archosaur

American  

[ahr-kuh-sawr] / ˈɑr kəˌsɔr /

noun

1. any reptile of the subclass Archosauria, including the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and crocodilians and characterized by two pairs of openings in the temporal region of the skull.

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archosaur Scientific  

/ är′kə-sôr′ /

1. Any of various mostly reptilian animals of the subclass Archosauria. Archosaurs are diapsids that began to evolve in the late Permian Period, and are characterized by skulls with long, narrow snouts and teeth set in sockets. Archosaurs include the extinct dinosaurs and pterosaurs and the modern crocodilians and birds.

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Other Word Forms

• archosaurian adjective

Etymology

Origin of archosaur

1965–70; < New Latin Archosaurus, taken as singular of Archosauria, equivalent to Greek archo-, combining form of archós ruler, chief + saûr ( os ) -saur + New Latin -ia -ia

Example Sentences

Coprolites attributed to the archosaur Smok—a fearsome 5-meter-long bipedal predator with serrated teeth and powerful jaws—contained the crushed bones and teeth of its prey.

From Science Magazine

Crocodiles and birds share their heritage with dinosaurs, and together with pterosaurs they form a group known as archosaurs or "ruling reptiles," who date back to the Early Triassic.

From Science Daily

Paleobiologist Stephan Lautenschlager of the University of Birmingham in England discovered this connection while digging through skull measurements of hundreds of extinct archosaurs—the taxonomic group that includes birds, crocodiles and all of their ancestors.

From Scientific American

But they would not be the first members of the broader family dinosaurs were members of, the archosaurs, to potentially make the switch.

From New York Times

In general, scientists thought body size remained similar among the first archosaurs - the larger reptile group that includes birds, crocodilians, non-avian dinosaurs, and pterosaurs - and the earliest ornithodirans.

From BBC