Birds Are Reptiles?

[@ClintsReptiles]

I never, in a million years, would have thought that there was be so many die-hard defenders of Linnaean taxonomy out there when I made this video. But I was wrong. I haven't been cussed out so much since I told you that iguanas generally make bad pets :) So, just so you know, humans like to organize things into categories. In the mid 1700s, Carl Linnaeus proposed one system for categorizing living things based on observable similarities. It was a useful system, but it had its limitations. Namely, organisms were grouped based on known attributes. If you knew that an organism went in a specific category, that didn't teach you anything about that organism that you didn't already know about it when you put it in that category in the first place. In other words, it was useful for organizing information, but totally uninformative. We have learned a lot since the mid 1700s. One thing we have learned is that living organisms are related to one another because they share ancestry with one another. Phylogentic analysis allows us to understand these family relationships better. Organism that share a common ancestor tend to share many attributes that they collectively inherited from their shared ancestors. This means that if we know where an organism fits into the tree of life, then we suddenly know an amazing amount about it even if we previously knew nothing. It is a vastly more useful way of classifying organisms. But given that many of the Linnean names have been used for centuries now, we are trying to fix a lot of the categories to be relevant given what we now know about shared ancestry. The only good kind of a group includes an ancestor and all of its descendants. All modern reptiles share a common ancestor, but they also share that ancestor with birds. If we are going to use the term "reptiles", then we have two options: we can either include birds, or we can accept that it is a garbage group. I prefer the former :) Hopefully this helps.

[@TheCharleseye]

It's amazing to me how many people staunchly defend old science (or "science," as it were). The entire purpose of science is discovery. Discovery requires us to constantly reevaluate and replace. Holding to a particular teaching - regardless of new evidence to the contrary - is called religion. It reminds me of some of the people who absolutely love all things Monty Python. They will shred you alive for misquoting a line from one of his movies...even though Monty Python was the king of ad-lib. And don't bother trying to explain the irony to them. They don't do well with irony (which is, in itself, ironic). Anyway, thanks for the video. As always, it was very informative. Keep up the good work!

[@goku-san]

Birds are dinosaurs. So yes, they would be reptiles. I'm not sure why people had to be rude about it. Sheesh. Makes me wonder what they would say if they were told every vertebrate is a fish. Because cladistically, tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds) are emerged within lobe-finned fishes. So therefore, they can be called fish.

[@T2266]

I majored in analytic philosophy, so to me it's more of a "when you got an unwanted conclusion, go back to re-evaluate your premise" To me "bird being reptiles" is that unwanted conclusion, I had better time believing dinosaurs are not reptiles actually. Or rather, I was already on the side that doesn't consider dinosaurs reptiles.

[@jessepadilla5919]

I keep a B/W Tegu, 2 Sulcata, 2 Chickens, Peregrine, Harris' Hawk and Great Horned Owl. I'm Ecstatic that I can call them all reptiles. (Yes, I had a male Green Iguana 20 yrs and they are not for casual pet ownership) Great videos Clint.

[@plantpotshoes2644]

Very interesting and presented in a fun and easy to digest way. If you could put your sources it would be great for me to explore more :D

[@SnakeDiscovery]

It's crazy how many myths people still believe in. I always tell kids that snakes feel like basketballs, not slime. Great video!

[@ClintsReptiles]

I really like that comparison! I had a kid tell me that after he overcame his fear of snakes and touched one for the first time during a presentation I did at a school last year. It was such a perfect description! You totally rock, Emily! Thank you for spreading good information to the world 🌍🙂🌎

[@denisewhitney4819]

We also tell everyone our tegu feels like a basketball! He's really big (20 lbs) and can be a little intimidating until you get to know him, so that makes people less nervous.

[@carlyphilpott269]

You're absolutely right! That's why it's important to have companies like yours, who spread the good, CORRECT word on reptiles. Keep doing what you do.

[@elfmonster1476]

The (few, admittedly) snakes I've handled have all been much smoother than basketballs.

[@tardigrade8019]

@@elfmonster1476 Ive handled a few snakes and a few basketballs. And some basketballs can be pretty smooth and slick. Still, its an asy visualization when your trying to tell someone snakes arent slimy.

[@Raptorman0205]

Funny that certain humans call reptiles slimy, when the adaptation of sweat leads humans to being one of the slimier animals in the animal kingdom.

[@Dr_Tapeworm]

no matter what we all lose out to the mighty hagfish, the King of Slime

[@randomtube8226]

I think people get confused and don't know the difference between reptiles and amphibians. Reptiles get a really bad rep and its sad.

[@varanid9]

@@randomtube8226 That's alright; imagine the massive increase in the manufacture of reptile skin wallets, belts and shoes if they found out how good most reptiles actually feel.

[@Serpenfishil]

@@Dr_Tapeworm and your profile picture is one of the slimiest creatures outside of Earth (in case his profile picture changes it's nightmare from Metroid Fusion).

[@tardigrade8019]

Dude, human sweat is awesome. It allows us to cool our bodies while still exerting them. Im pretty sure we are the only mamals that can do that. Its one of he reasons why if your in good shape, a human can outrun a horse given a long enough race.

[@jwysw]

You do realize this means you have to do videos on birds now, right? Also, thanks to your channel I knew almost all the the answers in my vet tech class’s reptile section.

[@ClintsReptiles]

That is so cool to hear! Right now I guess we do have two more videos with birds than we have with crocodilians...

[@Johnny-tq9no]

@@ClintsReptiles do button quail

[@lolitalamb]

@@Johnny-tq9no yes!

[@charlottewalnut3118]

jwysw good punishment for the lies

[@BulbasaurLeaves]

Alright, I'll accept the monophyletic definition of reptiles but only because I want a Clint's Reptiles episode about budgies

[@oscarmolina7397]

“Chicken, the best pet dinosaur?”

