Animalscaretips
Crocodylians, which include alligators and crocodiles, are not dinosaurs. They are the closest living relatives of dinosaurs, however (because birds are theropod dinosaurs). Dinosauria is a group that was originally defined by anatomist Richard Owen based on a few described taxa, including Iguanodon and Megalosaurus.
- Is Alligator considered a dinosaur?
- Is an alligator a reptile or dinosaur?
- Are alligators left over from dinosaurs?
- Are crocodiles and alligators part of the dinosaur family?
- Did alligators eat dinosaurs?
- Why do alligators look like dinosaurs?
- What dinosaur did alligators evolve from?
- Is a penguin a dinosaur?
- Are alligators bulletproof?
- What animal is closest to at Rex?
- Why is a crocodile not a dinosaur?
- Why are alligators not lizards?
- Did snakes exist with dinosaurs?
- How did alligators survive the dinosaur extinction?
- Are crocodiles immortal?
Is Alligator considered a dinosaur?
As alligators do not have all of these traits, they cannot be considered dinosaurs. Alligators and dinosaurs are closely related, however. Reptiles fit into two groups, the archosaurs and the lepidosaurs.
Is an alligator a reptile or dinosaur?
An alligator is a reptile in the Alligator genus. The genus is part of a larger order called Crocodylia, which includes crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharials.
Are alligators left over from dinosaurs?
Evolving around 200 million years in the Mesozoic epoch, crocodiles have far outlived the dinosaurs. ... Those 23 crocodilian separate into three families: alligatoridae (alligators and caimans), crocodylidae (crocodiles) and gavialidae (gharials).
Are crocodiles and alligators part of the dinosaur family?
As far as reptiles go, crocodiles are closely related to dinosaurs. But they're incredibly complex biological organisms that survived the meteor impact that ended the Cretaceous period roughly 66 million years ago — and did in their dinosaur relatives.
Did alligators eat dinosaurs?
They were among the largest predators in the ecosystem and ate dinosaurs.
Why do alligators look like dinosaurs?
Modern crocodiles and alligators are almost unchanged from their ancient ancestors of the Cretaceous period (about 145–66 million years ago). That means that animals that were almost identical to the ones you can see today existed alongside dinosaurs!
What dinosaur did alligators evolve from?
Brachychampsa had short teeth and a large mouth that packed more power than those of living gators. These oral characteristics suggest that Brachychampsa may have preyed on turtles, which were very common in the Hell Creek fauna. The first alligator ancestors evolved some 245 million years ago.
Is a penguin a dinosaur?
Penguins are dinosaurs. ... Way back in the Jurassic, birds were just one of many, many dinosaur lineages. Extinction wiped out all the rest, leaving avian dinosaurs the only ones still standing.
Are alligators bulletproof?
They are lightning-quick, instinctual to attack, and can sense movement in the water with their acutely tuned senses. However, this thick skin is hardly safe from bullets. ... Alligator skin is definitely not designed for bullet protection and shooting a bullet at it will puncture a hole right through!
What animal is closest to at Rex?
The closest living relatives of Tyrannosaurus rex are birds such as chickens and ostriches, according to research published today in Science (and promptly reported in the New York Times).
Why is a crocodile not a dinosaur?
Reptiles, such as crocodiles and lizards, have legs that sprawl out to the side. ... During the Age of Dinosaurs there were other reptiles living on the land and in the seas. While these animals lived alongside dinosaurs, they did not have a hole in their hip socket and thus were not dinosaurs.
Why are alligators not lizards?
Currently voted the best answer.
Some technical differences between true lizards (Order Squamata) and alligators and crocodiles (Order Crocodilia) is that the true lizards have bony eye rings; no secondary palates (except a few skink species); and overlapping scales.
Did snakes exist with dinosaurs?
Researchers have unearthed the fossil remains of four snakes that are 70 million years older than the oldest snake previously discovered. The finds rewrite what scientists know about the creatures, showing that they were slithering alongside pterodactyls and other dinosaurs as early as 167 million years ago.
How did alligators survive the dinosaur extinction?
Crocodiles survived the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs thanks to their 'versatile' and 'efficient' body shape, that allowed them to cope with the enormous environmental changes triggered by the impact, according to new research. Crocodiles can thrive in or out of water and live in complete darkness.
Are crocodiles immortal?
Crocodiles may not be out of the ordinary when it comes to growing old, but there are animals that do exhibit what's called "negligible senescence", or a lack of normal ageing. ... So, no, crocodiles do not hold the secrets of immortality, nor do they "just keep getting bigger".
