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Almost all dinosaur-centric film/TV of the 90s-2000s imply (or state outright) that the dinosaurs are now extinct. As a result, this remains a deeply held and ubiquitously perpetuated misconception. Paleontologists have suspected since the 70s, and known for sure since at least the 2000s, that the avian theropod dinosaurs survived and became modern-day birds. Therefore, birds are dinosaurs. Wikipedia is pretty clear on this.
Another related misconception is that the pterodactyl is a dinosaur. In fact, it is a pterosaur which is a separate clade from the dinosaurs. Unlike the dinosaurs, the pterosaurs really are extinct. When science videos refer to “the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs” they should really say “pterosaurs” instead, it would be more educational on multiple levels.
A lot more than the pterosaurs died out though. Most archosaurs, including the sauropods and the non-avian theropods, are gone. The ichthyosaurs and the majority of ancient crocodilians went extinct too (not dinosaurs, but related). So it's kind of odd to mention pterosaurs but not those others.
This is just nitpicking. Aktually a chicken is a dinosaur.
The best kind of picking!!
Jokes aside though, where do you draw the line between calling out a misconception, and nitpicking?
I think the question of the extinction of an entire clade of animals is a reasonably significant misconception, personally.
Anyone who has seen a shoebill stork knows that dinosaurs didn’t die.
I think more people need to see this video (by Clint's Reptiles). It taught me more about the dinosaur extinction (and why some dinosaurs survived!) in 12 minutes than I learned in 12 years of primary school.
https://youtu.be/M1TanPmCckM?si=12sPSfp936IKamPX
Well, in terms of species (could create fertile offspring), modern day birds are not dinosaurs.
However, we animals which are the same species as they were millions of years ago.
.... Til that dinosaurs aren't extinct.