[@ClintsReptiles]

We just might :)

[@nicholaslienandjaja1815]

In fact, there is a project in which they try to transform chicken embryos into dinosaur-like chickens, as chickens still possess the genes to grow teeth, clawed fingers, and a long, bony tail.

[@greenranger1983]

Clint's Reptiles I'm gonna keep an eye out for that one!

[@windhelmguard5295]

best pet dinosaur is the runner duck. all you need is a shack in your garden, a fence around that garden and a small pond.

[@waranontwiwaha9385]

Chicky are great, but they are on a rather fragile side. Slight mistake and they can get sick easily.

[@SpinosaurusTheProudSocialist]

The evolution of birds is very fascinating. Because birds are technically Dinosaurs, that means they are also Archosaurs. Which means that a saltwater crocodile is more closely related to chickens than it is to the Komodo dragon. It's an amazing thing to think about.

[@DJTasawennatekensMusicWorld]

Actually birds are not dinosaurs they're related to dinosaurs the only living type of animals related to dinosaurs and are considered dinosaurs on the planet are alligators crocodiles and turtles

[@SpinosaurusTheProudSocialist]

@@DJTasawennatekensMusicWorld No, birds are now classified as avian Dinosaurs, and they are the closest living related to the extinct non-avian Dinosaurs. Crocodilians and turtles aren't Dinosaurs, although they are closely related. Not as closely related, however, as birds which are considered the only living Theropods, which is the same group that includes predators like T-Rex, Velociraptor, Allosaurus, Spinosaurus, and Giganotosaurus.

[@SpinosaurusTheProudSocialist]

@@DJTasawennatekensMusicWorld Also we now know many Dinosaurs had feathers, see Velociraptor and its relatives.

[@knowledgedesk1653]

@@DJTasawennatekensMusicWorld birds are a descendant of a class of theropods which are part of dinosaurs. So birds are technically dinosaur

[@curious5887]

@@DJTasawennatekensMusicWorld Bird are dinosaurs, they are part of theropods group, from both physiological and phylogenetic studies, so please just learned the actual science

[@reptitan5498]

Did anybody else notice that it looked like Gus-Gus is smiling. Probably because Clint takes great care of him.

[@ClintsReptiles]

I love that boy!

[@reptitan5498]

Who doesn't like tegus! :D

[@varanid9]

Show me a Tegu hater, and I'll show you someone who should be shot immediately.

[@nicholaslienandjaja1815]

Gus Gus reminds me of MacGyver the Lizard

[@orthiaclamedesang1797]

@@varanid9 Calm down Satan, we don't shoot Tegu haters here. That's a waste of ammunition. We hang them high and short.

[@KuyaB69]

Wait, after skimming the comments for 5 minutes, I realized the problem here. Guys, no one is saying that you have to stop calling birds "birds," and that you must start calling them reptiles. Birds are still birds, snakes are still snakes, lizards are still lizards, yet all of these things are also reptiles. I only wish I could have been here to clear this up 2 years sooner. Curse me for being a late subscriber to this amazing and informative channel!

[@ClintsReptiles]

You notice I was explicit about this on today's video.

[@KuyaB69]

@@ClintsReptiles Wow spoiler alert! I haven't watched today's video yet! Serioulsy though I've been binging your channel for the past few days and love every video. Please keep up the amazing work and teaching us all new things.

[@Pistolita221]

My issue is, within the taxonomic ranking system, reptile or reptilia and bird or aves have the same taxonomic rank, and it doesn't make sense to strip aves of its rank.

[@khango6138]

@@Pistolita221 Use phylogeny rather than only taxonomy ranking, it better reflects natural evolutionary histories of the groups involve. Also last I checked, taxonomic ranking of Reptilia and Birds both just refer to them as "Clades" and not strict "Ordo" or "Familia". "Clades" is just like "neutral term" for a grouping and Clades do contain each other. Such as Sauropsida ("Reptiles") containing Dinosauria (which includes Aves aka Birds). This is why it is more helpful to think of their phylogenic relationship rather than getting stuck on arbitrary rankings.

[@Pistolita221]

@@khango6138 I believe their taxonomic rank is "class", which I believe is linnaean. Bird and reptile are linnaean terms. Aves are reptiliomorphs, and so are mammals. Those are clades, so you can use your genetic based groupings. But terms like snake, bird, reptile, mammal, crab, are not valid phylogenetic terms. If you teach children birds are reptiles they won't understand the 235 million years of evolutionary divergence that turned a lizard into a falcon.

[@sabzillagorilla]

I used to have chickens. It's so cool, you can see they have those crazy dinosaur eyes. It's always been something I've loved about them. They're so underrated and people view them as dumb lifeless lumps, but they are very aware and they have some really unique behaviors

[@ClintsReptiles]

I might have to make a chicken video in the future :)

[@Damian-cilr2]

Some People in general think most if not all animals are dumb,lifeless things,they aren't.

[@vincentdujardin7322]

This is a clear example of how difficult it is in biology to come up with a waterproof definition (for all kind of things)

[@TacticusPrime]

Now that we're doing more thorough genetic research, it's getting easier. Even a decade ago, genetic studies could only be done economically with small portions of the genome. We have more and more high quality reference genomes though.

[@NinjaKidz]

Nice meeting you guys today. Thanks for being awesome!

[@ClintsReptiles]

You guys are awesome! It was so great to meet you.

[@a-bird-lover]

Thank you for including birds! I have so many internet arguments with people who think birds are related to mammals, of all things.

[@ClintsReptiles]

That's a new one!

