Theropoda
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
| Theropod |
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| Scientific Classification |
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| Families |
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Superfamily Coelophysoidea Superfamily Ceratosauria Superfamily Spinosauridae Superfamily Carnosauria Superfamily Tyrannosauroidea Superfamily Deinonychosauria |
Theropods mean “beast-footed”. They were a suborder of Saurischian dinosaurs. They ranged in size from tiny to huge. Theropoda includes the largest carnivore ever to roam the Earth, Tyrannosaurus, as well as the chicken-sized Compsognathus.
Theropods were bipedal; that is, they strode on two legs with their bodies held close to horizontal and their tails outstretched for balance. They could move rapidly, and had grasping hands and clawed digits. They were also equipped with strong jaws and sharp, serrated teeth. For these reasons, they were highly successful predators. Some species hunted in packs, because most of their natural prey were fleet of foot.
The members of Ornithomimidae closely resembled modern ostriches and emus. Such ornithomimids as Dromiceiomimus are thought to be among the most intelligent of the dinosaurs, at least as intelligent as the modern birds they resemble.
Theropod fossils have been found world-wide. Conventional interpretations of geologic ages states that they existed from the mid-Triassic Period through the Cretaceous Period, for 160 million years. It is thought that Theropods perished with the rest of the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago, although their descendants are still among us.
Creation scientists typically interpret the Earth's geology as the result of the Biblical flood of Noah. The Theropods, like all dinosaurs, are believed to have perished during this catastrophe, but were reintroduced following the flood and became extinct subsequently.
Examples from this group of dinosaurs include:
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