non-avian dinosaur

noun

variants: or nonavian dinosaur

plural non-avian dinosaurs or nonavian dinosaurs

Definition of non-avian dinosaur

: any dinosaur that is not a bird These new data show that certain non-avian dinosaurs and early birds shed their skin in ways very similar to that of modern birds and mammals.— Hanneke Meijer Following a mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period some 65 million years ago, an event that drove non-avian dinosaurs extinct, the size and diversity of mammals exploded over a 15-million-year period, researchers say.— Pete Spotts Whereas the last of the nonavian dinosaurs certainly perished 64.5 million years ago, many other animals survived …— James Gurney — compare avian dinosaur

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Cite this Entry

“Non-avian dinosaur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/non-avian%20dinosaur. Accessed 15 Aug. 2022.

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