Dinosaur Files

What was the difference between dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles?

Does anyone know what it was that made a dinosaur a dinosaur- and why weren't ancient crocodiles and lizards concidered dinosaurs? I'm not sure if 'dinosaur' is a generic term used to describe all ancient reptiles- or were dinosaurs NOT reptiles? Clearly some dinosaurs survived extinction, as the theory is birds evolved from dinosaurs...So the pigeon on your stoop may have risen from the t-Rex... Ostridges and Emus certainly have feet like dinosaurs... But creatures such as crocodiles and lizards look very dinosaur like to me....... Are all the reptiles today descendents of dinsosaurs- or were their ancestors somehow NOT dinosaurs, but somthing different?

Public Comments

1. dinosaurs were during the jurassic period and pre historic reptiles were from triasic period. dinosaurs were bigger. there are more but i cant remember
2. well dinosaurs are giant reptiles that once ruled the earth in the bc while reptiles today are smaller and do not rule the earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3. The main difference from fossils is the design of their hips, reptiles have a more splayed out design,with their legs branching out from their sides like reptiles today, think crocodilians and lizards. Dinosaurs had their legs underneath them, more like birds. It is also being suggested that dinosaurs were warm blooded, just as birds are today. The way dinosaurs "look" is largely a matter of speculation, as we cannot know coloration etc. for sure. There have been some fossilised skin patterns preserved, and it seems somewhat reptile like, but there have also been dinosaur fossil's found showing primitive feathers.