And as most of us know dinosaurs were reptiles. The main difference between dinosaurs and reptiles is that dinosaurs are a diverse group of extinct reptiles whereas reptiles include turtles, crocodilians, snakes, amphisbaenians, lizards, tuatara, and their extinct relatives.Furthermore, dinosaurs stand up on their legs, positioning their bodies directly on the legs while reptiles have parallel thigh bones to the ground. However, when we calibrate our microscope appropriately, we find that birds are more intimately related to dinosaurs, as they branched off from a dinosaur. You could go … This is a fad among paleontologists (and their science journalist hangers-on). Yes, birds are reptiles. Are Birds Really Dinosaurs? Many dinosaur species became extinct around 66 million years ago, but a group of living dinosaurs are still with us today: birds. So how could dinosaurs be birds if birds had yet to evolve? Birds, at over 10,000 living species, are the most diverse group of vertebrates besides perciform fish. We know that birds have a very similar skeleton to some kinds of dinosaurs, which are reptiles. ? The answer to you question both Yes and No ... Dinosaurs are the evolutionary ancestors of both lizards and birds but they, themselves were neither lizards or birds. Dinosaurs Are Reptiles – Therefore Birds Are Reptiles … And Dinosaurs! Birds are related to reptiles because birds are descended from dinosaurs. It's absurd to call birds dinosaurs. We even know from fossils that some dinosaurs have long arms like birds, long beaks (with teeth), and feathers. Although the living reptiles birds are most closely related to are crocodilians (archosaurs), when it comes to their relation to dinosaurs, birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs. The traditional and colloquial definition of reptiles excludes birds (Aves) making it paraphyletic (blue): "all the descendants of a common ancestor MINUS some groups". Although the living reptiles birds are most closely related to are crocodilians (archosaurs), when it comes to their relation to dinosaurs, birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs. More specifically from a group of small meat eating dinosaurs. Dinosaurs can be divided into two groups -- avian and nonavian, or flying and nonflying. Certainly there is the consideration that dinosaurs could have been the first birds, but based on the fact that not all dinosaurs were feathered or warm blooded, it is more likely that there is simply an overlap between reptiles and birds during the evolution process. Actually, birds and mammals are technically reptiles, as they descended from the very first reptile. On English wiki, dinosaurs are split into two orders, which belong to no class, but to a "clade" (dinosauria), which in turn belongs to phylum chordates. However, the reptile family tree is quite broad, and birds are more similar to some reptiles than they are to others. They were not related to mammals, but were more closely related to birds. Dinosaurs are a varied group of animals from taxonomic, morphological and ecological standpoints. Helmeted Hornbill … or … One such question revolves around the assertion that dinosaurs were reptiles. Here are a few: Three forward-facing toes; Fused collarbone, called a wishbone (yes, that kind of wishbone!) For amateur dinosaur lovers out there, there are many questions that come to mind when contemplating the existence of these giant extinct beasts. Dinosaurs are archosaurs, a larger group of reptiles that first appeared about 251 million years ago, near the start of the Triassic Period. Using the phylogenetic approach, not only are dinosaurs considered to be reptiles, but so too are all of their descendants – including birds! Birds are living descendants of dinosaurs, but they acquired their characteristics by evolution rather than genetic lineage. These theropods share over 100 traits with modern birds. Dinosaurs Were Reptiles. On Russian wiki, dinosaurs are split into two orders, which are part of a superorder (dinosauria), which is part of class reptilia, phylum chordate. Other prehistoric reptiles. Extensive research and comparison of fossils to modern-day birds provides evidence that avian dinosaurs evolved into the birds of today, and birds can actually be classified as a kind of reptile.