Dinosaur

Reconstruction of a T-rex.

Dinosaurs (clade Dinosauria) roamed the earth millions of years ago. People think that they might have gone extinct because of an asteroid or an earthquake or a volcano and the ensuing climate change. The name means terrible lizard. Dinosaurs look like big, toothy, fierce reptiles, but many had feathers and they are now thought to be more closely related to birds. The non-avian dinosaurs lived throughout the mesozoic, in the triassic, jurassic and cretaceous.

Animals confused with Dinosaurs

However, many reptiles are confused for dinosaurs, like the flying reptiles. Pterosaurs (commonly called 'pterodactyls') were closely related to dinosaurs but weren't. The marine reptiles weren't related at all, being in many groups. Dimetrodon isn't even a reptile, but a proto-mammal, or synapsid.