[@theprehistorichubert9448]

The fact that some people think birds are closer to mammals than any other animal group makes me cry

[@a-bird-lover]

@@theprehistorichubert9448 I mean it's sorta reasonable if you're only given the context of morphological phylogeny like the teach in schools (fancy words just for the "this group is birds because they have feathers, this group is mammals because they have fur etc" type grouping, instead of how they're related). Birds and mammals are pretty similar in some ways! We're both warm blooded, active, generally pretty intelligent, and have a fuzzy outer coat, and without knowing that birds are reptiles it does seem more intuitive that birds and mammals are more closely related than to cold-blooded reptiles

[@Liamantoniocoiman]

​@@a-bird-lover birds have more stuff in common with other reptiles than mammals in my opinion.

[@conlon4332]

They share many similarities, but all convergent evolution. Both birds and mammals keep our bodies at constant temperatures, grow soft, insulating body coverings (fur/hair and feathers), and have generally soft, definitely scaleless skin underneath the fluff.

[@Stimpization]

I already knew all the information in the video but still you present it in a way that I was still intrigued! You should definitely do more videos of the natural history of specific reptiles.

[@Dragonbleps]

It always blows peoples' minds when I tell them birds are reptiles, and I'm like "That's just the tip of the Awesome Iceberg, my friend!" As a side note, I'm going to Orientation today to volunteer for my local zoo today! Wish me luck!

[@ClintsReptiles]

You've got this! Tell them I said so :)

[@T2266]

But how? Accorind to the 10th edition of Systema Naturae. "Aves" and "Reptile" are both "Classes" on the Taxonomy levelling system.

[@ClintsReptiles]

We've learned a lot since then :)

[@T2266]

I don't get it. Isn't it the system we are still using? And in that sense why aren't mammals also reptiles? Fur is just a few steps away fromt the primitive feather we found on Synapsid (what was once categorized as mammal-like reptiles.) isn't it? From waht I understand, dinosaurs are not even reptiles, since they are different enough, let along birds.

[@fireflocs]

T2266 There's a classification system that basically says that anything descended from a certain group counts as that group. Birds descended from reptiles, therefore, they are reptiles. This is what people are talking about when they say 'birds are dinosaurs'. And yes, by that system, mammals are reptiles as well. It's a tad screwy; don't take it too seriously.

[@theorangeninja6486]

Heeeyyyyyyyyy, someone understands how monopheletic clades works! I love it! I prefer "diapsids" as a general description for the group containing all animals traditionally identified as reptiles, as well as birds.

[@Pistolita221]

I agree, using reptile confuses people on whether birds have their own class and it demands taxonomic rank be explained otherwise it's sorta missleading to refer to birds as reptiles.

[@spotsandstripes2]

@@Pistolita221 I think Clint was trying not to make it too complex.. the average watcher won’t understand if you go in-depth like that and that negative experience will put them off. In this ‘easy to digest’ format, they can form a positive interest and then go and learn more at their own pace.

[@archive2500]

@@Pistolita221 On the flip side, it redefines the meaning of "reptiles" as much as other terms that changed through out the uears such as "dinosaur". Actually, I want when people ask questions and wants clarifications.

[@catpoke9557]

I think it works just as well to use "reptile" as a common name for all diapsids. Sometimes things have more than one word for them and I think that's okay.

[@MB32904]

turtles are anapsids though

[@alexdattel2757]

I love it when you bring out Gus Gus. Hope he'll be seen more often 😀

[@ClintsReptiles]

He does make a great co-host :)

[@thesoupofthebrain2446]

i miss darkside. I do love gus gus! for my favorite co-cost would be darkside. OMG she is okay right?

[@ClintsReptiles]

Other than being a colossal hog, she's great. I just made a post about her in the community tab :)

[@thesoupofthebrain2446]

thats awesome! i will have to check that out. also while you are answering when is the next hoodie campaign. i was waiting on my next paycheck and i missed it by one day lol :( but thats life :D

[@GregoryJohnson-l1g]

This video wouldn't have to exist if we taught modern phylogenetics in school instead of outdated Linnaean taxonomy.

[@dylan3315]

Phylogenetics is useful, but the Linnaean system is hardly outdated. It's still a foundational concept, and phylogenetics wouldn't exist without it.

[@k_tess]

One thing turn out to be convergent evolution, and one lineage actually having different descent than we actually believe, and then boom you're rewriting entire textbooks and have MASSIVE problems.

[@dinohall2595]

I took college-level biology in high school and was only ever taught Linnaean taxonomy; it wasn't until I actually went to college that I learned that birds and reptiles and that "protists" are not a real kingdom. Honestly cladistics is way more interesting than Linnaean taxonomy since it allows us to talk more about evolution!

[@abherbitter]

I'd love to see videos that follow up on this by talking more about what defines the broad classes of animals in Reptilia (like you already did for turtles vs tortoises. But what makes a lizard not a crocodile? What even is a skink? Etc). Shout out to Tuatara, why isn't that a lizard? Or is it? Adorable little flop-dragons either way.

[@ClintsReptiles]

I love this idea!

[@fishyfishyfishy500akabs8]

crocodilians are more closely related to dinosaurs and other archosaurs than most traditional reptiles like snakes/varanids(monitors, which ironically are closely related to the mosasaurus)

[@myfirstmethod3872]

The Tuatara is a bit unique due to the shape of its skull and some behaviors it has. I believe it has four holes in the back of its skull. To name one difference.

[@Groundx1]

@@myfirstmethod3872 Also no hemipenes and a completely different ambient metabolism.

[@CaspiRose99]

Clint's Reptiles the Tuatara is very special

[@RunzPwnz]

I really just like your energy and reptiles. It doesn't really matter to me what you guys upload.

[@AlexaBellaMuerte]

Sames!

[@jak582filmweb]

Soo... when will we get "Chicken, the best pet reptile" video?

