Archaeopteryx the feather having a light-coloured inner vane was not supported, due to the abundance of matte black melanosomes in this region. As in the wings of modern birds, the flight feathers of "Archaeopteryx" were somewhat asymmetrical and the tail feathers were rather broad. This implies that the wings and tail were used for lift generation, but it is unclear whether "Archaeopteryx" was capable of flapping flight or simply a glider. The lack of a bony breastbone suggests that "Archaeopteryx" was not a very strong flier, but flight muscles might have attached to the thick, boomerang-shaped wishbone, the platelike coracoids, or
Specimens of Archaeopteryx the feather. "Archaeopteryx lithographica" was initially named for this original feather, rather than the full skeleton that was found around the same time, and the feather was originally the formal type specimen and holotype for the species. There are obvious problems with this idea, such as the fact that the feather may have come from a juvenile, or possibly another species altogether. The distal obtuse angle at the tip is not a feature found on the feathers of any other "Archaeopteryx" skeleton with integument imprints. It is possible, however, that the strange angle of the tip is an artifact caused