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palaeofail-explained:

aubren:

palaeofail-explained:

Dinosaurs are reptiles. Not all dinosaurs are birds, but all birds are dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are also not the predecessors of reptiles, being reptiles themselves.

Dinosaurs aren’t reptiles, we alread discovered that at least some were warm-blooded. If not all dinosaurs are birds, then not all dinosaurs are reptiles, either. They’re not the predecessor of reptiles, they’re *descendants* of reptiles. They are the bridge between avians and reptiles. I really hope your answer was sarcastic or ironic, because that was its own paleofail.

“Warm-blooded” is not part of the definition of reptiles, nor should physical features be used to define relationships. Organisms are classified based on their relationship, not their perceived similarity.

Look at it this way: Anything that evolved from mammals is still itself a mammal. Bats are mammals, even though they can fly. Whales are mammals, even though they are fully aquatic. No mammal can ever “evolve out” of being a mammal, because mammals are defined on the fact that they all share a common ancestor.

Same thing with reptiles. Reptilia or sauropsida is defined as anything that is more closely related to lizards than to humans.

This means that anything that evolves from a reptile will always be a reptile! They all share a common ancestor, that mammals don’t also share.

This means that dinosaurs (including birds!) are reptiles! Just like dogs are descendants of mammals, but are still mammals.