Dinosaur Classification

Dinosaur Classification

Dinosaur classification has always seemed confusing to me. This chart may be inaccurate to some paleontologist's views and also may not show all of the dinosaur clades, species, or families.

Dinosaurs are categorized into two main groups: the ornithischians (bird-like hip bones) and the saurischians (reptile-like hip bones). Within saurichia, there were theropods (2-legged (mostly) carnivores) and sauropods (long-neck dinosaurs). 

Theropoda 

• Neotheropods

  • • Coelophysoidea

• • • • Includes dinosaurs like Coelophysis, Procompsognathus, Segisauris, and Prowellvenator

    • Dilophosauridae 

      • Includes dinosaurs like Dilophosaurus and Dracovenator

    • Averostra

      • Ceratosauriodae 

        • Ceratosaura

          • All dinosaurs: Eoabelisaurus, Ceratosaurus, and Genyodectes

        • Majungasauridae 

          • Includes dinosaurs like Majungasaurus, Rajasaurus, and Rahiolisaurus

        • Furileusauriadae

          • Includes dinosaurs like Carnotaurus, Aucasaurus, and Vivenator.

      • Tetanurae 

        • Cryolophosaurus (single species discovered)

        • Monolophosaurus (single species discovered)

        • Orionides 

          • Megalosauroidea

            • Chuandongocoelurus (single species discovered)

            • Spinosauridae 

              • All dinosaurs: Spinosaurus, Irrator, Baryonyx, and Suchomimus

            • Megalosauridae)

              • Includes dinosaurs like Megalosaurus, Torvosaurus, and Afrovenator

          • Avetheropoda

            • Coeluosauria

              • Zuolong (one species discovered)

              • Tyrannoraptora

                • Tyrannosauroidea

⬛   Includes dinosaurs like Nannotyrannus, Tyrannosaurus, Guanlong, Yuttyrannus, and Megaraptor

• • • • • • • • • Neocoeluosauria 

⬛   Comsognathidae             ⬛   Includes dinosaurs like Compsognathus, Sinosauropteryx, and Scipionyx

⬛   Ornithomimosauria     ⬛   Includes dinosaurs like Pelecanimimus, Gallimimius, and Deinocheirus

⬛   Maniraptora     ⬛   Includes dinosaurs like Therizinosaurs, Oviraptor, Gigantoraptor, Anchiornis, Archeopteryx, and modern birds

• • • • • • • Allosauroidea

              • Allosauria

                • Includes dinosaurs like Allosaurus, Antrodemus, and Saurophaganax.

              • Carcharodontosauria

                • Includes dinosaurs like Carcharodontosaurus, Siamraptor, and Neovenator

Sauropoda 

• Vulcaodon (one species discovered)

• Eusauropoda 

  • Shunosaurus (one species discovered)

  • Mamenchisauridae 

    • Includes dinosaurs like Mamenchisaurus, Analong, and Omeisaurus

  • Neosauropoda

    • Diplodocoidea

      • Flagellicaudata

        • Dicraeosauridae

          • Includes dinosaurs like Amargasaurus and Brachytrachelopan

        • Apatosaurinae

          • included all species of Apatosaurus

        • Diplodocinae

          • Includes dinosaurs like Diplodocus, Supersaurus v. and l., and Barosaurus

      • Rebachisauridae

        • Includes dinosaurs like Nigersaurus, Limaysaurus, and Demandasaurus

    • Macronaria

      • Camarasauridae

        • Includes dinosaurs like Camarasaurus and Oplosaurus

      • Titanosauriforms

        • Brachiosauridae

          • Includes dinosaurs like Brachiosaurus, Giraffititan, and Europasasaurus

      • Saltasauridae

        • Includes dinosaurs like Titanosaurus, Saltasaurus, Isisaurus

Ornithischians

• Genasauria

  • Thyreophoria

    • Stegosauria

      • All dinosaurs: Huayangosaurus and Stegosaurus

    • Ankleosauria

      • Nodosauridae

        • Includes dinosaurs like Nodosaurus, Panoplosaurus, and Polacanthus

      • Shamosaurinae

        • All dinosaurs: shamosaurus and gobisaurus

      • Anklyosaurinae

        • All dinosaurs: anklyosaurua, pinocosaurus, and saichania

  • Neornithischians

    • Hypsilophodon (one species discovered)

    • Marginocephalia

      • Pachycephalosauria

        • All dinosaurs: Stegoceras, Pachycephalosaurus, and Sphaerotholus

      • Ceratopsia

        • Protoceratops (one species discovered)

        • Psittacosaurus (one species discovered)

        • Ceratopsidae

          • Chasmosauridae

            • Includes dinosaurs like Triceratops, Anchiceratops, and Chasmosaurus

          • Centrosaurinae

            • Includes dinosaurs like Naustoceratops, Centrosaurus, and Pachyrinosaurus

    • Ornithopoda

      • Elasmaria

        • All dinosaurs: Gasparinisaura, Macrogryphosaurus, and Talenkauen

      • Iguanodontia

        • Dryosaurus (one species discovered)

        • Iguanadon (one species discovered)

        • Rhabdodontidae

          • All dinosaurs: Rhabdodon and Zalmoxes

        • Hadrosauridae

          • Includes dinosaurs like Hadrosaurus, Saurolophus, Parasaurolophosaurus, and Lambeosaurus

(The classification of these dinosaurs is organized by a multilevel style; the major clades holding a lot of other sub-clades are bolded, sub-clades with more than one sub-family (specified on this website) are underlined, and singular species are italic, if that makes it easier)