List of dinosaur classifications
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This article contains a list of dinosaur classifications.
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Textbook classification
The following schema is based on the third edition of Vertebrate Paleontology (Benton, 2004), a respected college textbook. While it is structured as a cladogram (evolutionary tree), it also retains the traditional ranks used in Linnaean taxonomy. The classification has been updated from the second edition in 2000 to reflect new research, but remains fundamentally conservative.
Benton classifies all dinosaurs within the Series Amniota, Class Sauropsida, Subclass Diapsida, Infraclass Archosauromorpha, Division Archosauria, Subdivision Avemetatarsalia, Infradivision Ornithodira, and the Superorder Dinosauria. Dinosauria is then divided into the two traditional orders, Saurischia and Ornithischia. The dagger (†) is used to indicate taxa with no living members.
Order Saurischia
- †Family Herrerasauridae
- Suborder Theropoda
- †Infraorder Coelophysoidea
- †Infraorder Ceratosauria
- †Family Ceratosauridae
- †Family Abelisauridae
- Infraorder Tetanurae
- †Division Carnosauria
- †Subdivision Spinosauroidea
- †Family Megalosauridae
- †Family Spinosauridae
- †Subdivision Allosauroidea
- †Family Allosauridae
- †Family Carcharodontosauridae
- †Subdivision Spinosauroidea
- Division Coelurosauria
- †Family Coeluridae
- Subdivision Maniraptoriformes
- †Family Tyrannosauridae
- †Family Ornithomimidae
- Infradivision Maniraptora
- †Family Alvarezsauridae
- †Family Therizinosauridae
- †Cohort Deinonychosauria
- †Family Dromaeosauridae (raptors)
- †Family Troodontidae
- Class Aves (birds)
- †Division Carnosauria
- †Suborder Sauropodomorpha
- †Thecodontosaurus
- †Family Plateosauridae
- †Riojasaurus
- †Family Massospondylidae
- †Infraorder Sauropoda
- †Family Vulcanodontidae
- †Family Omeisauridae
- †Division Neosauropoda
- †Family Cetiosauridae
- †Family Diplodocidae
- †Subdivision Macronaria
- †Family Camarasauridae
- †Infradivision Titanosauriformes
- †Family Brachiosauridae
- †Cohort Somphospondyli
- †Family Euhelopodidae
- †Family Titanosauridae
- †Cohort Somphospondyli
- †Family Brachiosauridae
†Order Ornithischia
- †Family Pisanosauridae
- †Family Fabrosauridae
- †Suborder Thyreophora
- †Family Scelidosauridae
- †Infraorder Stegosauria
- †Infraorder Ankylosauria
- †Family Nodosauridae
- †Family Ankylosauridae
- †Suborder Cerapoda
- †Infraorder Pachycephalosauria
- †Infraorder Ceratopsia
- †Family Psittacosauridae
- †Family Protoceratopsidae
- †Family Ceratopsidae
- †Infraorder Ornithopoda
- †Family Heterodontosauridae
- †Family Hypsilophodontidae
- †Family Iguanodontidae (paraphyletic)
- †Family Hadrosauridae
Another scheme
Dinosaurs are divided into two major orders, the Saurischia and the Ornithischia, on the basis of hip structure.
SUPERORDER DINOSAURIA
- Order Saurischia
- ?Herrerasauridae
- Theropoda
- Incertae sedis: Dilophosaurus, ?Saltopus
- Coelophysoidea (e.g. Coelophysis, "Syntarsus", Procompsognathus)
- Ceratosauria (e.g. Ceratosaurus)
- Tetanurae (e.g., Piatnitskysaurus)
- Spinosauroidea (e.g. Spinosaurus, Megalosaurus, Baryonyx)
- Carnosauria (e.g. Xuanhanosaurus, Acrocanthosaurus)
- Sinraptoridae (e.g. Metricanthosaurus, Sinraptor)
- Allosauridae (e.g. Allosaurus)
- Coelurosauria (e.g. Coelurus, Ornitholestes, Compsognathus, Sinosauropteryx)
- Tyrannosauroidea (e.g. Aviatyrannis, Dryptosaurus)
- Ornithomimosauria (e.g. Ornithomimus, Struthiomimus, Gallimimus, Deinocheirus)
- Alvarezsauridae (e.g. Mononykus, Shuvuuia)
- Segnosauria (e.g. Segnosaurus)
- Therizinosauridae (e.g. Therizinosaurus)
- Oviraptorosauria (e.g. Caudipteryx)
- Oviraptoridae (e.g. Oviraptor, Khaan)
- Deinonychosauria (e.g. Variraptor, Microraptor, Sinornithosaurus)
- ?Troodontidae (e.g. Troodon (=Stenonychosaurus), Saurornithoides)
- Microraptoria (e.g. Microraptor, Cryptovolans)
- Dromaeosauridae (e.g. Utahraptor)
- Dromaeosaurinae (e.g. Dromaeosaurus, ?Deinonychus, ?Saurornitholestes)
- Velociraptorinae (e.g. Velociraptor)
- Aves (birds)
- Sauropodomorpha
- Prosauropoda
- Plateosauridae (e.g. Plateosaurus)
- Sauropoda
- ? Anchisauridae
- ? Melanorosauridae
- Cetiosauridae
- Euhelopodidae (e.g. Mamenchisaurus)
- Neosauropoda
- Camarasauridae (e.g. Camarasaurus)
- Diplodocidae (e.g. Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, Supersaurus (="Ultrasauros"))
- Brachiosauridae (e.g. Brachiosaurus)
- Titanosauridae (e.g. Titanosaurus, Paralititan, Saltasaurus)
- Prosauropoda
- Order Ornithischia
- Lesothosaurus
- Genasauria
- Thyreophora (sturdy armored ornithischians)
- Stegosauria (thyreophores with elongated skulls and plated armor, e.g. Stegosaurus)
- Ankylosauria (thyreophores with squatter skulls and a virtual hoshposh of armory on their backs, veritable dinosaurian tanks, e.g. Euoplocephalus, Gastonia, Edmontonia)
- Cerapoda
- Ornithopoda (sophisticated chewers, ranging from lithe nippers like Hypsilophodon to gigantic grazers like Iguanodon, Hadrosaurus, Edmontosaurus and Lambeosaurus )
- Neornithopoda
- Heterodontosauridae (little herbivores with nasty teeth)
- Marginocephalia
- Pachycephalosauria (hard-headed marginocephalians)
- Ceratopia (curious-looking browsers with a variety of head shapes, mostly employing horns and frills of various sizes and shapes)
- Thyreophora (sturdy armored ornithischians)
References
- Michael J. Benton (2004). Vertebrate Paleontology (Third Edition). (the classification scheme is online (http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/benton/vertclass.html))