Difference between revisions of "3204: Dinosaurs And Non-Dinosaurs"
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
| − | {{incomplete|This page was created by a webserver that is often described as being a dinosaur, | + | {{incomplete|This page was created by a webserver that is often described as being a dinosaur; however, it is definitely not. Don't remove this notice too soon.}} |
This comic explores the seeming paradox that certain extinct prehistoric species which are popularly thought of as being "dinosaurs" are, from a strict taxonomic viewpoint, not. It also takes into account the fact that all bird species are descended from dinosaurs 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, of entities that are widely thought of as dinosaurs but are not, of entities that are ''not'' widely thought of as dinosaurs but ''are'' (i.e., birds), and, lastly, of 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). | This comic explores the seeming paradox that certain extinct prehistoric species which are popularly thought of as being "dinosaurs" are, from a strict taxonomic viewpoint, not. It also takes into account the fact that all bird species are descended from dinosaurs 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, of entities that are widely thought of as dinosaurs but are not, of entities that are ''not'' widely thought of as dinosaurs but ''are'' (i.e., birds), and, lastly, of 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). | ||
| Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
In reading order from upper left in each quadrant of the image: | In reading order from upper left in each quadrant of the image: | ||
* Silhouettes in "seem like dinosaurs / are dinosaurs": {{w|Stegosaurus}}, {{w|Triceratops}}, {{w|Tyrannosaurus}}, {{w|Diplodocus}} and {{w|Velociraptor}} | * Silhouettes in "seem like dinosaurs / are dinosaurs": {{w|Stegosaurus}}, {{w|Triceratops}}, {{w|Tyrannosaurus}}, {{w|Diplodocus}} and {{w|Velociraptor}} | ||
| − | * Silhouettes in "seem like dinosaurs / are not dinosaurs": {{w|Mosasaur}}, {{w|Quetzalcoatlus}}, {{w| | + | * Silhouettes in "seem like dinosaurs / are not dinosaurs": {{w|Mosasaur}}, {{w|Quetzalcoatlus}}, {{w|Pteranodon}}, {{w|Plesiosaur}} and {{w|Dimetrodon}} |
| − | * Silhouettes in "don't seem like dinosaurs / are dinosaurs": {{w|Penguin}}, {{w| | + | * Silhouettes in "don't seem like dinosaurs / are dinosaurs": {{w|Penguin}}, {{w|Heron}}, {{w|Ostrich}}, {{w|Pigeon}} and may be a {{w|Falcon}} or {{w|Petrel}} |
| − | * Silhouettes in "don't seem like dinosaurs / are not dinosaurs": {{w|Squirrel}}, {{w|Stapler}}, {{w| | + | * Silhouettes in "don't seem like dinosaurs / are not dinosaurs": {{w|Squirrel}}, {{w|Stapler}}, {{w|Pineapple}}, {{w|Human}} (here depicted as [[Cueball]]) and {{w|Bicycle}} |
| − | The title text is a further joke about taxonomy, seemingly predicated on the assumption that staplers are biological organisms, and can thus be sorted into taxa. ''{{w|Pseudosuchia}}'' is in fact the clade that encompasses all crocodilians, and staplers bear a certain resemblance to the open mouth of a crocodilian. Also, "suchia" sounds a little like "sutures," and in some sense staples are pseudo 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 that encompasses all crocodilians, and staplers bear a certain resemblance to the open mouth of a crocodilian. Also, "suchia" sounds a little like "sutures," and in some sense staples are pseudo 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. | 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. | ||
=== Creatures that seem like dinosaurs and are dinosaurs === | === Creatures that seem like dinosaurs and are dinosaurs === | ||
| − | *Stegosaurus | + | * Stegosaurus |
| − | *Triceratops | + | * Triceratops |
| − | *Tyrannosaurus Rex, whose name literally translates to ''Tyrant Lizard King'', was a Late Cretaceous dinosaur, living during the 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 one of the most well-known dinosaurs, due to the recovery of intact skeletons, as well as successful marketing and pop-culture influences, such as ''Jurassic Park'', a movie of which Randall is a known fan. | + | * Tyrannosaurus Rex, whose name literally translates to ''Tyrant-Lizard King'', was a Late Cretaceous dinosaur, living during the 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 one of the most well-known dinosaurs, due to the recovery of intact skeletons, as well as successful marketing and pop-culture influences, such as ''Jurassic Park'', a movie of which Randall is a known fan. |
