What were theropods?
1 Answer
Theropod dinosaurs are a diverse group of bipedal Saurischian dinosaurs.
Explanation:
They were the top predators in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. For over 100 million years they were the largest carnivores that ever tread the earth. These included all the infamous carnivorous dinosaurs - Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor, and Spinosaurus. They were the most diverse group of Saurischian dinosaurs, ranging from the crow sized Microraptor to the huge T. rex which weighed six tons or more.
Theropod fossil remains are fairly rare and more often than not fragmentary. Their characters include :
- thin walled hollow bones
- modifications of the hands and feet
- sharp recurved teeth useful for eating flesh.
- claws at the ends of all fingers and toes.
All theropods were obligate bipeds i.e. their hind legs provided support and locomotion while the short fore limbs and mobile hands were probably adapted for grasping and tearing prey.
Recent studies have conclusively shown that birds are actually the descendants of small non flying theropods. Birds are the only living descendants of the theropods.