[@radblook9363]

I knew about the birds being reptiles, but I didn't know what exactly made them so (aside from the common ancestry, I've never heard of diapsid skulls before)! I really like videos like this, and I'd be really interested in more videos related to topics of evolution/evolutionary relationships or even taxonomy and phylogeny. I'm planning to major in zoology and I love watching your videos!

[@amberraedawntollenaar3513]

This is gold. THIS is the reason I watch KZbin. I love to learn about the natural world, and this is the first time in quite some time that I've felt like I learned something major about reptiles as opposed to superficial things like morphs and other aesthetics. This is beautiful, I'm so glad I found your channel. ❤ #KnowledgeNotHate #RespectNotFear #ReptilesAreBeautiful

[@dingdongism]

@Amber Rae Dawn Tollenaar I emphatically second this sentiment. The obsession with rare morphs in the reptile hobby is, in my opinion, sort of obnoxious. I understand there is a "collector" type interest in keeping reptiles, and I suppose that's not unilaterally a bad thing. However, the morph collecting and seeking (and breeding) of rarer and rarer morphs borders on obsession with rare stamps or coins. There's nothing wrong with collecting stamps or coins, but reptiles are living things and deserve to be respected as such instead of simply bearers of cool coloration. Additionally, appreciation of everything *but* the wild type of a critter takes people further away from appreciating the most common type of that animal which occurs in nature. I love that Clint brings in a biologist's perspective first, and only secondarily notes about the reptile hobby.

[@amberraedawntollenaar3513]

@@dingdongism I agree, and honestly it starts to feel less like they love the animal and more like they love the status of having something exotic and designer.

[@turbotreehouse9780]

I'm actually studying the divergence and phylogeny of diapsids in college (paleo major) I'd love to see a video comparing/contrasting modern monitors with mosasaurs

[@MarkMadeThat]

Very much agree. Me too

[@dawsonnater]

Dang, Clint upping his game

[@DirtyWastelandr]

Both me and my 10 year old daughter are giant fans of your videos She recently got into a little trouble in her class for “arguing” with her teacher about this subject because of this video.. I think it’s an awesome thing to argue about with a teacher.. couldn’t help giggling when being told about this situation 🤣

[@robinsinger86]

LOVED IT. It actually won an argument for me rofl because someone I know recently insisted in debate that birds aren't reptiles so thanks for that, these kind of videos are always fascinating!

[@karentjuhh101]

Good that you believe a guy on the internet instead of researching yourself

[@conlon4332]

That chicken is making such cute noises! I love fowl!

[@venumbra1177]

Thank you so much for this! I will definitely recommend this video to those who don't know and/or want to learn more about reptiles. We really need more people who are so knowledgeable about them because they are so precious, beautiful, and diverse :3

[@brain.eating.amoeba]

I was always taught in school that birds were a separate group! You learn something new everyday!

[@raymondwhatley9954]

The Linnaean system classed them that way and depending how old you are that might have even been the thought at the time. Our understanding of the family tree of life has improved a ton in the last few decades and we now know that birds are definitely reptiles. In school the Linnaean system is taught more because it's simpler. The true complexity of the tree of life is astounding. For example, you were probably taught that there are 5 kingdoms: Plants, Animals, Fungi, Bacteria, and Protists. In reality there's a level of organization above that called "Domain" which includes Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryotes (the first two groups include everything you were taught was "bacteria"). Eukaryotes then have a level of organization that doesn't have a real Linnaean name, but is sometimes called "supergroups" which includes some 20 odd kingdoms organized into like 6 supergroups with names like "excavata" and "opisthokanta" which is our supergroup. If we look at opisthokanta as an example we finally hit the level of Kingdom and find that it includes Nucleariids, Fungi, Animals, and Choanoflagellates. Plants, if you're curious, are in a completely different supergroup called Archaeplastida. But again, in school this gets squashed into only five "Kingdoms" to make it easier to teach to children. In fact, when I learned this in college I only learned about the upper parts of the tree because I'm a bio major and our teacher literally told us that the biology class for non-science majors taught the "five kingdoms" version instead.

[@brain.eating.amoeba]

@@raymondwhatley9954 I was in elementary school in 2011 so I think the school system was most likely outdated. Thanks for the explanation!

[@foodforfaeries]

I read somewhere that human skin has no way to detect if it is wet or not, beyond sensations like movement and temperature. So one of the reasons why people described reptiles as 'slime' is because of a temperature difference that led to the feeling of wetness.

[@TheBuggyGal]

That's a very interesting observation! I have a ball python and while I know and can feel there is zero "slime," sometimes when he glides across my hands if I close my eyes I can trick myself into thinking there's slickness in the action from that temperature difference and also the extreme smoothness and softness of his scales. His scales also "glisten" (more like shine) in the light just from being healthy and hydrated, especially after a shed. That can give a visual illusion.

[@teaguebaldwin5882]

Loved learning these facts! I absoluetly love reptiles and am studying them, but there's still so much to learn about them! I didn't know some of these fact and they were very fun to learn! Hope to see more like this! Great video!

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

I remember (as a kid who loved reading encyclopedias and anything about biology and zoology) that birds had scales and feathers and I knew (from all that reading) that feathers evolved from scales, wondering if it was only the warm blood that separated birds from reptiles. Turns out, I wasnt that far wrong.

[@lisakay2810]

I knew birds were related to reptiles, but didn't realize they were classified as reptiles. As always, great informative video and can't wait to see what you guys do next.

[@ClintsReptiles]

Thank you so much!

[@T2266]

But accorind to the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 1768. Aves and Reptile are both "Classes" on the Taxonomy levelling system.

