Theropoda
E73995
Theropoda is a major group of mostly bipedal, primarily carnivorous dinosaurs that includes famous species like Tyrannosaurus rex and the ancestors of modern birds.
Aliases (3)
- Carnosauria ×1
- Coelurosauria ×1
- Maniraptora ×1
Statements (59)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
dinosaur clade
→
taxonomic suborder → |
| ancestralTo |
modern birds
→
|
| characteristicFeature |
furcula (wishbone) in many taxa
→
hollow bones → large grasping forelimbs in many forms → pneumatized skeleton in many taxa → s-shaped neck → sharp recurved teeth in most taxa → three-toed limbs → |
| cladeDefinition |
all descendants of the most recent common ancestor of modern birds and theropods like Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus
→
|
| containsExtantTaxa |
birds
→
|
| etymology |
Greek for "beast-footed"
→
|
| firstAppearance |
Late Triassic
→
|
| firstAppearanceApproximateAge |
about 230 million years ago
→
|
| fossilRecord |
found on every continent
→
|
| geographicDistribution |
global
→
|
| includes |
Allosaurus
→
Averostra → Aves → Carnosauria → Carnotaurus → Ceratosauria → Ceratosaurus → Coelophysis → Coelurosauria → Compsognathus → Deinonychus → Dilophosaurus → Dromaeosauridae → Giganotosaurus → Herrerasauria → Maniraptora → Megalosaurus → Neotheropoda → Spinosaurus → Tetanurae → Troodon → Tyrannosaurus rex → Velociraptor → |
| includesFeatheredTaxa |
yes
→
|
| majorExtinctionEvent |
Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event
→
|
| namedBy |
Othniel Charles Marsh
→
|
| notableMorphology |
generally large head relative to body in many taxa
→
often reduced forelimbs in some large carnivores such as tyrannosaurids → |
| parentTaxon |
Dinosauria
→
Saurischia → |
| relatedTo |
Ornithischia
→
Sauropodomorpha → |
| researchField |
paleontology
→
|
| subdivision |
avian theropods
→
non-avian theropods → |
| survivingLineageAfterKPg |
avian theropods
→
|
| taxonRank |
suborder
→
|
| temporalRange |
Late Triassic–Present
→
|
| typicalDiet |
carnivorous
→
|
| typicalLocomotion |
bipedal
→
|
| typicalReproduction |
oviparous
→
|
| yearDescribed |
1881
→
|
Referenced by (11)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
FMNH PR 2081
→
Saurophaganax maximus → Tyrannosauridae → Tyrannosaurus → |
suborder |
|
SUE the T. rex
→
Saurophaganax maximus → Saurophaganax maximus ("Carnosauria") → |
clade |
|
Aves
("Maniraptora")
→
Aves ("Coelurosauria") → |
hasSubgroup |
|
Neognathae
→
|
higherClassification |
|
Aves
→
|
partOf |