Maniraptorazoic

One of the most diverse groups of dinosaurs are the Avialae. In this essay, we will be discussing all the groups of Avialae that are not within the group Aves. They are incredibly diverse, and are found in every continent on Earth. This clade includes the Troodontidae, Balauridae, Jeholornithidae, Enantiornithines, Hesperornithines, Patagopterygiformes, and Carinatae. They are incredibly diverse, and cover almost every type of niche there is. The first group and the most basal of all Avialan's are the Troodontidae. They are at the base of the Avialae tree and are very adaptable, found in many places across the Northern Hemisphere, and, like O

The most successful and longest lasting group of dinosaurs ever to have existed are the Ornithodesmidae (or as they've been called for a while, Dromaeosauridae). The earliest body fossils date to 140 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous, but isolated teeth remains suggest that the lineage goes all the way back to the middle Jurassic (167 million years ago). Whenever they first came, they are one of the most well studied and diverse clades of dinosaurs alive today. There are 5 subfamilies of Ornithodesmid's; Unenlagiinae, Durodontinae, Dromaeosaurinae, Petriraptorinae, and Velociraptorinae. They are found in virtually every continent

Caenagnathiformes are a diverse clade of Maniraptora that seem to be mostly herbivorous and mostly toothless. They encompass many important groups that seem to take a similar niche to some herbivorous mammals in our world today. All are feathered and have wings, as well as fused tail vertebrae, a pygostyle at the end of the tail, which creates a tail fan. The tail fans and wings are for display. There are three superfamilies; the Caenagnathoidea, Antitheusoidea, and Pongutoidea. The Caenagnathoidea include four families; Avimimidae, Oviraptoridae, Caenagnathidae, and Guaiwujidae. The Antitheusoidea includes Perutipidae, Avitusauridae, and Luf

Paraxenychia is a unique clade of Maniraptora that is known for their unusual hands. Both groups within Paraxenychia have very bizarre adaptations in their hands, which are usually part of their awkward and heavily specialized lifestyles. The two groups in this unranked clade are the Alvarezsauridae, and the Therizinosauroidea. Alvarezsauridae are the younger group, first appearing around 85 million years ago. They are part of a larger group called the Alvarezsauroidea, which have roots going back to the later part of the middle Jurassic. They are distinguishable from other Paraxenychia by their long necks, small heads with tiny teeth, and lo

Ornithomimosauria is a group of coelurian's belonging to a specific group called the Maniraptoriformes, which are related to maniraptorans. These are also known as "ostrich dinosaurs", and have been around since the early Cretaceous, and despite them being specialized, they are very adaptable and are still around in the modern day. The first group of the ornithomimosaurs are the super bizarre Deinocheiridae. These are among the most bizarre dinosaurs of all time. They are only found in the swamps China and Mongolia. They are highly specialized, and also very large, up to 12 metres long and weighing up to 6.5 tonnes. The body is relatively hea

Tyrannosauroidea is a group of predatory coelurian's dating back to the middle Jurassic period. They started out small, but became very large indeed and amongst the most powerful terrestrial predators the world has ever known. The groups that live in this project are the Megaraptoridae, Dryptosauridae, and Tyrannosauridae. First up are the Megaraptoridae. This group of theropods was originally thought to be part of the neovenatorids, a type of carnosaur related to carcharodontosaurids. However, it is now known that megaraptorids are actually tyrannosauroid coelurosaurs. They first originated around 128 million years ago in Australia. They the

Not many non-coelurian theropods remained in the Cenozoic, but a few did. Megalosauroidea and Carnosauria were the two groups that were around in the Cenozoic. The only survive group of Megalosauroidea were the hard to spell Piatnitzkysauridae. This group of theropods is from a very primitive group, with origins that go back to the middle Jurassic. They existed in North America, South America, and Antarctica. The only megalosauroids left alive were the Piatnitzkysaurids, and they were only found in Antarctica of the late Cretaceous. Why they survived there for so long is unknown. However, the vegetation and climate of Antarctica at the time w

Abelisauroids are an old, primitive group of theropods, dating back to the middle Jurassic. They are common across the southern hemisphere, although some species lived in Europe. They are common in South America, Africa, India, and Australia. Their fossils are absent in Antarctica. They are mainly predators, and in some of South America and Africa, they are the dominant predators. Abelisauroids are divided into two groups; noasaurids and abelisaurids. Noasaurids are divided into two groups; the Masiakasaurines and Noasaurines. Masiakasaurines are the more specialized noasaurs, endemic to Madagascar and southern Africa. They have down-curved j