Wing Claws? And yet, if the known specimens of Archaeopteryx that have been found are considered to be juvenile, that would mean scientists can’t be sure whether adult Archaeopteryx actually had prominent wing claws, can they? Indeed, even a recent, detailed study on this latest find commented on the variable traits found within the limited number of Archaeopteryx specimens available to study. The possibility that the known specimens represent a “species flock” of Archaeopteryx, possibly due to island speciation after the initial dispersal of the genus into the Solnhofen Archipelago.14As another article discussing the various Archaeopteryx specimens put it:Even within that group of nine specimens, no two Archaeopteryx look the same. There is significant variation in the size, shape, spacing and orientation of the teeth, as well as differences in body size between the different specimens.
