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Theropod dinosaurs had bird-like feet.
A. True
B. False

User ACCL
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1 Answer

7 votes

Final answer:

The statement that theropod dinosaurs had bird-like feet is true. They are known as the ancestors of modern birds, evolving from the theropod group within the Saurischia 'lizard-hipped' dinosaurs.

Step-by-step explanation:

Theropod dinosaurs indeed had bird-like feet, so the statement is true. The evolution of birds is traced back to a group of bipedal dinosaurs known as theropods. These dinosaurs are considered the direct ancestors of modern birds. In the evolutionary tree, birds are classified as highly modified diapsids and part of the archosaurs group, evolving from maniraptoran theropods. Fossils of creatures like Deinonychus and the well-known Archaeopteryx have shown significant similarities to birds, in aspects ranging from hip to wrist bones, including structures analogous to the modern bird's wishbone.

While there might be a little confusion due to the naming, it was not the 'bird-hipped' or Ornithischia dinosaurs that led to the evolution of birds, but rather the 'lizard-hipped' or Saurischia group. Despite the superficial resemblance of Ornithischia dinosaurs' pelvises to that of birds, it is the theropod group within Saurischia that is related to the avians we see today.

User Andy Friese
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