What are dinosaurs? | Natural History Museum

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on Earth?</p> </a> </li> <li> <a href="/discover/video.html" aria-label="Navigate to the Video page"> <p>Video</p> </a> </li> </ul> </section> <div id="main-content" class="main-section discover"> <div class="main-section"> <div class="article"> </meta> <div> <div class="layout-row discover-image" data-columns="flush"> <figure role="group"> <picture> <source media="(max-width: 480px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/hell-creek-dinosaurs-full-width.jpg.placeholder.480.480.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/hell-creek-dinosaurs-full-width.jpg.thumb.480.480.jpg"/> <source media="(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 768px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/hell-creek-dinosaurs-full-width.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/hell-creek-dinosaurs-full-width.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg"/> <source media="(min-width: 769px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/hell-creek-dinosaurs-full-width.jpg.placeholder.1160.1160.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/hell-creek-dinosaurs-full-width.jpg.thumb.1160.1160.jpg"/> <img class="lazy" src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/hell-creek-dinosaurs-full-width.jpg.placeholder.1160.1160.png" data-src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/hell-creek-dinosaurs-full-width.jpg.thumb.1160.1160.jpg" alt="Illustration of various Late Cretaceous dinosaurs from the Hell Creek Formation in the USA"/> </picture> <figcaption> <div class="articlepage--caption-container" data-caption-truncation> <div class="articlepage--caption"> <p>Dinosaurs took on a huge variety of shapes and sizes. Some walked on four legs and some on two. Here are a selection of Late <a href="/discover/the-cretaceous-period.html">Cretaceous</a> dinosaurs from what is now the USA. From back to front: <i>Ankylosaurus</i>, <i>Tyrannosaurus</i>, <i>Triceratops</i>, <i>Struthiomimus</i>,聽<i>Pachycephalosaurus</i>, and the more recently named聽<i>Acheroraptor</i> and <i>Anzu</i>. Adapted from an <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hell_Creek_dinosaurs_and_pterosaurs_by_durbed.jpg" target="_blank">image by Durbed, via Wikimedia Commons</a>, licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en" target="_blank">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>.聽</p> </div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div>  <button id="saved-articles__modal-open" class="saved-articles__bookmark" aria-label="Open saved articles list"> <div class="bookmark-wrapper"> <svg fill="none" viewBox="0 0 24 24" stroke="currentColor"> <path fill="#000" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M5 5a2 2 0 012-2h10a2 2 0 012 2v16l-7-3.5L5 21V5z"/> </svg> <span class="bookmark-badge" id="badge__count"></span> </div> </button>  <div id="saved-articles__overlay" class="saved-articles__overlay" data-state="closed"> <div class="saved-articles__modal" data-gtm-component="saved-articles-modal" aria-modal="true"> <div class="saved-articles" id="saved-articles__modal">  <div class="saved-articles__header-wrapper"> <h3 class="saved-articles__header-title"> Read later <span id="saved-articles__count"></span> </h3> <div class="saved-articles__close-wrapper"> <button aria-label="Close" id="saved-articles__modal-close" type="button" class="saved-articles__close-button">Close</button> </div> </div>  <div class="beta-container"> <div> <span class="beta-badge">Beta</span> </div> <div> <p>During <a class="beta-link" href="/about-us/beta-testing.html">Beta testing</a> articles may only be saved for seven days. </p> </div> </div>  <div class="modal__details"> <ul class="saved-articles__list" id="saved-articles__list"></ul> <div id="saved-articles__empty"> <div class="text-content"> <p>Create a list of articles to read later. You will be able to access your list from any article in Discover.</p> <p>You don't have any saved articles.</p> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="saved-articles__footer-wrapper"> <button id="saved-articles__save-button" type="button" class="saved-articles__add-to-list">+ add current article to list</button> </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="section"> <div class="layout-row" data-columns="21">  <div class="article layout-column"> <div class="article--tags-header" data-gtm-component="hub-header"> <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dinosaurs.html">DINOSAURS</a> </div> <h1 class="article--title-header">What are dinosaurs?</h1> <div class="article--secondary-info flow"> <div class="article--meta-container"> <div class="article--meta-author">By Sam Rae and Lisa Hendry</div> </div> <div class="cluster"> <div class="social-icons-list"> <div class="social-share--container"> <div class="social-share--icons cluster"> <div class="facebook social-share--icon--container"> <a 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18.6875L22.9367 18.7184C22.9367 18.7184 22.805 20.0732 21.4346 20.0888C20.0643 20.1043 6.66243 20.0964 6.66243 20.0964C6.66243 20.0964 5.20681 20.1738 5.021 18.7028L9.33304 14.3785Z" fill="white"/> </svg> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div data-gtm-component="like-button-top" class="article-likes-container"> <div class="like-container" data-page-path="/discover/what-are-dinosaurs"> <a href="#" aria-label="Clap button for article likes" class="like-button-link" tabindex="0"> <span class="clap-svg"></span> <span aria-label="1128 article likes" class="like-count js-like-count">1128</span> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="article--introduction"><p>Our brief introduction to dinosaurs reveals a key feature that gave them an advantage over other prehistoric reptiles.<br /> </p> </div> <div class="article--content"> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <p>Dinosaurs are a group of reptiles that dominated the land for over 140 million years (more than 160 million years in some parts of the world). They evolved diverse shapes and sizes, from the fearsome giant聽<i><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dino-directory/spinosaurus.html" target="_self">Spinosaurus</a></i>聽to the chicken-sized聽<i><a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dino-directory/microraptor.html" target="_self">Microraptor</a></i>, and were able to survive in a variety of ecosystems.<br /> </p> <p>One of the reasons for dinosaurs' success is that they had聽straight back legs, perpendicular to their bodies. This allowed them to use less energy to move than other reptiles that had a sprawling stance like today's lizards and crocodiles.