User:LittleLazyLass/Ornithopoda
Extinct suborder of dinosaurs / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ornithopoda (/ˌɔːrnəˈθɒpədə/)[2] is a clade of ornithischian dinosaurs, called ornithopods (/ˈɔːrnəθəˌpɒdz, ɔːrˈnɪθ-/).[3][4] They represent one of the most successful groups of herbivorous dinosaurs, existing from the Middle Jurassic period until the end of the Cretaceous period. The most primitive members of the group were bipedal and relatively small-sized, while advanced members of the subgroup Iguanodontia became quadrupedal and developed large body size. Their major evolutionary advantage was the progressive development of a chewing apparatus that became the most sophisticated ever developed by a non-avian dinosaur, rivaling that of modern mammals such as the domestic cow. They reached their apex of diversity and ecological dominance in the hadrosaurids (colloquially known as 'duck-bills'), before they were wiped out by the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event along with all other non-avian dinosaurs. Members are known from all seven continents.
Ornithopods | |
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Mounted skeleton of Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus, Field Museum of Natural History | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | †Ornithischia |
Clade: | †Cerapoda |
Clade: | †Ornithopoda Marsh, 1881 |
Subgroups | |
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Synonyms[1] | |