3204: Dinosaurs And Non-Dinosaurs - Revision history

RG: removed incomplete notice

2026-05-14T02:20:31Z

removed incomplete notice

DollarStoreBa'al: fixing wanted cat

2026-04-17T14:19:31Z

fixing wanted cat

GSLikesCats307 at 09:14, 10 April 2026

2026-04-10T09:14:18Z

GSLikesCats307 at 09:11, 10 April 2026

2026-04-10T09:11:21Z

GSLikesCats307 at 09:10, 10 April 2026

2026-04-10T09:10:13Z

SacrifycedStoat: A stapler is not a creature.

2026-03-24T03:34:07Z

A stapler is not a creature.

81.179.199.253: /* Explanation */ To be honest, most of these apply to Stegasaurus, T-Rex and Diplodocus, too. Although when expanding on Velociraptor, one can claim that Jurassic Park did the main "bringing first into public awareness" job.

2026-03-09T18:57:35Z

‎Explanation: To be honest, most of these apply to Stegasaurus, T-Rex and Diplodocus, too. Although when expanding on Velociraptor, one can claim that Jurassic Park did the main "bringing first into public awareness" job.

50.233.42.51 at 18:22, 9 March 2026

2026-03-09T18:22:28Z

The Shard Insanity: /* Explanation */

2026-03-05T01:41:25Z

‎Explanation

82.132.238.138: /* Explanation */

2026-02-10T17:45:06Z

‎Explanation

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ==Explanation==
 This comic explores the seeming paradox that certain extinct prehistoric species which are popularly thought of as being "dinosaurs" are, from a strict {{w|taxonomy|taxonomic}} viewpoint, not. It also takes into account the fact that all {{w|bird}} species are descended from {{w|dinosaur}}s and thus - again, from a strict taxonomic viewpoint - are themselves dinosaurs as well (see [[1211: Birds and Dinosaurs]]). To illustrate this, [[Randall]] provides silhouettes of
 * dinosaurs

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 * {{w|Tyrannosaurus}} Rex, whose name literally translates to ''Tyrant-Lizard King'', was also a {{w|Late Cretaceous}} dinosaur, living during the {{w|Maastrichtian}} Age at the very end of the period. It was a contemporary of Triceratops and Mosasaurs, also listed in this comic. T-Rex is arguably the most well-known dinosaur, due to the recovery of intact skeletons, as well as successful marketing and pop-culture influences, such as ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}'', one of Randall's favorite films.
 * {{w|Diplodocus}} was a herbavorous {{w|sauropod}} dinosaur that lived in the {{w|Late Jurassic}}. [[Randall]] has also discussed saurapods in [[3185|a different comic]].
-* {{w|Velociraptor}} was another dinosaur found in the {{w|Late Cretaceous}} period, made famous for the Jurassic Park films, where they were major threats to the protagonists. [[Randall]]'s fear of Raptors is [[Category:Raptors|a recurring theme in his comics]].
+* {{w|Velociraptor}} was another dinosaur found in the {{w|Late Cretaceous}} period, made famous for the Jurassic Park films, where they were major threats to the protagonists. [[Randall]]'s fear of Raptors is [[Category:Velociraptors|a recurring theme in his comics]].
 === Creatures that seem like dinosaurs, but are not ===

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 * {{w|Triceratops}}, named for the three horns on its face, was a {{w|Late Cretaceous}} dinosaur, living during the {{w|Maastrichtian}} age up until the K-PG extinction event. First displayed at the 1900 {{w|Paris Exposition}}, Triceratops has been one of the most popularly displayed dinosaurs, due to the abundance of fossils and distinctive appearance. Its appearance in {{w|The Lost World (1925 film)|various}} {{w|Fantasia (1940 film)|films}} {{w|The Lost World|over}} {{w|Jurassic Park|time}} has made Triceratops one of the most distinctive dinosaurs.
 * {{w|Tyrannosaurus}} Rex, whose name literally translates to ''Tyrant-Lizard King'', was also a {{w|Late Cretaceous}} dinosaur, living during the {{w|Maastrichtian}} Age at the very end of the period. It was a contemporary of Triceratops and Mosasaurs, also listed in this comic. T-Rex is arguably the most well-known dinosaur, due to the recovery of intact skeletons, as well as successful marketing and pop-culture influences, such as ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}'', one of Randall's favorite films.
-* {{w|Diplodocus}}
+* {{w|Diplodocus}} was a herbavorous {{w|sauropod}} dinosaur that lived in the {{w|Late Jurassic}}. [[Randall]] has also discussed saurapods in [[3185|a different comic]].
 * {{w|Velociraptor}} was another dinosaur found in the {{w|Late Cretaceous}} period, made famous for the Jurassic Park films, where they were major threats to the protagonists. [[Randall]]'s fear of Raptors is [[Category:Raptors|a recurring theme in his comics]].

