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Komodo dragons are a type of lizard; cousins to the dinosaur lineage, but not descendants. They diverged a very long time ago. The only remaining descendants of the dinosaurs are birds.
No. Alligators, crocodiles, and komodo dragons are considered to be REPTILES — part of the phylogenetic group known as Diapsids. Komodo dragons are lizards, part of a group of reptiles known as Lepidosaurs. Alligators and crocodiles are part of a different group of reptiles, known as Archosaurs.
What is the closest relative to the Komodo dragon?
lace monitor
Genetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA shows the Komodo dragon to be the closest relative (sister taxon) of the lace monitor (V. varius), with their common ancestor diverging from a lineage that gave rise to the crocodile monitor (Varanus salvadorii) of New Guinea.
What is the mosasaurus related to?
Mosasaurs ARE NOT DINOSAURS. They are reptiles and are closely related to snakes and monitor lizards. Mosasaurs went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous during the end Cretaceous mass extinction event.
Because dinosaurs became extinct around 65 million years ago the two creatures couldn’t have been around at the same time. That said, it’s very likely that dinosaurs are close ancestors of Komodo dragons. Because of this, many experts believe that Komodo dragons are the closest living relative to dinosaurs today.
Are Komodo dragons as old as dinosaurs?
While they may look extremely dinosaur like, the oldest evidence of Komodo dragons existing dates back around 4 million years ago. Because dinosaurs became extinct around 65 million years ago the two creatures couldn’t have been around at the same time.
What is the biggest dinosaur lizard?
Megalania
| Megalania Temporal range: Pleistocene, | |
|---|---|
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Species: | †V. priscus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Varanus priscus Owen, 1859 |
What killed the Mosasaurus?
During the last 20 million years of the Cretaceous period (Turonian–Maastrichtian ages), with the extinction of the ichthyosaurs and pliosaurs, mosasaurs became the dominant marine predators. They became extinct as a result of the K-Pg event at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago.
What kind of animal is a Komodo dragon?
The Komodo dragon is a monitor lizard, a varanid. There is currently much debate about whether mosasaurs are more closely related to snakes or varanids, but in either case they are all members of the group toxicofera.
What is the connection between the Komodo dragon and mosaurs?
The Komodo Dragon is a species of Monitor Lizard, and Mosasaurs had some monitor lizard-like simularities, which suggests that they might have shared a common ancestor a hundred-plus million years ago. But that’s about it. The Rock reveals the key to success for normal people.
Are mosasaurs more closely related to crocodiles or snakes?
There is currently much debate about whether mosasaurs are more closely related to snakes or varanids, but in either case they are all members of the group toxicofera. This means that they are more closely related to monitor lizards than they are to crocodiles, dinosaurs, turtles, and non-toxicoferan lizards at the very least.
How old is the Mosasaurus conodon skull?
The skull of a reconstructed 30-foot long, 75-million year old skeleton of Mosasaurus conodon located at the Museum of Geology at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Mosaurus died out with the dinosaurs, and are related to monitor lizards, including the Komodo dragon.