Are Birds Modern-Day Dinosaurs? | National Geographic

An asteroid strike 66 million years ago devastated the dinosaurs. But today’s birds are proof there were a few survivors.

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Birds are exceptionally diverse, with more than 10,000 known species—all of them the descendants of dinosaurs. Modern birds consist of 247 families and 10,731 species, more than any other vertebrate group except fish. The latest genetic clues and fossil finds suggest that at least three lineages of modern birds arose during the Cretaceous period and survived the mass extinction. These discoveries are helping us better understand how birds evolved and how they’re related to each other, from the tiny hummingbird to the towering ostrich.

Read more in "These Are the Dinosaurs That Didn't Die"

Are Birds Modern-Day Dinosaurs? | National Geographic

National Geographic

[NatGeo]

Birds have certain traits which have lead many scientists to believe they are modern-day dinosaurs. What are your thoughts on dinosaurs being connected to our feathered friends?

[effigytormented]

When I was a kid: I really wish dinosaurs were still alive.

Adult me: I wish dinosaurs would stop pooping on everything I own outside.

[frilink]

Dad, what happen to dinosaurs?

Dad: KFC

[iampixel]

me: goes to museum

also me: *look at all those chickens*

[helium]

If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck: It's a dinosaur.

[paleomotion]

"A distant cousin of theropods was archaeopteryx"
Archaeopteryx wasn't a distant cousin of theropods, it was a theropod just like modern birds are

[samsfoilcreations]

To say that birds aren’t dinosaurs would be like saying bats aren’t mammals.

[eduardofreitas]

Wait wait wait. Archaeopteryx, like all birds, are not RELATED to theropods, they ARE theropods.

[logantrimble]

Even names like raptor means "bird of prey", thus it even means "killer", and Gallimimus means "bird mimic". Which goes to show that scientists noticed similarities to birds decades ago.

[eclair]

It's funny how many people still don't know that birds are dinosaurs.

[PierreAndersson]

This is so awesome and i am so happy that at least some dinosaurlineage did in fact survive and now flourishes with 10000 species today.

[musizlover]

Its amazing to see how diverse birds are in every environment. Birds that can swim, run, use tools, see in the dark, zoom into their prey, scavenge, imitate any sound, etc. Just think how the first bird species survived the dinosaur extinction and diversify to fill up most of the ecological niches left empty by that world wide catastrophe. We got birds nearly everywhere in the world and they all came from the same ancestors. I mean, look at Australia. The majority of the fauna species there are descended from a common ancestor and in the isolated continent they diversify to fill positions in the ecosystem. Just imagine what the world would have been if birds didn't survive, what kind of animal class would evolve to fill up the empty positions birds left behind?

[masterplus]

Syrinxes aren't "only found in today's quacking water fowl", they are found in many groups of birds.

[BFKAnthony]

I ate a dinosaur for dinner, it was Dee-licious. ;)

[leehyunsong]

Dinosaurs never dies off they just become smaller. Tears in my eyes!

[Javiermn]

Remember kids, when u eat a chicken, youre eatin a modern day raptor. Happy feasting!



(This is a joke)

[LinkMarioSamus]

I can't unsee dinosaurs whenever I look at birds.

[StormsandSaugeye]

I'm so happy that the debate finally settled the questions of Warm vs cold bloodedness and how Birds fit Cladistically. It's nice to know that Dinosaurs are technically no longer extinct, and that the proper cladistic delineation of Avian vs non avian dinosaurs has allowed for a massive and frankly best explaining, examination of the dinosaur family writ large.
Still a shame that non avians didn't survive the ELE though.

[Tsumami__]

Let me save y’all 2 minutes and 54 seconds:
Yes. They are dinosaurs.

[bm-ubzc]

i didn't like they make it sound, that to say that birds are dinosaurs, is more like an intellectual scenario kind of thing. this is not just an interesting way of seeing it, like a philosophical question. no, birds are LITERALLY dinosaurs, as an official fact.