Theropoda

1 9.9

A group of dinosaurs that ate meat and had short front legs

noun
/ˌθɛrəˈpoʊdə/

Specialized

: terópodo

Paleontologists discovered new species within the Theropoda group that shed light on their hunting strategies.

Examples

Fossils of Theropoda indicate that these dinosaurs were swift predators during the Jurassic period.
- Theropoda allosaurus.

Godzilla (1998)
ELSIE Theropoda Allosaurus.

Fiction book (1998)
The Theropoda, like the Velociraptor, were known for their sharp claws and teeth.

Synonyms

theropod

vsTheropoda

Specialized

3 9.9

A mostly meat-eating dinosaur with short front legs and strong back legs that lived long ago, like Tyrannosaurus

is known only from Jurassic and Cretaceous rather than from Triassic

theropod dinosaur

vsTheropoda

Specialized

1 9.3

A meat-eating dinosaur with short front legs and strong back legs for running

is restricted to Jurassic and Cretaceous records rather than earlier times

suborder Theropoda

vsTheropoda

Specialized

9.9

A group of meat-eating dinosaurs with short front legs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous

is the same group but given without the taxonomic rank

Compounds

suborder Theropoda

Specialized

9.9

A group of meat-eating dinosaurs with short front legs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous

Surface Forms

Theropoda singular

Theropodas plural

Morphology

Theropoda = theropod (semi-transparent) = theropod + a

The form is the taxonomic/Latin pluralization of the English noun 'theropod' (-a); the relation is regular in scientific naming but may be unfamiliar to general learners.

Etymology

The word Theropoda comes from the Greek parts ther- 'beast' and -poda 'foot', so it means 'beast-footed'. So, the name fits because these were mainly meat-eating dinosaurs that walked on strong back feet, and birds later came from this group.