Archosaur

Archosaurs are reptiles whose living members are birds and crocodilians, alongside extinct dinosaurs and pterosaurs. Shared skull and ankle features distinguish the group from other reptiles.

Diapsid: A reptile whose skull has two openings behind each eye socket. Archosaurs belong to this broader reptile lineage.
Archosaur phylogeny: The evolutionary relationships among archosaurs, including living birds and crocodilians and extinct lineages. Its branching pattern explains the shared ancestry of the group’s diverse members.
Archosauriformes: A broader group of reptiles that includes archosaurs and closely related extinct forms. Archosaurs arose within this wider evolutionary assemblage.
Dinosaur: A member of the diverse archosaur group that includes birds and extinct non-avian lineages. Dinosaurs became one of the most varied and enduring archosaur branches.
Antorbital fenestra: An opening in the skull between the eye socket and the nostril. This characteristic opening is part of the archosaur skull pattern.
Pseudosuchia: The archosaur lineage closer to crocodilians than to birds, including many extinct forms. This is one of the two principal branches of crown archosaurs.
Triassic: The geologic period from about 252 to 201 million years ago. Archosaurs diversified during the Triassic after the Permian mass extinction.
Pterosaur: An extinct flying reptile from the archosaur lineage closer to birds than crocodilians. Pterosaurs evolved powered flight independently within the birdward archosaur branch.
Mandibular fenestra: An opening in the lower jaw found in many archosaurs. Its presence is among the skeletal traits used to identify archosaurs.
Avemetatarsalia: The archosaur lineage closer to birds than to crocodilians, including dinosaurs and pterosaurs. This branch contains the lineages that ultimately include birds.

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