| − | *Diplodocus | + | * Diplodocus |
| − | *Velociraptor | + | * Velociraptor |
=== Creatures that seem like dinosaurs, but are not === | === Creatures that seem like dinosaurs, but are not === | ||
| Line 35: | Line 35: | ||
The creatures listed are: | The creatures listed are: | ||
| − | * A mosasaur is an extinct aquatic reptile, looking similar to a dolphin, that existed at the same time as the dinosaurs. Whilst it appeared in {{w|Jurassic World}}, | + | * A mosasaur is an extinct aquatic reptile, looking similar to a dolphin, that existed at the same time as the dinosaurs. Whilst it appeared in {{w|Jurassic World}}, mosasaurs had a different ancestor than dinosaurs |
* Plesiosaurs | * Plesiosaurs | ||
* Pterodons are flying reptiles | * Pterodons are flying reptiles | ||
| − | * Dimetrodon | + | * Dimetrodon (lived well before the Mesozoic, and more closely related to mammals than to dinosaurs) |
* Quetzalcoatlus was a genus of flying pterosaurs, related to pterodons, that lived in the Maastrichtian Age 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. | * Quetzalcoatlus was a genus of flying pterosaurs, related to pterodons, that lived in the Maastrichtian Age 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 === | ||
| + | Strictly speaking, birds are descended from dinosaurs, but that still places them in the evolutionary line, which is close enough for the comic's purposes. | ||
| + | * Penguin | ||
| + | * Heron | ||
| + | * Ostrich | ||
| + | * Pigeon | ||
| + | * Falcon or Petrel (both of them qualify) | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Creatures that don't seem like dinosaurs, and are not === | ||
| + | * Squirrel: mammal | ||
| + | * Stapler: not a living thing | ||
| + | * Pineapple: plant | ||
| + | * Human: mammal | ||
| + | * Bicycle: not a living thing | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
| − | :[A 2x2 chart where each of the four quadrants contains five silhouettes. These | + | :[A 2x2 chart where each of the four quadrants contains five silhouettes. These depict various animals, a few objects, and a human. Above each column and to the left of each row there are a label:] |
| − | :Left column: Are dinosaurs | + | :[Left column:] Are dinosaurs |
| − | :Right column: Are not dinosaurs | + | :[Right column:] Are not dinosaurs |
| − | :Upper row: Seem like dinosaurs | + | :[Upper row:] Seem like dinosaurs |
| − | :Lower row: Don't seem like dinosaurs | + | :[Lower row:] Don't seem like dinosaurs |
:[Here follows a list of what are in each of the four quadrants:] | :[Here follows a list of what are in each of the four quadrants:] | ||
:[Top left (seem like dinosaurs, are dinosaurs):] | :[Top left (seem like dinosaurs, are dinosaurs):] | ||
| − | :[Stegosaurus, | + | :[Stegosaurus, triceratops, tyrannosaurus, diplodocus, and velociraptor.] |
:[Top right (seem like dinosaurs, are not dinosaurs):] | :[Top right (seem like dinosaurs, are not dinosaurs):] | ||
| − | :[Mosasaur, | + | :[Mosasaur, quetzalcoatlus, dimetrodon, plesiosaur, and pteranodon.] |
:[Bottom left (don't seem like dinosaurs, are dinosaurs):] | :[Bottom left (don't seem like dinosaurs, are dinosaurs):] | ||
| − | :[Penguin, | + | :[Penguin, egret, falcon, pigeon, and ostrich.] |
:[Bottom right (don't seem like dinosaurs, are not dinosaurs):] | :[Bottom right (don't seem like dinosaurs, are not dinosaurs):] | ||
| − | :[Squirrel, | + | :[Squirrel, stapler, bicycle, human (here depicted as Cueball), and pineapple.] |
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude> | {{comic discussion}}<noinclude> | ||
Latest revision as of 07:05, 8 February 2026
| Dinosaurs And Non-Dinosaurs |
 Title text: Staplers are actually in Pseudosuchia, making them more closely related to crocodiles than to dinosaurs. |
Explanation[edit]
|
This is one of 62 incomplete explanations: This page was created by a webserver that is often described as being a dinosaur; however, it is definitely not. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! |
This comic explores the seeming paradox that certain extinct prehistoric species which are popularly thought of as being "dinosaurs" are, from a strict taxonomic viewpoint, not. It also takes into account the fact that all bird species are descended from dinosaurs 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, of entities that are widely thought of as dinosaurs but are not, of entities that are not widely thought of as dinosaurs but are (i.e., birds), and, lastly, of 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).
