What Makes A Dinosaur?


Mar 28 2017 2 mins   9
Thanks to 23andMe for sponsoring this video! http://www.23andme.com/minuteearth Due to a revolution in our understanding of the tree of life, birds are dinosaurs, while dimetrodons are not. Thanks also to our supporters on https://www.patreon.com/MinuteEarth ___________________________________________ FYI: We try to leave jargon out of our videos, but if you want to learn more about this topic, here are some keywords to get your googling started: Systema Naturae: A 1735 book by Carl Linnaeus that outlined his hierarchical classification of animals. Plagiuri: an early,now disused, biological subclassification of fish used by Linnaeus that also included dolphins and whales. Anthropomorpha: a defunct taxon established by Linnaeus for genera Homo (humans), Simia (monkeys and apes in general) and Bradypus (sloths). Cladogram: A branching diagram showing the evolutionary relationship between species. Dimetrodon: An extinct carnivorous synapsid related to early mammals. Plesiosaur: An extinct marine reptile with a long neck related to modern snakes. Species featured in this video: Brown-throated sloth (Bradypus variegatus) Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Flathead Grey Mullet (Mugil cephalus) ___________________________________________ Credits (and Twitter handles): Script Writer: David Goldenberg (@dgoldenberg) Script Editor: Emily Elert (@eelert) Video Illustrator: Ever Salazar (@eversalazar) Video Director: Kate Yoshida (@KateYoshida) Video Narrator: Kate Yoshida (@KateYoshida) With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Alex Reich, Peter Reich Music by: Nathaniel Schroeder: http://www.soundcloud.com/drschroeder _________________________________________ Like our videos? Subscribe to MinuteEarth on YouTube: http://goo.gl/EpIDGd Support us on Patreon: https://goo.gl/ZVgLQZ Also, say hello on: Facebook: http://goo.gl/FpAvo6 Twitter: http://goo.gl/Y1aWVC And find us on itunes: https://goo.gl/sfwS6n ___________________________________________ If you liked this week’s video, we think you might also like: After her great video on Dimetrodon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tdVPiyVDsQ, The Brain Scoop’s Emily Graslie started a blog devoted to the dinosaur confusion in modern toys: http://isnotadinosaur.tumblr.com/. ___________________________________________ References: Angielczyk, K. (2009). Dimetrodon is not a Dinosaur: Using Tree Thinking to Understand the Ancient Relatives of Mammals and their Evolution. Evolution: Education and Outreach 2:257–271. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12052-009-0117-4 Romero, A. (2012). When Whales Became Mammals: The Scientific Journey of Cetaceans From Fish to Mammals in the History of Science. New Approaches to the Study of Marine Mammals. Chapter 1. Retrieved from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/new-approaches-to-the-study-of-marine-mammals Switek, B. (2010). Why a Pterosaur is Not a Dinosaur. Smithsonian. Retrieved from: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-a-pterosaur-is-not-a-dinosaur-87082921/