Definition of saurischia Saurischia

We found 3 definitions of saurischia from 3 different sources.

What does saurischia mean?

Noun
saurischia - extinct terrestrial reptiles: theropods (carnivorous); sauropods (herbivorous)
		order Saurischia
		animal order the order of animals
		archosauria, subclass archosauria a large subclass of diapsid reptiles including: crocodiles; alligators; dinosaurs; pterosaurs; plesiosaurs; ichthyosaurs; thecodonts
		saurischian, saurischian dinosaur herbivorous or carnivorous dinosaur having a three-pronged pelvis like that of a crocodile

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Saurischia is one of the two orders/branches of dinosaurs. The name comes from the Greek "sauros" meaning 'lizard' and "ischion" meaning 'hip joint'. In 1888, Harry Seeley classified dinosaurs into two main orders. Their hip structure was how they were separated into these orders. Saurischians ('lizard-hipped') and the ornithischians ('bird-hipped') have differences in the ways bones in the hip are put together. All carnivorous dinosaurs (the theropods) are saurischians.