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clade · 73 represented species

Saurischia

Saurischia is the branch represented here by theropods and sauropodomorphs, including living birds and the long-necked sauropods.

Explore this branch Parent: Dinosauria

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Saurischia

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Representative silhouette for Saurischia
4Direct child groups
21Countries represented
233–0 MaDataset range

Definition

Characteristics and significance

This branch contains both the only dinosaur lineage to survive the end-Cretaceous extinction and the largest terrestrial animals known.

  • Ancestrally forward-pointing pubis
  • Includes theropod and sauropodomorph body plans

Name meaning: Lizard-hipped

Branch structure

Direct branches in this dataset

Representative taxa

Dinosaurs in this branch

Triassic

Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis

A large, lightly built Late Triassic predator from Argentina with a long low skull, serrated teeth, grasping three-clawed hands and a mixture of primitive and theropod-like skeletal features.

carnivore~5 m

Triassic

Coelophysis bauri

A lightly built Late Triassic predator known from hundreds of skeletons at Ghost Ranch. Its famous fossils stabilized a difficult species name—and disproved a textbook story about dinosaur cannibalism.

carnivore~2.7 m

Jurassic

Dilophosaurus wetherilli

A large Early Jurassic predator from Navajo Nation lands in Arizona, distinguished by two thin crests built from several skull bones. It was far larger and more powerfully constructed than its small, venom-spitting film counterpart—and no fossil supports either venom or a neck frill.

carnivore~7 m

Jurassic

Ceratosaurus nasicornis

A medium-sized Morrison Formation predator with a blade-like nasal horn, raised brow bones, unusually deep jaws, four-fingered hands and a row of small bony osteoderms along the body midline.

carnivore~6 m

Cretaceous

Carnotaurus sastrei

A short-skulled Patagonian abelisaurid with thick brow horns, extremely reduced arms and exceptionally preserved scaly skin. Nearly everything known comes from one remarkable skeleton.

carnivore~7.5 m

Cretaceous

Majungasaurus crenatissimus

A short-skulled Madagascan abelisaurid known from multiple skulls and skeletons, including bones bearing feeding marks made by its own species.

carnivore~6.5 m

Distribution

Geographic record

Argentina · United States · Madagascar · India · Egypt · Morocco · Niger · United Kingdom · Algeria · Spain · Germany · France · China · Mexico · Mongolia · Canada · Antarctica · Switzerland · Zimbabwe · Thailand · Tanzania

Country-level summary of represented seed records, not a complete range map.

Sources

Further reading