kalanamak Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 What makes them dinosaurs and, say, a dimetrodon, NOT one. The hips? Something else? A list of things? Curious 5year olds want to know. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimetrodon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2legomaniacs Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 http://www.genesispark.org/genpark/reptiles/anatomy.htm Here is one place I found an explanation. I know nothing about this site other than it popped up when I googled! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2legomaniacs Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 http://www.paleontology.esmartstudent.com/dinosaurs.html Here's another one that might help too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 If I recall my comparative vertebrate anatomy correctly, it is the structure of the pelvis (and maybe some skull characteristics too?). But there is a very easy way to explain it to a 5yo: if it swims, flies, or walks like a lizard, it's not a dinosaur. (Walks like a lizard means legs jut out to the side, whereas with dinosaurs, as with humans, they are directly beneath the body.) Ancient aquatic reptiles and flying reptiles are often confused with dinosaurs, but are actually not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 According to my paleontologist-to-be-ds14, the main thing that separates dinosaurs from other reptiles it the fact that the top of their thigh bone is bent inward, so that, although the hip joint faces outward, the leg extends downward. With reptiles, the legs sprawl out to the sides because their thigh bone does not have the bend at the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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