Here at the zoo, we specialize in reptiles and amphibians, and that includes exhibits with emus and parakeets. Because of this, we often hear feedback from visitors wondering why on earth we have birds at a reptile zoo. Well, the short answer is…birds are reptiles! However, that wasn’t always the case. Let us explain.
There are four major groups of reptiles living today: turtles/tortoises, lizards/snakes, crocodilians, and dinosaurs. The last two groups are archosaurs, a very specialized group of reptiles that have been around for 225 million years! Archosaurs are the living reptiles that birds are most closely related to.
Here’s a more detailed explanation from Arizona State University’s Ask a Biologist:
Of course, not all theropod dinosaurs could fly—can you imagine a flying Tyrannosaurus rex?! Some dinosaurs didn’t have the right skeletal adaptations or their feathers were rudimentary. It is thought that feathers were originally used for mating displays, and modern birds still use them for that today.
As mentioned above, a mass extinction event 65 million years ago caused rapid global events like tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. When resources became scarce, larger animals were at a disadvantage, and all non-avian dinosaurs died. Ultimately, the need to adapt to a changing environment drove the evolution of birds and made them successful. Modern birds evolved directly from dinosaurs, and today, there are between 9,000 and 10,000 species of birds!
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when lookin
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