Scientists disagree about whether dinosaurs are related to birds but it is clear that DINOSAURS ARE NOT BIRDS because no dinos flew!
The pterodactyl (tErEdae'ktEl) was a flying reptile that shared the dinosaur world.
Were birds related to dinosaurs? Most scientists agree that both birds and dinosaurs evolved from the same ancestor but scientists still debate about whether birds evolved from dinosaurs. Scientists think that birds evolved from archosaurs. Archosaurs were one of the main reptile groups of the Triassic period and they gave rise to the dinosaurs, pterosaurs and crocodiles.
Make up your mind by reading the following facts!
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| Birds are related to dinosaurs. | Birds are not related to dinosaurs |
| Point 1: Archaeopteryx, the first bird, strongly resembled some of the small bipedal (two leg, two arm) dinosaurs! | Point 1: Archaeopteryx had teeth, which modern birds don't have! |
| Point 2: Birds have a very well-developed wishbone, which helps to keep the wing joint position. Several dinosaurs, mainly meat-eaters, actually had wishbones also. | Point 2: Archaeopteryx had claws, which all modern birds (except the hoatzin) do not have! |
| Point 3: The fossil bird archaeopteryx lived 190-136 million years ago, with the dinosaurs. | Point 3: Archaeopteryx had a bone in its tail which no bird of today has! |