Archaeopteryx

Archaeopteryx
Scientific name
Archaeopteryx lithographica
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Name in other languages  しそちょう  始祖鸟  Archéoptéryx  Arqueoptérix  Archaeopteryx  Археоптерикс  시조새  始祖鳥  Archéoptéryx  Arqueoptérix  Archaeopteryx  Archeopteryx

The Archaeopteryx is a standalone fossil that can be donated to the museum in Animal Crossing: Wild World, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Donating to the museum

In Wild World

"I must salute this find! A fossil in such fine condition is rare, indeed! Archaeopteryx had wings and looked almost exactly like a modern bird, eh wot? As such, most scientists believed it was the true avian ancestor. Our most recent studies, however, conclude that the lineage is not direct. Current hypotheses point to multiple ancestors, some yet to be discovered. Ah! Sorry for running on! This could be one of my ancient relatives, wot!"

In City Folk

"Hoo, what a wondrous find! Such perfect condition! Archaeopteryx's feathers... led many people to believe it was the progenitor of the birds, eh wot? Sadly, further evidence indicates it's likely not a direct relation... The current thinking is that we had other ancestors. Different grand-Blathers for me, wot wot! To be honest, there are almost as many theories as fossils for this beastie. It's quite a riddle!"

In New Leaf

"The archaeopteryx is considered a close relative to the ancestors of modern birds. Despite the similarities, its teeth and three-clawed hands contained marked differences. As its bones were hollow to keep its body lighter and allow for flight, fossils rarely survive."

In New Horizons

When the player donates to Blathers or selects "Tell me about this!" in New Horizons, he will provide the following information about the fossil:

"Archaeopteryx's feathers led many people to believe it was the progenitor of the birds, eh wot... Sadly, further evidence indicates it's likely not a direct ancestor—more an evolutionary "uncle", if you will. Every time a specimen is found, new theories pop up. And new relatives come to roost in the family tree!"

The Archaeopteryx can be found in the second room of the fossil exhibit in the museum.

As an item

In Wild World, City Folk, and New Leaf

Name	HRA Points	Feng Shui	Size (sq)
Archaeopteryx	300	Brown (x2)	1

In New Horizons

Archaeopteryx
Interactable	No
Sell price	1,300 Bells
Colors	Beige   Brown
Size

Real-world information

The Archaeopteryx fossil in the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. Wing imprints can be seen.

Archaeopteryx is a primitive bird that lived during the Late Jurassic, approximately 150 million years ago, in what is now southern Germany. Eleven fossils have been discovered to date, featuring feather impressions (the first fossil was actually of a single feather), sharp teeth, and three clawed fingers. Whether the feathers were meant for insulation or flight is under contentious debate; CT scans show that Archaeopteryx did have the proper neural structures needed for flight, but would probably have flown in a manner very different from modern birds. The limestone that all specimens were unearthed from suggest that Archaeopteryx lived on islands surrounding a lagoon, enduring long dry seasons, and living amongst other creatures such as pterosaurs, turkey-sized carnivorous dinosaurs, another genus of early bird, ray-finned fish, lizards, and many insects. Cycads and conifers, though scarce, made up the flora of the lagoon. Archaeopteryx could grow up to 50 cm in body length.

Names in other languages

	しそちょう Shiso chō
	시조새 Sijosae	Archaeopteryx
	始祖鸟 Shǐzǔniǎo	Archaeopteryx
	始祖鳥 Unknown
	Археоптерикс Arkheoperiks	-
	Archeopteryx	-
	Archaeopteryx	-
	Arqueoptérix	-
	Archéoptéryx	-
	Archaeopteryx	-