Paleontology Glossary

essential terms and definitions for paleontology and dinosaur science.

Dinosaur Groups

20 terms

Terms describing the major taxonomic groups, clades, and families within Dinosauria.

Bizarre coelurosaur theropods with a single massive thumb claw and vestigial other fingers. Alvarezsaurids are …

Heavily armored ornithischian dinosaurs with extensive osteoderms covering the body. Many ankylosaurs, such as Ankylosaurus, …

Sauropods with forelimbs longer than hindlimbs, giving them a giraffe-like stance. Brachiosaurus could raise its …

The clade of horned dinosaurs, including Triceratops, Protoceratops, and Styracosaurus. Ceratopsians are characterized by the …

Long-necked sauropods with whip-like tails and peg-shaped teeth. Diplodocus and Apatosaurus are classic diplodocids; their …

The family of small to medium raptors, including Velociraptor and Deinonychus. Dromaeosaurids possessed a hyperextendable …

The duck-billed dinosaurs, a diverse family of ornithopod herbivores. Hadrosaurs like Edmontosaurus and Parasaurolophus are …

Small, early ornithischians characterized by differentiated teeth — incisors, canine-like tusks, and cheek teeth. Heterodontosaurids …

A broad clade of ornithopod dinosaurs ancestral to hadrosaurs. Iguanodon, one of the first dinosaurs …

One of the two major dinosaur orders, characterized by a bird-like (opisthopubic) hip structure. Ornithischians …

Ostrich-like coelurosaur theropods with toothless beaks, long necks, and slender cursorial limbs. Ornithomimus and Gallimimus …

Crested theropods with parrot-like toothless beaks. Long misidentified as egg-thieves, oviraptorids are now known to …

Bipedal ornithischians with dramatically thickened, domed skulls. The dome of Pachycephalosaurus could be up to …

The clade of long-necked, quadrupedal herbivorous saurischians. Sauropods include the largest terrestrial animals that ever …

Large semi-aquatic theropods with elongated snouts adapted for catching fish. Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, the largest carnivorous …

Ornithischian dinosaurs with distinctive rows of plates or spines running along the back and tail. …

The clade of bipedal, predominantly carnivorous saurischian dinosaurs. Theropods include T. rex, Velociraptor, and Spinosaurus, …

The most diverse sauropod clade, dominating the Cretaceous worldwide. Titanosaurs range from modest-sized Saltasaurus, which …

Small, highly encephalized theropods with large eyes and sickle claws. Troodontids had among the highest …

The family of large coelurosaur theropods, including T. rex, Tarbosaurus, and Albertosaurus. Tyrannosaurids are characterized …