Ornithischia

† Ornithischia is the major clade of dinosaurs with a bird-like pelvic structure (pubis directed posteriorly), including all thyrophorans, marginocephalians, and ornithopods. Despite the name, birds evolved from the saurischian, not ornithischian, dinosaurs.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Ornithischia was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Ornithischia lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145.0 to 100.5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.