the first toe (hallux) to effectively oppose the 
other toes.  For _Archaeopteryx_, that ability was fairly rudimentary - if it 
existed at all.


> Assuming of course they even had 'bushes' to land on in the first place. :)


And assuming that the 'bush' wasn't so flimsy that the branch collapsed under 
the weight of a landing _Archaeopteryx_.     :-)



Cheers

Tim



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