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The first amniotes apparently arose in the middle Carboniferous from the ancestral reptiliomorphs. Within a few million years, two important amniote lineages became distinct: mammals’ synapsid ancestors and the sauropsids, from which lizards, snakes, turtles/tortoises, crocodilians, dinosaurs, and birds are descended.
What type of animal is a dinosaur?
reptiles
Dinosaurs are prehistoric reptiles that have lived on Earth from about 245 million years ago to the present. Modern birds are one kind of dinosaur because they share a common ancestor with non-avian dinosaurs. Non-avian dinosaurs (all dinosaurs besides birds), which are now extinct, varied greatly in shape and size.
Is Dinosaur consider an animal?
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. Due to birds being dinosaurs, and dinosaurs being reptiles, this makes birds reptiles, albeit highly evolved and specialized reptiles. Dinosaurs are a varied group of animals from taxonomic, morphological and ecological standpoints.
Were the dinosaurs mammals or reptiles?
Modern taxonomy classifies all dinosaurs as reptiles and not birds or mammals because most of the characteristics of dinosaurs are found in reptiles than in the latter species. Most of the giant dinosaurs went extinct after the meteor strike, but smaller ones such as the Xixianykus evolved into birds. Oct 25 2019
Is a turtle a dinosaur?
No, turtles are reptiles. Dinosaurs , for example, had legs beneath their bodies to better support weight/run faster, etc…and reptiles’ legs were splayed to the sides, the way an alligator, lizard or turtle’s are. Dinosaurs are also reptiles, but, a different type (Sub-set) of reptiles. So,…
Do dinosaurs lay eggs?
Dinosaur Eggs. As far as we know, all dinosaurs reproduced by laying eggs, as do most other sauropsids (reptiles). It is very difficult to determine what species of dinosaur laid the eggs that have been discovered, because only a few dinosaur embryos have been found inside the fossil eggs.
Why are dinosaurs reptiles?
Answer Wiki. Short answer: Dinosaurs are reptiles because their ancestral lineage puts them into the reptile family. It’s a little tricky to define “reptiles” today. Many biologists have moved to defining groups by clades, which can be simplified as groups of descendants from common ancestors.