ðģ DINOSAUR FAMILY TREE: HOW THEY'RE RELATED
PAGE 1 OF 5 — TWO GREAT GROUPS
FAMILY TREE
A TREE WITH TWO TRUNKS
Every dinosaur that ever lived belongs to one big family. Scientists sort that family into two huge branches. One branch is called Saurischia, which means lizard-hipped. The other is Ornithischia, which means bird-hipped. The names come from how the hip bones point, not from what the animal looked like on the outside. Both groups lived for millions of years and filled the world with giants, runners, and plant-eaters. Learning the split helps you see how your favourite dinosaurs are cousins.
ðģ TWO BRANCHES
ðĶ Saurischia = lizard-hipped side
ðĄïļ Ornithischia = bird-hipped side
ðĶī Hip shape is the sorting clue
ðĄïļ Ornithischia = bird-hipped side
ðĶī Hip shape is the sorting clue
SPLIT!
SAURISCHIA
ðĶ Saurischia means lizard-hipped, even though some members became birds.
ðĶ This branch holds fierce theropods and giant long-neck sauropodomorphs.
ðĶ This branch holds fierce theropods and giant long-neck sauropodomorphs.
ORNITHISCHIA
ðĄïļ Ornithischia means bird-hipped because the pubis bone points backward like a bird.
ðŋ Every known ornithischian dinosaur ate plants, from Stegosaurus to Triceratops.
ðŋ Every known ornithischian dinosaur ate plants, from Stegosaurus to Triceratops.