In reading order from upper left in each quadrant of the image:
- Silhouettes in "seem like dinosaurs / are dinosaurs": Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, Diplodocus and Velociraptor
- Silhouettes in "seem like dinosaurs / are not dinosaurs": Mosasaur, Quetzalcoatlus, Pteranodon, Plesiosaur and Dimetrodon
- Silhouettes in "don't seem like dinosaurs / are dinosaurs": Penguin, Heron, Ostrich, Pigeon and may be a Falcon or Petrel
- Silhouettes in "don't seem like dinosaurs / are not dinosaurs": Squirrel, Stapler, Pineapple, Human (here depicted as Cueball) and Bicycle
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. Pseudosuchia is in fact the clade that encompasses all crocodilians, and staplers bear a certain resemblance to the open mouth of a crocodilian. Also, "suchia" sounds a little like "sutures," and in some sense staples are pseudo sutures.
The original Linnaean taxonomy did at first have a top-level classification for "mineral" taxonomy, in addition to those for animal and plant, which in its broadest sense might allow one to assign a stapler a taxonomic relationship with dinosaurs.
Creatures that seem like dinosaurs and are dinosaurs[edit]
- Stegosaurus
- Triceratops
- Tyrannosaurus Rex, whose name literally translates to Tyrant-Lizard King, was a Late Cretaceous dinosaur, living during the 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 one of the most well-known dinosaurs, due to the recovery of intact skeletons, as well as successful marketing and pop-culture influences, such as Jurassic Park, a movie of which Randall is a known fan.
- Diplodocus
- Velociraptor
Creatures that seem like dinosaurs, but are not[edit]
Dinosaur is a paleonotology term which refers to a specific group of reptiles, based upon evolutionary lines, bone structure and living domain. However, it is also a popular science/cultural term which refers to extinct large reptiles, hence the confusion between what is scientifically included and what is culturally assumed to be included. While dinosaurs and pterosaurs had a common ancestor, the archosaur, they diverged around 250 MYA, and are distinct enough to be entirely separate lineages.
The creatures listed are:
- A mosasaur is an extinct aquatic reptile, looking similar to a dolphin, that existed at the same time as the dinosaurs. Whilst it appeared in Jurassic World, mosasaurs had a different ancestor than dinosaurs
- Plesiosaurs
- Pterodons are flying reptiles
- Dimetrodon (lived well before the Mesozoic, and more closely related to mammals than to dinosaurs)
- Quetzalcoatlus was a genus of flying pterosaurs, related to pterodons, that lived in the Maastrichtian Age 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[edit]
Strictly speaking, birds are descended from dinosaurs, but that still places them in the evolutionary line, which is close enough for the comic's purposes.
- Penguin
- Heron
- Ostrich
- Pigeon
- Falcon or Petrel (both of them qualify)
Creatures that don't seem like dinosaurs, and are not[edit]
- Squirrel: mammal
- Stapler: not a living thing
- Pineapple: plant
- Human: mammal
- Bicycle: not a living thing
Transcript[edit]
- [A 2x2 chart where each of the four quadrants contains five silhouettes. These depict various animals, a few objects, and a human. Above each column and to the left of each row there are a label:]
- [Left column:] Are dinosaurs
- [Right column:] Are not dinosaurs
- [Upper row:] Seem like dinosaurs
- [Lower row:] Don't seem like dinosaurs
- [Here follows a list of what are in each of the four quadrants:]
- [Top left (seem like dinosaurs, are dinosaurs):]
- [Stegosaurus, triceratops, tyrannosaurus, diplodocus, and velociraptor.]
