Jul 12, 2024, 09:54 PM IST

10 living descendants and relatives of dinosaurs

Shweta Singh

Modern birds, including chickens, are direct descendants of theropod dinosaurs. Chickens share a surprising amount of DNA with their ancient relatives.

Chickens

Crocodiles are part of the Archosauria group, which also includes dinosaurs. They are considered close relatives due to their shared ancestry.

Crocodiles

Similar to crocodiles, alligators belong to the Archosauria group and have many physiological traits in common with ancient reptiles.

Alligators

These large, flightless birds are direct descendants of theropod dinosaurs, sharing many anatomical similarities.

Ostriches

Various lizard species are distant relatives of dinosaurs, as they all belong to the larger group of reptiles that existed during the time of dinosaurs.

Lizards

Penguins are another group of birds that have evolved from theropod dinosaurs, adapting to life in the water while retaining many dinosaurian traits.

Penguins

These large, flightless birds from Australia and New Guinea are closely related to emus and are descendants of dinosaurs.

Cassowaries

Modern turkeys, like all birds, are descendants of theropod dinosaurs. They exhibit many features inherited from their ancient ancestors.

Turkeys

This reptile from New Zealand is often called a "living fossil" and is the only surviving member of the order Rhynchocephalia, which was contemporaneous with the dinosaurs.

Tuatara