</p> <p>With their legs positioned under their bodies rather than sticking out to the side, dinosaurs' weight was also better supported.<br /> </p> </div> </div> <div class="foundation5image parbase section"> <div> <figure class="mb-20 flow" role="group"> <picture> <source media="(max-width: 480px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/stance-upright-and-sprawling-comparison-two-column.jpg.placeholder.480.480.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/stance-upright-and-sprawling-comparison-two-column.jpg.thumb.480.480.jpg"/> <source media="(min-width: 481px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/stance-upright-and-sprawling-comparison-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/stance-upright-and-sprawling-comparison-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg"/> <img class="lazy" src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/stance-upright-and-sprawling-comparison-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/stance-upright-and-sprawling-comparison-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg" alt="Diagram showing the difference between an upright stance and a sprawling stance"/> </picture> <figcaption> <div class="image--caption-container" data-caption-truncation> <div class="image--caption"> <p>Dinosaurs had an upright stance (shown on the left), while lizards and crocodiles have a sprawling stance (shown on the right). Adapted from an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrestrial_locomotion#/media/File:Sprawling_and_erect_hip_joints_-_horizontal.svg" target="_blank">image by Fred the Oyster, via聽Wikimedia Commons</a>, licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0" target="_blank">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>.<br /> </p> </div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <p>Many dinosaur species became extinct around 66 million years ago, but a group of living dinosaurs are still with us today: birds.<br /> </p> <h2>Other prehistoric reptiles</h2> <p>Dinosaurs are archosaurs, a larger group of reptiles that first appeared about 251 million years ago, near the start of the <a href="/discover/the-triassic-period-the-rise-of-the-dinosaurs.html">Triassic Period</a>.</p> <p>Some other聽non-dinosaur reptiles聽are also archosaurs, including <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/watch-a-pterosaur-fly.html" target="_self">pterosaurs</a> (the now-extinct flying reptiles) and modern crocodiles and their ancestors.</p> <p>These and many other types of ancient reptiles are often wrongly called dinosaurs.</p> <p>Marine reptiles, such as ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs are not dinosaurs. Nor is <i>Dimetrodon</i> or other reptiles in the same group (previously called 'mammal-like reptiles' and now called synapsids)<i>.</i></p> <p>None of these other extinct groups shared the characteristic upright stance of dinosaurs.</p> </div> </div> <div class="foundation5image parbase section"> <div> <figure class="mb-20 flow" role="group"> <picture> <source media="(max-width: 480px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/dimetrodon-two-column.jpg.placeholder.480.480.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/dimetrodon-two-column.jpg.thumb.480.480.jpg"/> <source media="(min-width: 481px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/dimetrodon-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/dimetrodon-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg"/> <img class="lazy" src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/dimetrodon-two-column.jpg.placeholder.768.768.png" data-src="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/what-are-dinosaurs/dimetrodon-two-column.jpg.thumb.768.768.jpg" alt="Artist impression of Dimetrodon"/> </picture> <figcaption> <div class="image--caption-container" data-caption-truncation> <div class="image--caption"> <p>Despite its prehistoric appearance, <i>Dimetrodon</i> was not a dinosaur. It was a different kind of extinct reptile and lived even longer ago than dinosaurs.</p> </div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="ctabutton section"> <a class="button button--cta button--filled button--primary button--with-icon button__text" data-gtm-component="cta-button" href="/discover/is-it-a-dinosaur-quiz.html"> Test how well you know your dinosaurs: take our quiz <span class="button__icon button__icon--chevron"> <svg version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" x="0px" y="0px" viewBox="0 0 150 150" enable-background="new 0 0 150 150" xml:space="preserve"> <path d="M50.03,25.628l50,50l-50,50"></path> </svg> </span> </a> </div> <div class="text parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="text"> <h2>Main characteristics dinosaurs share:</h2> <ul> <li>They had an upright stance, with legs perpendicular to their body. This is the main feature that sets dinosaurs apart from other reptiles.</li> <li>Like other reptiles, they聽laid eggs.</li> <li>With the exception of some birds, for example penguins, dinosaurs lived on land, not in the sea.</li> <li>Their skull had a hole between the eye socket and nostril. This feature is shared by all archosaurs.<br /> </li> <li>Dinosaurs also had two holes behind the eye socket. Large, strong jaw muscles went through the holes to attach directly to the top of the skull. 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class="article--tags-footer"> <ul data-gtm-component="article-tags"> <li> <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/dinosaurs.html">Dinosaurs</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/evolution.html">Evolution</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/features.html">Feature</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/prehistoric.html">Prehistoric</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="article--sidebar layout-column"> <div class="headertextimage parbase section"> <div data-gtm-component="hti" class="hti-wrapper hti-padding " > <div class="hti--image-wrapper columns small-12 medium-12 large-12 " > <picture> <source media="(max-width: 480px)" srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/dino-directory/dino-directory-top5-composite.jpg.placeholder.480.480.png" data-srcset="/content/dam/nhmwww/discover/dino-directory/dino-directory-top5-composite.jpg.thumb.480.480.jpg"/> <source media="(min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 768px)" 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