Preservation

In order for a land organism to be washed into the lagoon and not be destroyed the organism had to either live near the lagoon or was very close to the lagoon before it died. Most organisms such as birds and reptiles (most of the land organisms found in the Solnhofen Limestone), are too delicate to be carried far and not become destroyed or disarticulated.

	A prime example is the Archaeopteryx. The feathers on this proto bird have not been damaged in any way. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that it was not transported far before settling to the bottom of the lagoon and was buried (modified from Page et. al., 1989).
	This feather is also undamaged so was not transported far. One can still see the fine hair-like features as at the base of the feather (modified from Page et. al., 1989).