Dinosaurs Are Not Extinct: 10,000 Species Still Exist

Dinosaurs aren't extinct. There are actually 10,000 species of dinosaur surviving today, and you encounter them on a regular basis. You may even have some living in your home. These species are not simply evolved from dinosaurs; they actually entirely meet the biological definition of a dinosaur.

In common English, we call these animals birds.

While most people are aware that birds have ancestry in dinosaurs, most are unaware that modern birds actually fit the taxonomical criteria used to define a dinosaur. Although no reptilian dinosaurs survived long after the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, thousands of bird species survived, thrived and evolved into the modern era.

But wait-- aren't dinosaurs reptiles? And aren't birds, well, birds?

The definition of a dinosaur doesn't actually specify that it has to be a reptile. While we frequently use the term "dinosaur" to mean "reptilian dinosaur," the biological classification also encompasses avian dinosaurs, or, in plain English, birds.

Reptilian dinosaurs and avian dinosaurs are both classified as members of the clade dinosauria, a loose taxonomical classification which encompasses birds, as well as your favorite dinosaurs such as sauropods, tyrannosaurs, triceratops, velociraptors and stegosauruses. Interestingly, though, many well-known "dinosaurs" such as the plesiosaur and pterodactyl did not share this classification.

Thanks to the 10,000 species of bird still living today, we can say-- at least from a purely scientific perspective-- that dinosaurs are not extinct. They survive in the form of macaws, canaries, robins, ostriches, blue jays, hummingbirds and eagles. While an ancient event may have wiped their direct reptilian relatives from the face of the planet, avian dinosaurs still thrive today.

Other Resources:

UCMP Berkley: DinoBuzz: Dinosaur-Bird Relationship
Feathered dinosaurs, flying dinosaurs, crown dinosaurs, and the name "Aves"