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theropod dinosaurs
Dinosaurs and Birds 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. These theropods share over 100 traits with modern birds.
Are birds more closely related to mammals or crocodiles?
These evolved over the next 65 million years into modern birds. 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.
Alligators and birds are part of the same larger group, called archosaurs, which has existed for 250 million years and which has given rise not only to birds and crocodilians, but also to dinosaurs.
Are mammals more closely related to amphibians or to birds?
Mammals are more closely related to birds than they are to amphibians. Both mammals and birds evolved from reptiles, a group of vertebrates that…
(Crocodilians are actually more closely related to birds and dinosaurs than they are to other reptiles, i.e., lizards, snakes, and turtles.) Their analysis indicates that the ancestor of all archosaurs probably had an extremely slow rate of molecular evolution, and that the rate of change sped up in the bird lineage.
What dinosaurs evolved into birds?
The beginning of birds Birds evolved from a group of meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods. That’s the same group that Tyrannosaurus rex belonged to, although birds evolved from small theropods, not huge ones like T. rex.
What are the only extant animals that descended directly from dinosaurs?
Answer: D) Birds are the only extant animals that descended directly from dinosaurs.
Are birds more closely related to crocodiles or turtles?
Genetically, birds are more closely related to crocodiles than crocodiles are to turtles. Thus, bird anatomy has become highly modified as they have adapted to flight, without their genes having undergone nearly as much change. Taxonomically, what should be done with the birds?
What are the general characteristics of class Aves?
Some of the general characters of class Aves the birds are listed below: 1. Birds are bipedal feathered and warm blooded (homoiothermous) animals i.e., they are able to maintain a constant body temperature. Their fore-limbs are modified into wings. Most of them can fly except flightless birds (e.g., Ostrich). Class Aves has about 9000 species.
Should the birds be reclassified to the subclass Aves?
The birds should be reclassified, and their new taxon should be the subclass Aves. Genetic similarity trumps morphological dissimilarity in cases where morphological traits are uninformative.