Description
- Ornithischian Dinosaur Tooth
- Triassic Age
- Bull Canyon Formation
- San Miguel County, New Mexico
- This tooth will measure approx. 3/32″ long and will come in the 1.25″ Gem Jar as Shown
Ornithischia is an extinct clade of herbivorous dinosaurs characterized by a pelvic structure similar to that of birds. They had “Leaf-shaped” cheek teeth. The name Ornithischia, or “bird-hipped”, reflects this similarity and is derived from the Greek ornitheos meaning “of a bird” and ischion meaning “‘hip joint”. Birds are members of the saurischian, or “lizard-hipped”, dinosaurs.
There is strong evidence that certain groups of ornithischians lived in herds and there is some evidence to suggest certain species may have cared for their young.
Ornithischia is an extremely well supported clade and is one of the two major groups in Dinosauria. Many characters define the group though most are thought to be linked to herbivory.What makes an ornithischian dinosaur? All terrestrial animals and even marine animals derived from terrestrial stocks have hip girdles, or pelvises, and all hip girdles are composed of three bones: the ilium, ischium, and pubis. All ornithischians are united by a pubis pointing backward, running parallel with the ischium. The name “Ornithischia” means “bird-hipped,” and birds also have pelvises in which the pubis points backwards. However, birds are more closely related to the Saurischia, or “lizard-hipped” dinosaurs, than to the ornithischian dinosaurs.
