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So birds aren’t just closely related to dinosaurs, they really are dinosaurs! And they are most closely related to crocodiles, which also came from archosaurs.
Did dinosaurs look like birds or lizards?
Initially dinosaurs were thought to look like large lizards, and were pictured as enormous animals, hundreds of feet long. ‘New discoveries mean we constantly have to update views on dinosaur appearance, behaviour and lifestyle.
Are dinosaurs similar to lizards?
Though “dinosaur” comes from the Greek for “terrible lizard,” true lizards and dinosaurs diverged from one another approximately 270 million years ago.
Are crocodiles more related to lizards or birds?
Yes, crocodiles are indeed closer to birds than to lizards and for that matter any other group of reptile alive today. As shown in the diagram below, crocodiles and birds are both members of the clade Archosauria, while lepidosaurs, which include lizards, iguanas and snakes, are a distinct lineage.
Are crocodiles a reptile?
Reptiles are turtles, snakes, lizards, alligators and crocodiles. Unlike amphibians, reptiles breathe only through their lungs and have dry, scaly skin that prevents them from drying out. Amphibians and reptiles are together called herpetofauna, or “herps” for short.
(Crocodilians are actually more closely related to birds and dinosaurs than they are to other reptiles, i.e., lizards, snakes, and turtles.)
Are crocodiles related to lizards?
No. Alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gharials are all crocodilians. Like lizards, they’re generally considered to be reptiles. However, they’re not very closely related to lizards, as reptiles go.
Are lizards and crocodiles related?
Although crocodiles and lizards have the similar body shape and they belong to the same class (Reptilia), they are not closely related. Together with alligators and caymans, crocodiles are part of the Crocodilian order. Lizards, on the other side, are members of the order Squamata.
Are lizards more similar to dinosaurs or snakes?
But lepidosaurs, like snakes and lizards, are more similar to each other (except in the characteristics that all reptiles share) than are lizards and dinosaurs. At the same time archosaurs, like dinosaurs and crocodilians, share more similar characteristics with each other than either of them do with lizards.
Are crocodiles closer to birds or dinosaurs?
Even though dinosaurs were reptiles, many palaeontologists believe that they’re closer to birds than they are to reptiles. Did crocodiles live with dinosaurs? Crocodiles and dinosaurs lived in the same period millions of years ago. However, unlike dinosaurs, they survived and still exist today all around the world.
Are dinosaurs reptiles?
Even though dinosaurs (and other archosaurs) clearly appear to fit the bill as reptiles, there are significant structural differences between them and other groups of reptiles. The most striking characteristic of the Archosauria is the triradiate pelvis.
How are birds related to dinosaurs?
Birds aren’t related to dinosaurs, they are in fact a subgroup of dinosaurs. Crocodiles (all crocodilians really) are simply the closest living relatives of dinosaurs. Take a look at this dinosaur and you can draw only one solid conclusion: Birds=dinosaurs