[@ClintsReptiles]

We've learned a lot since then :)

[@dingdongism]

@@T2266 Surely being such an erudite person as yourself, you understand that scientific facts are subject to revision on the basis of contradicting evidence. Unless you think that it's only the first reporting of facts that counts, in which case you'd have to stop at the Old Testament or some such and say anything beyond that doesn't count. I'm not sure, judging by your previous comments, whether you enjoy being a contrarian in order to show off, or for some other reason. But you generally could do some more listening and learning instead of lecturing, because you're wrong a whole lot in several threads I've read.

[@nicetryubmrellacor7714]

i watched your thesis defense the other day and watching this i shouted “oh! it’s a monophyletic group!” excitedly at my screen. you make biology rule clint

[@derrickpatten7252]

Birds are Archosaurs (ruling reptiles) a clade that includes crocodilians, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs (which birds are dinosaurs therefore they are also archosaurs). What people usually think of when they hear the word "reptile" are likely the members of the clade lepidosaurs, more specifically the order squamata which includes lizards, and snakes.

[@ges4934]

Yay! I LOVE a few things- when you talk about biology and evolution, its so awesome :) the science behind animals is fascinating. I also love Gus Gus :) he's adorable, tegu's are one of my dream animals to own, partially because of your channel. And I love that you brought in a chicken hahaha that's amazing. Thanks so much for the great vid I always look forward to them :) ♡

[@carlyphilpott269]

I 100% want a tegu...when I have the space.

[@jesusbeloved3953]

This was great! I had no idea my parrot were reptiles! No wonder I graduated to other reps! I now have 4 parrots, 1 bearded dragon, 1 leopard gecko, 1 ball python, 2 corn snakes ( I’m snake sitting these, long term) 1 albino mouse and a dog. I can’t quite fit everyone in the same room yet, but we’re working on it! Of course, the dog comes and goes, but he considers himself king!

[@MrLemonadefreak]

Thats cause your parrots arent reptiles. Thats total bullshit that they are. If you go by the logic of "birds evolved from dinosaurs, and dinosaurs are reptiles" then im a fucking fish. How recently something evolved is irrelevant cause evolution can happen at different rates. Birds have enough diffrences to be their own animal kingdom, whether or not crocidilians are closer related to dinosaurs and birds than turtles and snakes and shit.

[@Lulusnotreadyforthis]

@@MrLemonadefreak Birds are reptiles. I'm sorry to break it to you but they are. Lots of dinosaurs were in fact feathered. Swearing and ranting on someone else's comment doesn't change the facts.

[@MrLemonadefreak]

@@Lulusnotreadyforthis ugh. I hate trying to spell this stuff out. There is no hard line between birds and reptiles. Dinosaurs were pretty much both at the same time. But at what point do you say "ok, that no longer belongs in the same animal kingdom". Even if you watch his video, the birds really only fit a few of the criteria to be called reptiles anyways. They still have some reptilian attributes (just like alot of mammals do, and how reptiles have alot of fish attributes and so on) but they should not be considered reptiles. Even if MOST scientists think they should be, i disagree. And there are no hard answers in this area of biology anyways so niether of us is actually TECHNICALLY wrong, but at the same time your still wrong. And for the swearing part, i work in the oilfield. I call people fuckrods and cunts on a daily basis so deal with it.

[@Lulusnotreadyforthis]

@@MrLemonadefreak you can disagree all you like but don't act like you 'have to spell stuff out' to a fellow adult and be a bit more respectful of others.

[@davidb2416]

Under the Linnaean classification system, bird were not considered reptiles. Sometime in the last 15 years or so biologist have switched over to some new classification system based on clades instead (which I don't fully understand). Under this system birds have to be reptiles for pretty much the reasons he states in the video. It does kind of bug me though, if you want to make a whole new classification system I think you should come up with a new word for your groups rather than changing the definition of reptile, but oh well.

[@andrewquinn9550]

A truly fascinating video, it was certainly odd to hear at first but made complaint sense when you explained it ! (Just as I knew it would ^^) And for people saying he's means we shouldnt call birds "birds" at all, you've missed the point. He explained beautifully that they are birds, there is no refuting that, but simply that birds are a category of reptiles like crocodilians are reptiles and turtles are reptiles. Its also interesting then how there was that great breakthrough in paleontology that "dinosaurs weren't reptiles, they more closely related to birds!" x) DOH

[@FruitJuiceKomodo]

Thanks for the informative video, Clint! Your enthusiasm in all your videos is so infectious making it fun to learn new things with you! 😄

[@SpookyNugs]

Clint I love your videos and all those who help you! You guys make such informative videos with such high quality!

[@Crystalvr859]

I really enjoyed this! I'd love a more in depth video (or series) discussing the evolution of reptiles.

[@ClintsReptiles]

Sounds great to me!

[@WoodlandT]

I love all your content! But I can’t deal with birds being reptiles. I feel like my whole life has been a lie! Hahaha

[@ClintsReptiles]

Thank goodness you've found the light!

[@xwtek3505]

Birds are sauropsids, the closest cladistic equivalent to reptiles. I argue that it's better to avoid the term "reptiles" to refer to a clade "sauropsids"

[@carlyphilpott269]

What makes amphibians amphibians? You have to make a video on that! What's funny is that I've had reptiles since I was seven, and I didn't know 75% of the facts you presented. Every time someone asks me what a reptile is, I will use this video.

[@loura246]

Amphibians are tetrapods that lay anamniotic eggs, or in simple terms: they rely on a moist environment for reproduction. They generally have very permeable skin that dries out easily. The 3 major groups of amphibians are frogs, salamanders, and caecilians.

[@Pistolita221]

@@loura246 no, birds are amphibians!

[@IJest]

This video is excellent. I love the reptile reviews, but I also love your style of presenting information. I would totally watch more videos like this.

[@ClintsReptiles]

Thank you for the awesome feedback! I'm so excited about how this video has been received.

