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UPSC Prelims 1989 · Environment · Species Watch
Dinosaur is
- (a) A reptile
- (b) An amphibian
- (c) A mammal
- (d) A bird
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (a) A reptile
Dinosaurs were reptiles (their name means “terrible lizard”).
The idea
Dinosaurs had the marks of reptiles: scaly skin and eggs with shells laid on land. They ruled the land during the Mesozoic era, called the Age of Reptiles.
Triassic: first dinosaurs → Jurassic: giant dinosaurs; first birds → Cretaceous: ends with the mass extinction, 66 million years ago
Why the others are wrong
(d) Birds evolved FROM dinosaurs — but dinosaurs as a group are classed as reptiles here.
The trap
Modern science calls birds living dinosaurs, which could make (d) tempting. The classic answer is reptile.
Also know
India has its own dinosaurs. Fossils of Rajasaurus narmadensis were found in the Narmada valley of Gujarat, and large nesting sites with eggs have been found at Balasinor in Gujarat and in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.
🔒 Dinosaurs = reptiles (Mesozoic); birds descend from them.