What Modern-Day Animals Descended From Dinosaurs?

When we look at the wildlife of today, it’s hard to imagine their incredible past. Find out more about the modern-day animals that descended from dinosaurs.

Shea Rumoro
02/03/2023 09:02 AM

*What Modern-Day Animals Descended From Dinosaurs?*

Is there anything more mind-bending and jaw-dropping than the thought of massive beasts walking the same lands we tread today? While it seems like a fantasy, this scenario is a reality. Dinosaurs traversed the earth, leaving their bones behind as evidence. It might strike you as sad that all we have left are the fossils of dinosaurs, but that isn’t entirely true. Find out more about the many modern-day animals that descended from dinosaurs.

Crocodiles

Did you know that crocodiles and alligators share common ancestors from the Cretaceous period? That’s why many people like to refer to these terrifying reptiles as the modern-day dinosaur, but that’s not entirely accurate.

The ancient ancestor of crocodiles and alligators actually predates many dinosaurs we are familiar with today. It’s more accurate to say these reptiles evolved alongside dinosaurs, although they share heritage as they both belong to the Archosauria clade of diapsids.

Birds

It might seem surprising, but many scientists believe birds are the only modern animals that directly descended from dinosaurs. That’s true for many of the popular dinosaurs we are familiar with from the theropod groups like the T. rex. It’s truly amazing how many common animals can trace their lineage back to dinosaurs. People who understand these connections enjoy a unique perspective when they observe nature, which is why it’s important to learn about dinosaurs.

Without that knowledge, we lack crucial information about the history of the wildlife that exists around us today. Moreover, learning about dinosaurs can make you smarter, as it’s linked to higher intelligence levels in children.

Sharks

Sharks are quite similar to crocodiles, as they evolved alongside dinosaurs but didn’t descend from them. In fact, sharks are older than them, coming 200 million years before the existence of the first dinosaurs. Incredibly, sharks have survived five mass extinction events that killed nearly 96 percent of marine life. It’s an amazing thought that the sharks we are familiar with today have barely changed since they swam alongside creatures that we might not even know.