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 * {{w|Tyrannosaurus}} Rex, whose name literally translates to ''Tyrant-Lizard King'', was also a {{w|Late Cretaceous}} dinosaur, living during the {{w|Maastrichtian}} Age at the very end of the period. It was a contemporary of Triceratops and Mosasaurs, also listed in this comic. T-Rex is arguably the most well-known dinosaur, due to the recovery of intact skeletons, as well as successful marketing and pop-culture influences, such as ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}'', one of Randall's favorite films.
 * {{w|Diplodocus}}
-* {{w|Velociraptor}} was another dinosaur found in the {{w|Late Cretaceous}} period, made famous for the Jurassic Park films, where they were major threats to the protagonists. [[Randall]]'s fear of Raptors is [[Category:Raptors|a recurring theme in xkcd comics]].
+* {{w|Velociraptor}} was another dinosaur found in the {{w|Late Cretaceous}} period, made famous for the Jurassic Park films, where they were major threats to the protagonists. [[Randall]]'s fear of Raptors is [[Category:Raptors|a recurring theme in his comics]].
 === Creatures that seem like dinosaurs, but are not ===

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 * {{w|Tyrannosaurus}} Rex, whose name literally translates to ''Tyrant-Lizard King'', was also a {{w|Late Cretaceous}} dinosaur, living during the {{w|Maastrichtian}} Age at the very end of the period. It was a contemporary of Triceratops and Mosasaurs, also listed in this comic. T-Rex is arguably the most well-known dinosaur, due to the recovery of intact skeletons, as well as successful marketing and pop-culture influences, such as ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}'', one of Randall's favorite films.
 * {{w|Diplodocus}}
-* {{w|Velociraptor}}
+* {{w|Velociraptor}} was another dinosaur found in the {{w|Late Cretaceous}} period, made famous for the Jurassic Park films, where they were major threats to the protagonists. [[Randall]]'s fear of Raptors is [[Category:Raptors|a recurring theme in xkcd comics]].
 === Creatures that seem like dinosaurs, but are not ===

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 * {{w|Falcon}} or {{w|Petrel}} (both of them qualify)
-=== Creatures that don't seem like dinosaurs, and are not ===
+=== Things that don't seem like dinosaurs, and are not ===
 * {{w|Squirrel}}: Squirrels are mammals, and dinosaurs are reptiles. Most people also think of dinosaurs as large and dangerous, while squirrels tend to be small, cute and relatively harmless (although their bites can transmit infection). Could also be made of [[2186: Dark Matter|dark matter]].
 * {{w|Stapler}}: Staplers are inanimate objects, and dinosaurs are living creatures.

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 === Creatures that seem like dinosaurs and are dinosaurs  ===
 * {{w|Stegosaurus}} was a herbivorous genus of dinosaurs from the {{w|Late Jurassic}} period with spikes on their tails and distinctive upright plates along their backs. The function of the spikes and plates is the subject of much speculation among scientists, with the current consensus being that the spikes were used for defense and the plates used for display. First identified during the {{w|Bone Wars}}, illustrations of Stegosaurus have been in popular media for over 150 years.
-* {{w|Triceratops}}, named for the three horns on its face, was a {{w|Late Cretaceous}} dinosaur, living during the {{w|Maastrichtian}} age up until the K-PG extinction event. First displayed at the 1900 {{w|Paris Exposition}}, Triceratops has been one of the most popularly displayed dinosaurs due to the abundance of fossils. Its appearance in films such as {{w|The Lost World}} and {{w|Jurassic Park}} has made Triceratops one of the most recognizable dinosaurs.
+* {{w|Triceratops}}, named for the three horns on its face, was a {{w|Late Cretaceous}} dinosaur, living during the {{w|Maastrichtian}} age up until the K-PG extinction event. First displayed at the 1900 {{w|Paris Exposition}}, Triceratops has been one of the most popularly displayed dinosaurs, due to the abundance of fossils and distinctive appearance. Its appearance in {{w|The Lost World (1925 film)|various}} {{w|Fantasia (1940 film)|films}} {{w|The Lost World|over}} {{w|Jurassic Park|time}} has made Triceratops one of the most distinctive dinosaurs.
 * {{w|Tyrannosaurus}} Rex, whose name literally translates to ''Tyrant-Lizard King'', was also a {{w|Late Cretaceous}} dinosaur, living during the {{w|Maastrichtian}} Age at the very end of the period. It was a contemporary of Triceratops and Mosasaurs, also listed in this comic. T-Rex is arguably the most well-known dinosaur, due to the recovery of intact skeletons, as well as successful marketing and pop-culture influences, such as ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}'', one of Randall's favorite films.
 * {{w|Diplodocus}}

