3204: Dinosaurs And Non-Dinosaurs
| Dinosaurs And Non-Dinosaurs |
 Title text: Staplers are actually in Pseudosuchia, making them more closely related to crocodiles than to dinosaurs. |
Explanation
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This is one of 62 incomplete explanations: This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! |
This comic explores the seeming paradox that certain extinct prehistoric species which are popularly thought of as being "dinosaurs" are, from a strict taxonomic viewpoint, not. It also takes into account the fact that all bird species are descended from dinosaurs and thus - again, from a strict taxonomic viewpoint - are themselves dinosaurs as well.
- Silhouettes in "seem like dinosaurs / are dinosaurs": stegosaurus, triceratops, tyrannosaurus, diplodocus, velociraptor
- Silhouettes in "don't seem like dinosaurs / are dinosaurs": penguin, ostrich, stork, pigeon, ?
- Silhouettes in "seem like dinosaurs / are not dinosaurs": mosasaur, pteranodon, dimetrodon, plesiosaur, ?
- Silhouettes in "don't seem like dinosaurs / are not dinosaurs": squirrel, stapler, pineapple, human, bicycle
Transcript
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This is one of 44 incomplete transcripts: Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! |
- Left column: Are dinosaurs
- Right column: Are not dinosaurs
- Upper row: Seem like dinosaurs
- Lower row: Don't seem like dinosaurs
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I don't think that's a stork. My guess would be that it's a heron. The bird in the lower right also looks like some sort of shorebird, but I've got no clue. 99.26.146.61 (talk) 19:45, 6 February 2026 (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
I feel like this comic should be in the explanation https://xkcd.com/1211/ 2600:4041:2E5:B900:66D3:74AD:D92D:356B 20:36, 6 February 2026 (UTC)
Could it have a brief layman's explanation of how/why the top right *aren't* dinosaurs? Y'know beyond just "well, technically..."
91.84.189.119 06:52, 7 February 2026 (UTC)
They are not dinosaurs because dinosaurs are only a subgroup of prehistoric animals living on land. Others are flying or underwater reptiles (don’t know the real names of those), or just plain reptiles who have existed (as a group) for far longer. Dinos are technically named „land reptiles“, but are not reptiles. It’s a bit confusing and this is where my half knowledge ends
2A00:1E:82C2:D401:F4A3:23F3:8A2D:63B1 09:33, 7 February 2026 (UTC) Add comment
