Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates Portal

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col-sm-offset-15"> Although it can be hard to imagine that a peacock and a crocodile have much of anything in common, these animals are actually descendants of the same prehistoric vertebrates. Birds are thought to have descended from carnivorous dinosaurs that began growing feathers by the Late Jurassic Period; thus, birds are technically one lineage of reptiles. This evolutionary link highlights the way in which seemingly incongruous creatures can, in fact, share a common ancestor (though that doesn't mean that we should expect waterfowl and crocodiles to become friends anytime soon).</div> </div> <div class="text-hr text-hr-right border-navy font-12 text-uppercase font-weight-bold mt-30 ls-lg">Browse Subcategories</div> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 mt-20 category-snap-slider"> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex font-14 overflow-hidden text-nowrap mx-5"> <a href="/browse/Amphibians" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Amphibians</a> <a href="/browse/Birds" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Birds</a> <a href="/browse/Fish" class="link-white mr-20 mr-sm-30">Fish</a> <a href="/browse/Reptiles" class="link-white ">Reptiles</a> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-blue " aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <h2 class="label my-30">Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates Encyclopedia Articles</h2> <a href="/browse/Birds-Reptiles-Vertebrates/1">See articles</a> <h2 class="label my-30 text-center">Featured Articles</h2> <div class="js-pinboard grid gy-20"> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/amphibian" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/26558-004-E2C978A1/Salamander.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="banded fire salamander (Salamandra terrestris)" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/amphibian" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">amphibian</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Amphibian, (class Amphibia), any member of the group of vertebrate animals characterized by their ability to exploit both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The name amphibian, derived from the Greek amphibios... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/chondrichthian" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/03/93103-050-AE6EAE5D/stingrays.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="southern stingray (Dasyatis americana or Hypanus americanus)" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/chondrichthian" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">chondrichthyan</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Chondrichthyan, (class Chondrichthyes), any member of the diverse group of cartilaginous fishes that includes the sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras. The class is one of the two great groups of living... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/fish" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/31033-004-4A4192E3/sunfish.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="pumpkinseed sunfish" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/fish" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">fish</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Fish, any of approximately 34,000 species of vertebrate animals (phylum Chordata) found in the fresh and salt waters of the world. Living species range from the primitive jawless lampreys and hagfishes... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/snake" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/03/3703-004-B533951A/Timber-rattlesnake.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="timber rattlesnake" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/snake" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">snake</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Snake, (suborder Serpentes), any of more than 3,400 species of reptiles distinguished by their limbless condition and greatly elongated body and tail. Classified with lizards in the order Squamata, snakes... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/reptile" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/39/9739-004-EDFEA6E9/turtle.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="painted turtle (Chrysemys picta)" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/reptile" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">reptile</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Reptile, any member of the class Reptilia, the group of air-breathing vertebrates that have internal fertilization, amniotic development, and epidermal scales covering part or all of their body. The major... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/dinosaur" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/50/8050-050-D930CD43/Mesozoic-Era-Age-of-Dinosaurs-periods-dinosaurs.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="dinosaurs to scale" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/dinosaur" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">dinosaur</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Dinosaur, (clade Dinosauria), the common name given to a group of reptiles, often very large, that first appeared roughly 245 million years ago (near the beginning of the Middle Triassic Epoch) and thrived... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/turtle-reptile" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/62/99062-050-C3752373/Turtles.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="species of turtles" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/turtle-reptile" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">turtle</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Turtle, (order Testudines), any reptile with a body encased in a bony shell, including tortoises. Although numerous animals, from invertebrates to mammals, have evolved shells, none has an architecture... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/bird-animal" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/10/250610-050-BC5CCDAF/Zebra-finch-Taeniopygia-guttata-bird.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata)" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/bird-animal" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">bird</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Bird, (class Aves), any of the more than 10,400 living species unique in having feathers, the major characteristic that distinguishes them from all other animals. A more-elaborate definition would note... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="p-10 d-inline-flex js-pin col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25 "> <div class="card text-normal col-100 "> <div class="card-media position-relative"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/lizard" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/87/7787-050-97868E6E/animals-lizards-body-temperatures-temperature-locations-thermoreceptors.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="black girdle-tailed lizard" class="col-100" /> </a> </div> <div class="col"> <div class="card-body text-hyphenate"> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/lizard" class="font-weight-bold font-16 lh-sm">lizard</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 font-14"> Lizard, (suborder Sauria), any of more than 5,500 species of reptiles belonging in the order Squamata (which also includes snakes, suborder Serpentes). Lizards are scaly-skinned reptiles that are usually... </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="adm my-30"></div> <div class="subcategories"> <h2 class="h4 mt-40 mb-30 font-weight-bold">Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates Subcategories</h2> <div class="grid gy-30 mb-30"> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Amphibians"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/75/6975-004-C5803E33/Bullfrog.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="Bullfrog" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Amphibians" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Amphibians</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Amphibians are characterized by their ability to experience the best of both worlds in terms of living arrangements: they can inhabit both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Some species of amphibians have picked sides, however, and dwell exclusively in the water or on land. Today's amphibians include frogs and toads, newts and salamanders, and the wormlike amphibians known as caecilians.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/midwife-toad">midwife toad</a> <div class="font-serif">amphibian</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/frog">frog</a> <div class="font-serif">amphibian</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/axolotl">axolotl</a> <div class="font-serif">amphibian</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Birds"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/88726-050-C15A73C5/hummingbird-Ruby-throated.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="ruby-throated hummingbird" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Birds" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Birds</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Hummingbirds, chickens, flamingos, pheasants: birds may come in all different shapes and sizes, but they all possess feathers, which is the easiest way to distinguish them from all other animals. Although not all species of bird can fly (sorry about that, ostriches), many birds do enjoy the power of flight, and this has permitted an almost unlimited diversification of birds, so that birds are now found virtually everywhere on Earth.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/bird-watching">bird-watching</a> <div class="font-serif">hobby</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/poultry-agriculture">poultry</a> <div class="font-serif">agriculture</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/woodpecker">woodpecker</a> <div class="font-serif">bird</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Fish"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/33/147333-050-82BB65E5/Flashlight-fish-lantern-eye.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="flashlight fish" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Fish" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Fish</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Fishes have been in existence for more than 450 million years, and they have evolved to fit into almost every conceivable type of aquatic habitat, including both fresh and salt waters. Almost all natural bodies of water bear fish life, with the exception of very hot thermal ponds and extremely salt-alkaline lakes, such as the Dead Sea in Asia and the Great Salt Lake in North America. Although most fish species are cold-blooded, one especially contrarian species, the opah (Lampris guttatus), is warm-blooded.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/white-shark">white shark</a> <div class="font-serif">fish</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/tilapia">tilapia</a> <div class="font-serif">fish grouping</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/whale-shark">whale shark</a> <div class="font-serif">fish</div> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="col-100 col-sm-33 col-md-25"> <a href="/browse/Reptiles"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/69/257769-138-E81239E2/how-do-chameleons-change-color.jpg?w=400&h=225&c=crop" alt="How chameleons change color鈥攁nd why" class="col-100 mb-20" /> </a> <a href="/browse/Reptiles" class="font-weight-bold font-16">Reptiles</a> <div class="font-serif mt-10 line-clamp clamp-3">Turtles, tuatara, lizards and snakes, and crocodiles make up the major groups of living reptiles today, and they collectively account for over 8,700 species. Plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and dinosaurs are part of the diverse group of now-extinct reptiles that were once found on Earth but that we are now unlikely to encounter.</div> <div class="label mt-20">Articles</div> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/king-cobra">king cobra</a> <div class="font-serif">reptile</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/crocodile-order">crocodile</a> <div class="font-serif">reptile order, Crocodylia</div> </li> <li class="mt-20"> <a class="font-weight-bold" href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/tuatara">tuatara</a> <div class="font-serif">reptile</div> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <DIV class="marketing-CATEGORY_PAGE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="CATEGORY_PAGE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Britannica Premium</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Did you know you're not getting the full Britannica experience? 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