[@Rosealia33]

Posted 5 yrs ago and it’s still the coolest thing I’ve seen all day

[@cupcakes14568]

“feathers are just modified scales” my brain hurts

[@andrewpanozzo6535]

Well this is great news...as a licensed falconer & keeper of lizards and snakes I can just say I'm a reptile guy now.

[@birchtree2274]

It's not just modern cladistics that says that birds are reptiles. Anyone who has kept both birds and creatures that are conventionally considered reptiles should be struck with the similarities in care, and how they both differ from mammals we keep. One of my little pleasures, as a bird keeper, was to admire the beautiful little dinosaur feet of my feathered friends. Bird feet just scream out "this is a reptile". Alas I'm too old to keep pets, anymore 😢

[@zyvananta3356]

Hi Clint. I’ve been watching your videos for a few days now and really loving it. I think your channel was recommended because I was watching PBS Eons a lot. I woke up this morning thinking about lizards, snakes, and turtles as pets. I came to this thought about domestication and realized that these lizards, snakes and turtles are never really going to be domesticated like a cat or dog. It’s difficult for me to see them as pets because of this. They seem more like a novelty. They will never share my environment. They will always need an enclosure that caters to their needs. I realize there are some that will be close to being domesticated and will be able to communicate with a human like a Tegu or Monitor, but a dog is totally domesticated. They share the same environment, can communicate through a shared language and even eat the same food if needed. Some birds will even fall into this category of domestication whereas most lizards, snakes, and turtles do not, and I hadn’t even considered birds until this video. It seems to broaden the idea a bit more and put them in a separate category in regards to domestication. I’m not arguing anything about them being reptiles or not. I’m only asking about pets fitting into the category of being domesticated and would like to hear your thoughts on domestication of lizards, snakes, and turtles. Also, if you want to discuss the point about birds as pets and domestication that would be great too. It seems like a lot to cover and hope it’s worth your time. Thanks.

[@supergodplayer69saudi55]

" ew reptiles are so slimey" Amphibians: am i a joke to you?

[@mileidyclass]

I guess I've been a reptile lover this whole time because birds were always my favorite animals! Then again, I always loved all animals including other reptiles. ☺

[@gillesackermans2520]

I like this kind of videos, but also your reptile reviews. But birds are also reptiles, maybe you can make also videos about birds.

[@ClintsReptiles]

That is a really fun idea. Chicken, The Best Pet Reptile? That would draw some attention :)

[@gillesackermans2520]

@@ClintsReptiles I have also two reptiles, they are zebra finches. : )

[@ClockworkContessa]

Chickens are one of the best pet reptile for sure but they require perhaps the most amount of space for reptiles and the males can be aggressive so they need to be well socialized. But they lay you breakfast every day and are very smart. They behave like tiny t-rex and it's fun to watch them hunt. They also attach to their humans very well. My chickens will follow me all over the place and if I run they fly after me.

[@jessican.6150]

Awesome video! I’m a vet tech in training and I want to specialize in reptiles, so these informative videos are fantastic.

[@pointyorb]

Now that I think about it, birds have a much more similar body plan to each other than to any other reptile, like other kinds of reptile. I mean, all birds have feathers, two legs, a beak, and wings (even if they wings cannot be used for flight) Similar to how all snakes have scales, no legs, and flexible jaws. It makes more sense for birds to be a smaller part of a bigger group than their own bigger group, the variability is comparable to creatures like turtles and snakes.

[@pallen2645]

Honeybees are endothermic too. They can actually generate enough heat to use as a weapon, cooking invading wasps by clustering around them and heating up.

[@madhatt3r93]

Ooooh, i didnt know about the skull thing, thats cool! Loveley reptiles, hen included 😊🐔

[@bills-beard]

gus gus is love. gus gus is life.

[@FangMuffin]

Super interesting! I'm in the "more of this" camp.

[@Vesmir789]

Love the video! Your final argument feels like a bit of a cop-out lol, but in a funny way because it's also true. Being closely related, from a genetic perspective, is generally the best way to determine what animals belong in what groups. It just doesn't do much to help if you pick up an animal in the wild and want to know if it's a reptile or not :P Your video does highlight a great point though: as with almost everything in biology, it's kinda impossible to make "rules" and specific definitions because there are ALWAYS exceptions, which I somehow love. Another thing I love about biology is that some of the things we haven't figured out yet can be pretty shocking to think about. For example, we still don't have a universally accepted definition of a species, or even a definition of life!

[@Pistolita221]

And another thing he glossed over is mammals are descendants of reptiles.

[@Runninglizards]

I just was in a debate with a few of my friends I was trying to find something reliable that said that reptiles weren’t slimy, I found this video on accident, I’ve been subscribed for a while now so I was pretty surprised that you actually had something about this, keep up the good work!

[@Pistolita221]

Mammals should be considered reptiles, too.

[@Pistolita221]

@@oriolvp4413 I agree that the term reptile should be retired (if it's not going to include all repitles). I'm not disputing sauropsida, just the term reptile. But if it is going to be used, it should encompass all linnaean reptiles.

[@Why79-dx4rf]

​@@Pistolita221 mammals arent reptiles, they are synapsids and in there is know basis fro including them beyond you flawed desire of trying to argue against birds being reptiles by expanding the term unnecessarily.

[@deladrin2.0]

I am VERY new reptile enthusiast and I LOVE ❤️ hearing all of these facts. Can you do a video on where, when and how turtles evolved shells? ***I know that it started as their ribcage but would love to learn more!

[@ClintsReptiles]

We do have one cool video like this on turtles, but not about this topic. Not yet. Perhaps soon :)

[@chrispeterson4537]

I love the more sciencey videos! I'd definitely be interested in seeing more!

