non-avian
Excluding feathered fliers
Non-avian means not belonging to the bird class.
The term appears most often in discussions of dinosaurs, where non-avian dinosaurs distinguishes the extinct lineages from birds, which are technically surviving dinosaurs.
Scientists use the term to be precise about evolutionary relationships: All non-avian dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago.
Bipedal carnivorous dinosaur group
- sauropodLarge long-necked dinosaur
- stegosaurArmored Jurassic plant-eater
- ankylosaurTank-like armored dinosaur
- ceratopsianHorned, frilled dinosaur group
saurischian · archosaur · Jurassic · Cretaceous · Triassic · Mesozoic · paleontology · fossilization
Preserved ancient organism
- extinctNo longer existing
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- mass extinctionLarge-scale species elimination
- PermianLate Paleozoic geological period
K-Pg boundary · asteroid impact · die-off · prehistoric · vanished · fossilized · quaternary · ice age
Plates or weighing devices
- ectothermicTemperature set by surroundings
- cold-bloodedUnfeeling or externally heated
- lizardFour-legged scaled reptile
- snakeLimbless scaled reptile
turtle · crocodile · alligator · gecko · iguana · chameleon · monitor · tortoise
Formation of distinct species
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
- cladisticsClassification by common descent
divergence · mutation · genetics · genotype · phenotype · radiation · gene flow · recombination
theropod
Bipedal carnivorous dinosaur group
- sauropodLarge long-necked dinosaur
- stegosaurArmored Jurassic plant-eater
- ankylosaurTank-like armored dinosaur
ceratopsian · saurischian · archosaur · Jurassic · Cretaceous · Triassic · Mesozoic · paleontology · fossilization · paleobiology
fossil
Preserved ancient organism
- extinctNo longer existing
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- mass extinctionLarge-scale species elimination
Permian · K-Pg boundary · asteroid impact · die-off · prehistoric · vanished · fossilized · quaternary · ice age · disappeared
scales
Plates or weighing devices
- ectothermicTemperature set by surroundings
- cold-bloodedUnfeeling or externally heated
- lizardFour-legged scaled reptile
snake · turtle · crocodile · alligator · gecko · iguana · chameleon · monitor · tortoise · terrapin
speciation
Formation of distinct species
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
cladistics · divergence · mutation · genetics · genotype · phenotype · radiation · gene flow · recombination · fitness
fur
Animal body hair
- warm-bloodedInternally temperature-regulated
- placentaFetal nourishment organ
- marsupialPouch-bearing mammal
monotreme · rodent · primate · carnivore · herbivore · omnivore · lactation · mammary · viviparous · endothermic