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 * entities that are widely thought of as dinosaurs but are not
 * entities that are ''not'' widely thought of as dinosaurs but ''are'' (i.e. birds)
-* and, lastly, entities that are neither dinosaurs nor thought of as dinosaurs (which is funny{{cn}} because it's so all-encompassing as to be practically meaningless, just like it would be if you replaced the word "dinosaurs" by any other plural noun or adjective).
+* and, lastly, entities that are neither dinosaurs nor thought of as dinosaurs (which is funny because it's so all-encompassing as to be practically meaningless, just like it would be if you replaced the word "dinosaurs" by any other plural noun or adjective).
 === Creatures that seem like dinosaurs and are dinosaurs  ===

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 * entities that are widely thought of as dinosaurs but are not
 * entities that are ''not'' widely thought of as dinosaurs but ''are'' (i.e. birds)
-* and, lastly, entities that are neither dinosaurs nor thought of as dinosaurs (which is funny{{cn}} because it's so all-encompassing as to be practically meaningless, just like it would be if you replaced the word "dinosaurs" by any other plural noun, or adjective).
+* and, lastly, entities that are neither dinosaurs nor thought of as dinosaurs (which is funny{{cn}} because it's so all-encompassing as to be practically meaningless, just like it would be if you replaced the word "dinosaurs" by any other plural noun or adjective).
 === Creatures that seem like dinosaurs and are dinosaurs  ===
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 === Creatures that seem like dinosaurs, but are not ===
-Dinosaur is a {{w|paleontology}} term which refers to a specific group of reptiles, based upon evolutionary lines, bone structure and living domain.  However, non-experts may have difficulty distinguishing these from other extinct large reptiles/creatures and apply the term somewhat indiscriminately, hence the confusion between what is scientifically included and what is culturally assumed to be included.
+Dinosaur is a {{w|paleontology}} term which refers to a specific group of reptiles, based upon evolutionary lines, bone structure and living domain. However, non-experts may have difficulty distinguishing these from other extinct large reptiles/creatures and apply the term somewhat indiscriminately, hence the confusion between what is scientifically included and what is culturally assumed to be included.
 The creatures listed are:
-* {{w|Mosasaur}}s were aquatic reptiles that existed during the Cretaceous.  Although mosasaurs appeared in ''{{w|Jurassic World}}'', they are not closely related to dinosaurs. They actually evolved from lizards and are most closely related to either snakes or varanoids (such as the Komodo dragon).
+* {{w|Mosasaur}}s were aquatic reptiles that existed during the Cretaceous. Although mosasaurs appeared in ''{{w|Jurassic World}}'', they are not closely related to dinosaurs. They actually evolved from lizards and are most closely related to either snakes or varanoids (such as the Komodo dragon).
 * {{w|Plesiosaur}}s were another group of Mesozoic aquatic reptiles. Their place in the reptile family tree is debated, as they are not closely related to dinosaurs or any extant reptile.
 * {{w|Pteranodon}} belonged to the group of flying reptiles known as pterosaurs. While dinosaurs and pterosaurs are both archosaurs and are more closely related to each other than other archosaurs (such as crocodilians; see title text explanation below), they diverged around 250 MYA, and are distinct enough to be entirely separate lineages.
 * {{w|Dimetrodon}} lived in the {{w|Paleozoic}}, well before dinosaurs first evolved. They are synapsids, which makes them more closely related to {{w|mammal}}s than to any living reptiles.
-* {{w|Quetzalcoatlus}} was a genus of flying pterosaurs, like ''Pteranodon'', that lived in the Maastrichtian Age (the end of the Cretaceous) alongside mosasaurs, T-Rex, and many others. They were some of the largest flying animals in history, with wingspans up to 36 feet (11m). They were not, however, dinosaurs, as they had pterosaur ancestry.