[@willh7440]

I loved this! I think this is a great change of pace from your other stuff. I think it would be great to throw in some more advanced facts too for those of us that are already familiar with the basics.

[@MauriceWijma]

Clint, this video is great! Informative and taking care of assumptions that a lot of people have about reptiles. Weird thing is, when I go to a reptile show, I normally don't see much birds... Well, I might just go to a show this sunday and ask some breeders some questions about reptiles, and see if they get some very specific things right (and ask if they are subscribed to your channel). Thank you Clint, for making me yet again a little bit smarter!

[@cfol4437]

Great video. I really enjoy the educational part of your channel (still waiting for part 4 of your genetics series). And it's great to see reptile content that isn't just about keeping them as pets.

[@TheSektorz]

3:32 don't mind me just putting a timestamp for myself >cute lizard boi gets pet

[@mbcville100]

Great biology lesson and I loved the thumbnail.

[@joshualieberman7558]

Reptile anatomy video they are so different from mammals and there anatomy is so cool

[@ClintsReptiles]

Except for the monotremes which can't decide what they are...

[@voliol8070]

I mean, the monotremes are very much mammals, they're just very different and basal mammals.

[@leadbucket7143]

God i love this channel and the fact you added paleontology to the mix made me so happy

[@paulgillespie542]

It's wonderful that Clint is friends with so many animals that many would recoil from. Dispelling an undeserved bad reputation for these unique species helps hugely

[@xBloodxFangx]

huh...I knew birds evolved from dinosaurs but I never thought they were reptiles. Now I want a chicken so I can have fluffy reptile running around lol.

[@therealhawkeyeii7888]

Birds not only evolved from dinosaurs (and dinosaurs are a type of reptiles) ... birds remain dinosaurs (and, therefore, also reptiles). They are the only surviving category of dinosaur that survived the Cretaceous extinction event.

[@nicholaslienandjaja1815]

List of farm dinosaurs: Chickens Ducks Turkeys Guineafowl Geese Ostriches Emus Rheas

[@nuke2099]

@@therealhawkeyeii7888 If dinosaurs are a type of reptile then why is the definition made between Pterosaurs and something like Mosasaur by calling them flying and marine reptiles respectively when people wrongly call them dinosaurs? Surely those are dinosaurs too right? I don't think they are I'm just asking.

[@therealhawkeyeii7888]

@@nuke2099 Reptile is the super category within which they all fall. Lizards, snakes, turtles, and crocodiles also all fall within the reptile category. While all dinosaurs (and, therefore, birds also, which are a variety of dinosaur) are reptiles, not all reptiles are dinosaurs.

[@nuke2099]

@@therealhawkeyeii7888 But what about Pterosaurs and marine reptiles? In which category do they fall? Because they aren't dinosaurs and as far as marine reptiles are concerned such as Mosasaur it's closest living relatives are monitors/Komodo's.

[@patldennis]

Creationists certainly don't like the idea of legitimate monophyletic cladistics, even though Linnean taxonomy already involves a limited number of sets within sets.

[@matthewtenorioduenas202]

Patrick Dennis yeah hahah

[@maddybroedel9535]

Not quite the purpose of the video, but what a gorgeous tegu.

[@stofosaurus]

That hen is so well behaved. Beautiful bird!

[@SeriousWizard]

Shhh... Do you hear that? It's the sound of birders screeching furiously in the distance. I love your videos by the way! The way everyone interacts with the reptiles you have is just so... Wholesome. I'd also love to see more chameleon related videos.

[@jayw8306]

I like all your videos but I loved this one

[@sme02]

I know it would be rather difficult... but a Tuatara episode would be amazing. I love showing people a picture and telling them it's not a lizard. xD

[@ClintsReptiles]

That would be cool. I probably wouldn't have any footage of one, but we could show pictures.

[@keatonpgaming4398]

Birds are dinosaurs and dinosaurs are reptiles

[@charlesHC]

Just came here from the recent collab with Emily... Today I learned about the specifics to this. Thank you very much!

[@silalaila9563]

I'm proud of myself that I already knew everything! :) Still loved watching this video though. And Gus Gus is such a cutie, but an Argentine Tegu would be waaay to big for me. Not that I'd be afraid of a lizard his size, I think I just wouldn't be able too provide them with enough space... and food! I love handling little lizards more. Thanks to your videos I also got to love Crested Geckos and Gargoyle Geckos... I didn't like them before and I honestly don't know why. I thought they look lame. Until I researched them more. They are cute! Now that I know you'll make vids about Phelsumas, I'd like to ask for another group of lizards that I found out about. Flying/Gliding Lizards/Dragons. Genus Draco. I absolutely love their looks and would like a video about them. I don't even know if people are allowed to keep them and if yes, which species would be best, what do they need etc. Well, I'm going to research right now! Gliding snakes would be cool too. But no hurry, I love all your videos and I love that I learn more about species I think I did not like before... like Cresties... or even species I did not know that even exist! I see, this channel will be active for a looooong time, there are so many species to talk about. I think and hope you and your team will get a lot more of subscribers. I'll stay for sure and will watch every video with interest, even if you don't see comments from me (I'm lazy and often don't know what to comment besides "Cool video!") Hope to hear my bell ring soon again! ;)

[@JeremyGoneWildPets]

"Birds are reptiles" - I'm SHOOK

[@ClintsReptiles]

It is easier if you just call them skynosaurs :)

[@therealhawkeyeii7888]

Yep, dinosaurs are a subcategory of reptile, and birds are a subcategory of dinosaurs, so birds are also reptiles. Reptiles, dinosaurs, and birds are also all tetrapods, even those with only two, or even no, legs (because their ancestors had four legs).

[@MegaAppleshit]

@@ClintsReptiles Oh my God I love you Clint!

