What's the closest living relative to a dinosaur

Pro Research Analysisby

Searched over 200M research papers

Analyzed relevant papers

Consensus Meter

Yes

Possibly

Closest Living Relative to Dinosaurs: Insights from Recent Research

Dinosauriforms and Their Significance

Silesaurids: The Non-Dinosaurian Dinosauriforms

Silesaurids, a group of non-dinosaurian dinosauriforms, are considered the closest relatives to crown-group dinosaurs. The osteohistology of Sacisaurus agudoensis, a Late Triassic silesaurid, reveals that these creatures exhibited rapid growth early in their lineage, similar to early dinosaurs. However, they lacked the complex vascular arrangements seen in saurischian dinosaurs, indicating relatively slower growth rates. This simpler vascular pattern is consistent across all studied silesaurids, suggesting a common growth strategy among these early dinosaur relatives.

Asilisaurus kongwe: A Detailed Anatomical Study

Asilisaurus kongwe, another dinosauriform from the Middle Triassic, provides crucial insights into the anatomy of early dinosaur relatives. The detailed skeletal analysis of Asilisaurus kongwe shows that it shares several primitive features with archosaurs, such as a crocodylian-like ankle configuration and a short foot with well-developed metatarsals I and V. These features suggest that Asilisaurus kongwe is more closely related to Silesaurus opolensis than to true dinosaurs, highlighting the high degree of homoplasy and parallel evolutionary trends within Silesauridae and early dinosaur lineages.

Dromaeosaurids: Feathered Dinosaur Relatives

Zhenyuanlong suni: A Feathered Dromaeosaurid

Dromaeosaurids, a group of theropod dinosaurs, are among the closest relatives to modern birds. The discovery of Zhenyuanlong suni, a large-bodied, short-armed dromaeosaurid from the Early Cretaceous of China, provides significant insights into feather evolution. This specimen, with well-preserved integument, shows that even non-volant dromaeosaurids had large wings with pennaceous feathers on their arms and tails, similar to their smaller relatives. This finding adds to the diversity of the Liaoning dromaeosaurid fauna and suggests that feathered wings were a common trait among these dinosaur relatives, further complicating their phylogeny.

Conclusion

The closest living relatives to dinosaurs are birds, specifically stemming from the theropod lineage, which includes dromaeosaurids like Zhenyuanlong suni. However, non-dinosaurian dinosauriforms such as silesaurids and Asilisaurus kongwe provide critical insights into the early evolutionary traits shared with true dinosaurs. These studies collectively enhance our understanding of the complex evolutionary relationships and growth patterns that bridge the gap between ancient dinosaurs and modern birds.