Dinosaurs ruled the Earth for millions of years, and even today they often rule the box office when great movies are made about them.

When most people think of dinosaurs, they picture giants like the T-Rex, brontosaur, or any number of other iconic creatures from the past.

Of course, most people also know about the pterodactyl, which is likely the most famous of the flying dinosaurs. One of the less famous birds from the age of dinosaurs is known as the Asteriornis maastrichtensis, which has been nicknamed the “wonderchicken” by many.

This dinosaur has something about it that is quite unique. It has a shared common ancestor with all birds that are alive today.

So, if all current birds have this species in common, has the age of dinosaurs really ended?

Depending on how you define it, no.

One of the three different groups of dinosaurs is known as the Theropoda seems to have evolved into birds. This group includes many iconic dinosaurs, including the T-Rex.

In addition, they evolved into the Aves, which is a group of warm-blooded vertebrates. One of the oldest members of this group is called the Archaopteryx, which was a small flying dinosaur that is widely considered to be the link between birds and reptiles.

There is a lot more to say about the evolution of dinosaurs into birds and then into modern animals, but suffice it to say that the line of distinction is not as clear as many would like to think.

While you aren’t going to see anything like the massive dinosaurs of the past walking around today (unless someone decides to bring them back using DNA, but I’ve seen that movie, it isn’t a good idea), it is fun to think about the fact that the animals of today can often be traced back to the dinosaurs of the past.

Dinosaurs are fascinating.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about why we should be worried about the leak in the bottom of the ocean.