+* {{w|Quetzalcoatlus}} was a genus of flying pterosaurs, like ''Pteranodon'', that lived in the Maastrichtian Age (the end of the Cretaceous) alongside mosasaurs, T-Rex and many others. They were some of the largest flying animals in history, with wingspans up to 36 feet (11m). They were not, however, dinosaurs, as they had pterosaur ancestry.
 === Creatures that don't seem like dinosaurs, but are ===
-Due to the popular depiction of dinosaurs as prehistoric large reptiles, many people don't view modern birds as dinosaurs. However, as Randall [[1211:_Birds and Dinosaurs|loves to remind people]], dinosaurs such as ''T-rex'' are more closely related (temporally, anatomically, and phylogenetically) to birds than to some other dinosaurs such as ''Stegosaurus'', and therefore, birds '''are''' dinosaurs in their own right.
+Due to the popular depiction of dinosaurs as prehistoric large reptiles, many people don't view modern birds as dinosaurs. However, as Randall [[1211: Birds and Dinosaurs|loves to remind people]], dinosaurs such as ''T-rex'' are more closely related (temporally, anatomically and phylogenetically) to birds than to some other dinosaurs such as ''Stegosaurus'', and therefore, birds '''are''' dinosaurs in their own right.
 * {{w|Penguin}}
 * {{w|Heron}}
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 === Creatures that don't seem like dinosaurs, and are not ===
-* {{w|Squirrel}}: Squirrels are mammals, and dinosaurs are reptiles. Most people also think of dinosaurs as large and dangerous, while squirrels tend to be small, cute, and relatively harmless (although their bites can transmit infection). Could also be made of [[2186:_Dark_Matter|dark matter]].
+* {{w|Squirrel}}: Squirrels are mammals, and dinosaurs are reptiles. Most people also think of dinosaurs as large and dangerous, while squirrels tend to be small, cute and relatively harmless (although their bites can transmit infection). Could also be made of [[2186: Dark Matter|dark matter]].
 * {{w|Stapler}}: Staplers are inanimate objects, and dinosaurs are living creatures.
 * {{w|Flowerpot|Potted plant}} or {{w|pineapple}}<!--It's clearly not a pineapple-->: Dinosaurs are animals, and plants are not.
 * {{w|Human}} ([[Cueball]]): Humans are mammals, and dinosaurs are reptiles. In fact, the {{w|Jurassic Park (franchise)|''Jurassic Park''}} series often pits the two against each other.
-* {{w|Bicycle}}: While they tend to be more mobile than staplers, and have {{w|Dandy_horse|some relation}} to horses, bicycles are also not living creatures.
+* {{w|Bicycle}}: While they tend to be more mobile than staplers, and have {{w|Dandy horse|some relation}} to horses, bicycles are also not living creatures.
-The title text is a further joke about taxonomy, seemingly predicated on the assumption that staplers are biological organisms (which they are not),{{Citation needed}} and can thus be sorted into taxa. ''{{w|Pseudosuchia}}'' is in fact the clade of archosaurs that includes crocodilians, and staplers bear a certain resemblance to the open mouth of a crocodilian.  Also, "suchia" sounds a little like "suture," and in some sense staples are pseudo {{w|Surgical_suture|sutures}}.
+The title text is a further joke about taxonomy, seemingly predicated on the assumption that staplers are biological organisms (which they are not),{{Citation needed}} and can thus be sorted into taxa. ''{{w|Pseudosuchia}}'' is in fact the clade of archosaurs that includes crocodilians, and staplers bear a certain resemblance to the open mouth of a crocodilian. Also, "suchia" sounds a little like "suture," and in some sense staples are pseudo {{w|Surgical suture|sutures}}.
 The original {{w|Linnaean taxonomy}} ''did'' at first have a top-level classification for "mineral" taxonomy, in addition to those for animal and plant, which {{w|Twenty questions#Popular variants|in its broadest sense}} might allow one to assign a stapler a taxonomic relationship with dinosaurs.