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saurischian
📅 Updated:2026-09-16
🕒 Created:2026-09-16
🆔 ID:112115
Description
Saurischian
Saurischia (meaning "reptile-hipped" from the Greek sauros meaning 'lizard' and ischion meaning 'hip joint') is one of the two basic divisions of dinosaurs, the other being ornithischian. Saurischians are distinguished from ornithischians by their three-pronged pelvic structure, with the pubis bone pointed forward, a trait retained from their reptile ancestors. Ornithischians, by contrast, have a pubis rotated backward, parallel with the ischium.
Saurischia includes all theropods (which includes modern birds) and all sauropodomorphs, as well as the early herrerasaurids. The clade originated during the Late Triassic period, roughly 230 million years ago, and all saurischians except birds went extinct during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event about 66 million years ago.
For tagging purposes on e621, saurischians should be tagged with the most specific applicable tag (theropod, sauropod, etc.) when the exact clade is known. Use this tag when a dinosaur's identity is known to be saurischian but a more specific tag cannot be applied.
