The excellent preservation of Archaeopteryx fossils and other terrestrial fossils found at Solnhofen indicates that they did not travel far before becoming preserved.

All of the Archaeopteryx fossils come from marine sediments, and it has been suggested that wings may have helped the birds run over water in the manner of the Jesus Christ Lizard (Common basilisk).

Archaeopteryx fossils have been dated to almost 150 million years ago - more than 20 million years before this find - and this animal is clearly more primitive in terms of flight equipment.

The first complete specimen was announced in 1861, and ten more Archaeopteryx fossils have been found since then.

Moreover, because these feathers take the advanced form of flight feathers, Archaeopteryx fossils are evidence that feathers began to evolve before the Late Jurassic.

Differences between the impressions on slab and counterslab led Fred Hoyle and Lee Spetner in 1985 to declare that some Archaeopteryx fossils had been forged, a claim dismissed by most palaeontologists.

Thermopolis is also the home of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, which hosts the only Archaeopteryx fossil outside Europe.

Archaeopteryx fossils from the quarries of Solnhofen limestone represent the most famous and well-known fossils from this area.

In January 1863, Owen bought the Archaeopteryx fossil for the British Museum.

Rare and valuable Archaeopteryx fossils show the link between birds and reptiles.