[@charlottewalnut3118]

Clint's Reptiles So pterodactyls basically

[@dingdongism]

@@charlottewalnut3118 Actually, pterodactyls weren't dinosaurs, they were pterosaurs!

[@roynorwood7432]

I thought i knew a lot about animals until i watched this and figured out birds are reptiles This is amazing please keep the videos coming

[@funpheonix9752]

I TRIED to tell my mom about this and tell her that birds are reptiles but she won’t even listen to my explanation 🤣

[@juliek5094]

Awesome video as always. So glad I came across this channel. It was your video you did together with Emily (snake discovery) where I discovered you. I’ve watched most of your videos and I’m learning so much. Noodles with heads is my fave!

[@ClintsReptiles]

I'm so glad you found us!

[@andia.4554]

Just found your channel and have been binging it for two days. I’m on fire for your ~aesthetic.~ I’d love to see more info/discussion about evolution and animal grouping ! It’s so fascinating, don’t dumb it down too much, we wanna know!

[@wtm7899ify]

I would like to add that birds are the descendants of Dinosaurs. An animal such as T-Rex is not directly related to birds, because birds split from dinosaurs in the Jurassic. T-Rex lived in the Cretaceous. Great video!

[@ClockworkContessa]

Actually the closest living relative to the T-Rex is the chicken. They are genetically closer than any reptile and even crocodiles. So according to that birds relate more to dinosaurs than anything else, so yes, they are direct descendants. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/t-rex-linked-to-chickens-ostriches-180940877/

[@nuke2099]

Birds aren't just descendants they're actually dinosaurs. It's not wrong to call a bird a dinosaur. And dinosaurs even the non-avians were basically big birds.

[@MB32904]

@@ClockworkContessa "relative" does not mean "descendent" or "ancestor". the common ancestor of t rex & the chicken is tyrannoraptora. tyrannoraptora split into the now extinct lineage which t rex belongs to, & the currently extant lineage which the chicken belongs to

[@sydneys2859]

Literally right when I changed my mind about birds being reptiles you go and flip my world around 😂

[@gequitz]

Well, you've finally convinced me birds (and dinosaurs) are reptiles. If not, birds/crocodiles/turtles must be classified as non-reptiles. Subscribed

[@vincentlizio2676]

The way I see it, we can use the term "reptile" to : A.) Include all Amniotes B.) Refer specifically to sauropsids I prefer option B. Also, sorry for the late reply.

[@gequitz]

@@vincentlizio2676 Don't be sorry :) but yeah, animal classification is complicated

[@Pistolita221]

@@vincentlizio2676 imo claiming amniote is not reptilian is ludacris. All reptiliomorphs come from a Linnaean reptilian ancestor, making all reptiliomorphs 'reptiles' in the same way birds are reptiles.

[@vincentlizio2676]

@@Pistolita221 Well, I respect your opinion. Just so we're clear, I never stated that amniotes collectively should not be referred to as reptiles. I was simply proposing suggestions. I truly appreciate your insight.

[@Pistolita221]

@@vincentlizio2676 my pleasure, glad you got some use out of it.

[@absolutelycitron1580]

I love how Gus Gus is determined to explore

[@riazijabar5296]

The biggest confusion i have is with dinosaurs despite them being like reptiles they still got feathers beak and are warm blooded

[@shalashaskaseven4841]

Plenty of different dinosaurs had beaks, others with feathers. In fact the gene that allowed dinosaurs and birds to grow feathers is present in crocs to grow scutes, and in pterosaurs to grow pycnofeathers. And speaking of which pterosaurs had beaks. Warm blooded also is all over extinct reptiles. Crocodiles ancestor, pterosaurs, mosasaurs, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, dinosaurs, and even a marine psudeosuchian descendant were all warm blooded.

[@rayquatics23]

Amazing video! really goes to show how people hate to be informed

[@NervousBurrito]

This video taught me that I know almost nothing about reptiles. Thanks for the informative video, Clint!

[@robkuijer9273]

So if I understand correctly, reptiles are all non-mammalian amniotes? Really if we are talking phylogeny I'd like to see graphs in the video to clarify things. Otherwise looking forward to more of this!

[@ClintsReptiles]

Yes indeed. We'll definitely go into more detail in the future :)

[@chloepechlaner7806]

They are all surviving non-mamalian amneotes, yes. There is a bit of a weird period of non-mamalian synapsids we now call stem mammals, but there are no extant species of such.

[@sorrenblitz805]

Since reptilians came first it more likely should be Mammals are just Non-Reptilian Amniotic Tetrapods.

[@MongyBongy]

Interestingly the scutes on a birds legs are actually feathers that evilved into hard scale like coverings. So scales became feathers and then the feathers became scutes

[@yura2424]

Anapsid, diapsid, and synapsid groups of animals are linked to emryo development. It is not just about holes, its a fundamental characteristic

[@elmono6299]

"Penguins are the cutest birds/reptiles!" 🐧🦎

[@teaspoon9825]

but but robin cute to

[@Megad00mer]

I love evolutionary biology so this video was awesome.

[@lukasg4807]

If birds are reptiles, then people are fish

[@ClintsReptiles]

Yes :)

[@Nordisk11]

If people are fish then every vertibrate is also a fish.

[@TheBigcatdaddy1]

Exactly. Birds/dinosaurs and crocodiles are both Archosaurs while lizards, snakes, and tuataras are Lepidosaurs. Both Archosaurs and Lepidosaurs are diapsids.

[@Lulusnotreadyforthis]

Good job I really love biology because my teachers were nowhere near as engaging as you. My youngest son has inherited my interest and I love to let him watch Clint's Reptiles. He loves all the animals and thinks this channel is amazing...which it is.

[@ClintsReptiles]

That is about as wonderful as a comment can get!