What is the closest relative to a dinosaur

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Summary

4 papers analyzed

These studies suggest that birds are the closest living relatives to dinosaurs.

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20 papers analyzed

Introduction

The closest living relatives to dinosaurs have been a subject of extensive research, particularly focusing on the evolutionary lineage that connects modern birds to their prehistoric ancestors. This synthesis aims to consolidate findings from multiple research papers to identify the closest relatives to dinosaurs.

Key Insights

Birds as Closest Relatives:
- Many paleontologists consider dromaeosaurs, a group of feathered dinosaurs, to be the closest dinosaurian relatives of birds .
- Maniraptora, a clade that includes birds and their closest relatives among theropod dinosaurs, shows significant evolutionary traits linking them to modern birds.

Conclusion

The closest living relatives to dinosaurs are birds, specifically through the evolutionary lineage of dromaeosaurs and maniraptorans. These groups exhibit significant morphological and ecological traits that bridge the gap between non-avian dinosaurs and modern birds.

Sources and full results

Most relevant research papers on this topic

Molecular and Genomic Data Identify the Closest Living Relative of Primates

Colugos are the closest living relatives of primates, with their divergence occurring in the Cretaceous period.

293 Citations

2007

DOI

Tunicates and not cephalochordates are the closest living relatives of vertebrates

Tunicates, not cephalochordates, are the closest living relatives of vertebrates, redefining the origins of chordate animals and influencing the interpretation of developmental and genomic studies.

1,481 Citations

2006

DOI

Tiny, Feathered Dino Is Most Birdlike Yet

Microraptor is the smallest and most birdlike dinosaur yet discovered, belonging to the dromaeosaurs, which are considered the closest dinosaurian relatives of birds.

1 Citations

2000

DOI

Synchrotron scanning reveals amphibious ecomorphology in a new clade of bird-like dinosaurs

Halszkaraptor escuilliei, a new clade of bird-like dinosaurs, exhibits amphibious ecomorphology, convergent with short-tailed birds, and shows neck hyperelongation for food procurement.

97 Citations

2017

DOI

The smallest known non-avian theropod dinosaur

Microraptor zhaoianus is the first mature non-avian theropod dinosaur found smaller than Archaeopteryx, improving our understanding of the morphological transition to birds and their palaeoecology.

510 Citations

2000

DOI

Nuclear protein-coding genes support lungfish and not the coelacanth as the closest living relatives of land vertebrates.

Lungfishes are the closest living relatives of land vertebrates, with high bootstrap values, Bayesian posterior probabilities, and likelihood ratio tests supporting this conclusion.

180 Citations

2004

DOI

Osteohistology of the silesaurid Sacisaurus agudoensis from southern Brazil (Late Triassic) and implications for growth in early dinosaurs.

The Late Triassic silesaurid Sacisaurus agudoensis shows rapid growth in its limb bones, supporting the idea that rapid growth occurred early in the dinosauromorph lineage.

7 Citations

2019

DOI

The Identification of the Closest Living Relative(s) of Tetrapods: Phylogenomic Lessons for Resolving Short Ancient Internodes.

Lungfishes are the closest living relatives of tetrapods, with a robust identification despite nonstationary composition and missing data, using a multispecies coalescent approach and amino acid profile mixture models.

42 Citations

2016

DOI

A large, short-armed, winged dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of China and its implications for feather evolution

Zhenyuanlong suni is a new genus and species of large-bodied, short-armed dromaeosaurid from the Early Cretaceous of China, providing new insights into feather evolution and dromaeosaurid phylogeny.

56 Citations

2015

DOI

The Anatomy of Asilisaurus kongwe, a Dinosauriform from the Lifua Member of the Manda Beds (~Middle Triassic) of Africa

This study provides the first complete anatomy of Asilisaurus kongwe, a dinosauriform from the Middle Triassic Manda Beds of Tanzania, revealing its unique skull and plesiomorphic features, suggesting high homoplasy and parallel trends within Silesauridae and early dinosaur lineages

27 Citations

2019

DOI

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