- [Top right (seem like dinosaurs, are not dinosaurs):]
- [Mosasaur, quetzalcoatlus, dimetrodon, plesiosaur, and pteranodon.]
- [Bottom left (don't seem like dinosaurs, are dinosaurs):]
- [Penguin, egret, falcon, pigeon, and ostrich.]
- [Bottom right (don't seem like dinosaurs, are not dinosaurs):]
- [Squirrel, stapler, bicycle, human (here depicted as Cueball), and pineapple.]
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I don't think that's a stork. My guess would be that it's a heron. The bird in the lower right also looks like some sort of shorebird, but I've got no clue. 99.26.146.61 (talk) 19:45, 6 February 2026 (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
- I changed egret to heron. If there is some distinguishing feature in the outline that makes it clear that this an egret, as compared to the more general heron, please document (either in explanation or comments). 107.77.205.200 19:02, 7 February 2026 (UTC)
I feel like this comic should be in the explanation https://xkcd.com/1211/ 2600:4041:2E5:B900:66D3:74AD:D92D:356B 20:36, 6 February 2026 (UTC)
Could it have a brief layman's explanation of how/why the top right *aren't* dinosaurs? Y'know beyond just "well, technically..."
91.84.189.119 06:52, 7 February 2026 (UTC)
- They are not dinosaurs because dinosaurs are only a subgroup of prehistoric animals living on land. Others are flying or underwater reptiles (don’t know the real names of those), or just plain reptiles who have existed (as a group) for far longer. Dinos are technically named „land reptiles“, but are not reptiles. It’s a bit confusing and this is where my half knowledge ends
2A00:1E:82C2:D401:F4A3:23F3:8A2D:63B1 09:33, 7 February 2026 (UTC)
- Saying “dinosaurs are not reptiles” isn’t true, but more importantly is a strange thing to say in a scientific context. If you are using “reptile” informally, then the definition of one is fuzzy anyways. If using it cladistically, then reptile pretty much means “sauropsid” which includes dinosaurs and thus birds, which are not informally/traditionally included, so you might as well use the less ambiguous term “sauropsid”. Terdragontra (talk) 15:46, 7 February 2026 (UTC)
- Yeah, the common definition of reptiles doesn't match a single evolutionary group, as crocodiles are more closely related to dinosaurs, and thus birds, than they are to lizards. Turtles separated earlier, so are equally related to both of those groups. To answer the original point, dinosaurs are defined as all the animals descended from a certain common ancestor, which they only relatively recently realized includes birds, and not just some long extinct animals known only from fossils. There are aome other animals also known only from fossils in the same time period that the general public often mistakenly thinks are dinosaurs, but are not closely related to them, being closer to other groups of living animals.--2600:100A:B12D:723E:FCD9:2B70:1145:6A44 07:26, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
Did anyone else think that "Pseudo-such" things were a made up thing for staplers? Kev (talk) 13:36, 7 February 2026 (UTC
I’m interested at the things somewhere on the boundaries. Some basal forms are sometimes included as dinosaurs and sometimes just outside the clade. And som nonbird dinosaurs are somewhat birdlike, and shoebills feel more dinosaury than the average bird (while hummingbirds feel less so). Terdragontra (talk) 15:48, 7 February 2026 (UTC)
What bird is in the lower right of the Are dinosuars, but don't seem like dinousaurs box? Currently the explanation says "falcon" - not clear why somebody thought it was a falcon. Whatever ID we give, should have some explanation. The wings look not as long front to back as a falcon. It also lacks a falcons spread tail (which can be tucked in or course). Also lacks the hooked beak typical of a falcon. The long narrow wings suggest a relatively long distance flyer.
It lacks the split tail typical of a swallow or swift. The beak isn't long enough for an albatross or similar. Gulls typically have bigger beak and rounded head. A petrel is my current best guess. A tern, shearwater or skua also seem possible. 107.77.205.200 19:36, 7 February 2026 (UTC)
- I would have gone with describing it as a generic gull. Which would be wrong, in its own way, but at least not as wrong as 'seagull' ;) 81.179.199.253 20:46, 7 February 2026 (UTC)
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