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Southern cassowary
Put the southern cassowary beside an illustration of a small theropod and start with the feet. Three toes and an especially long inner claw make the resemblance easy to see. Its tall casque and bare, colorful neck give the living bird a silhouette of its own.
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Shoebill
Look at the shoebill from the front for the effect of its huge bill and forward stare. The bill’s hooked tip helps it hold prey. Long legs and a close, compact stance are what give it a dinosaur-like profile when it waits at the water’s edge.
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Marine iguana
A line of spines runs down the back of the marine iguana and breaks the outline of its dark scales. A blunt face and flattened tail are easier to see from the side. The tail also makes a useful comparison with how a modern lizard moves through water.
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Saltwater crocodile
A heavy armored back and a long, low skull give this crocodile the outline many people associate with prehistoric reptiles. Look at where its legs meet the body. Crocodilians and birds both belong to the archosaur branch, with crocodilians on a separate branch from dinosaurs.
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Common ostrich
Watch how much of the leg appears below the feathers. Many small non-avian theropods also had long legs for fast movement, although the living ostrich has a distinctive two-toed foot. Its long, exposed neck makes the running outline especially easy to see.
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Emu
The emu’s low, shaggy body and long neck stay steady as its legs move. Its three large toes give a closer comparison with many fossil theropod tracks than an ostrich’s two. Look for the feet on firm ground, where their shape is especially clear.
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Greater rhea
A rhea’s long legs, alert head, and loose feathers recall the runners in illustrations of small theropods. When the wings spread, they reveal how much feathered surface can be hidden in a standing bird.
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Secretarybird
The raised crest, long legs, and strong feet account for much of this bird’s raptor-like posture. When it hunts on foot, it can stomp prey with fast downward kicks. The feathered body reveals the ancestry it shares with all modern birds.
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Southern ground hornbill
Start with the downward-curving bill and black body before looking at the legs. This hornbill spends much of its time walking on the ground, where its heavy head and steady gait make the resemblance clearer than a portrait alone.
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Wild turkey
A wild turkey makes the living dinosaur comparison close to home. Look for the exposed skin of the head, the thick legs, and the spreading toes while it walks. A display makes the feathered side of that same body plan impossible to miss.
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Helmeted guinea fowl
The hard helmet over the small head gives this ground bird a striking outline. Compare how the head bobs while its rounded, white-spotted body walks. The casque, bare face, and visible toes are especially clear from the side.
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Hoatzin
Young hoatzins have claws on their wings that help them climb. That is a more specific comparison with some fossil birds than the adult’s spiky crest. The chicks’ temporary climbing arrangement is an adaptation in a modern bird.
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Komodo dragon
A Komodo dragon has a long head, heavy tail, and muscular legs. Its walk makes the long tail stand out behind the shoulders. These are features of a giant modern monitor lizard, with the sprawling posture clear in a side or three-quarter view.
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Thorny devil
Horns and spikes cover this small Australian lizard. Its silhouette can bring armored dinosaurs to mind, particularly when the light catches the points along the back. The two largest points on its head make the much smaller body easier to judge.
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Frilled lizard
A frilled lizard opens a wide fold of skin around its neck to change its silhouette. Its display recalls the version of Dilophosaurus imagined for Jurassic Park. Look at where the skin fans out behind the lizard’s narrow head for the clearest comparison.
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Jackson's chameleon
The projecting horns on a male’s head recall a ceratopsian face in miniature. Look down to see the chameleon’s grasping feet and winding tail, both suited to life on branches. The three horns have a visual resemblance to a famous dinosaur’s very different head.
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Texas horned lizard
A broad head with pointed horns that project backward gives this lizard a miniature ceratopsian profile. Shorter spines outline the flat body. Start with a head-on view to see which projections belong to the skull and which are scales running along the sides.
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Armadillo girdled lizard
Rows of pointed scales cover the back and tail. When threatened, this South African lizard can curl into a ring and grip its tail, leaving the spiky outer surface exposed. Compare the rows of armor with those of an ankylosaur in profile, then look at the very different tail.
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American alligator
The broad snout and rows of raised scales make an alligator recognizable before the full body comes into view. Watch one take a high walk on land to see how it uses its limbs. It is a living crocodilian and a close living cousin of the dinosaur line.
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Gharial
The gharial's narrow snout, lined with closely spaced teeth, recalls the long jaws of fish-eating dinosaurs such as Spinosaurus. The fish-catching shape is an independent resemblance. Look for it in profile, where it differs most from the broad snout of an alligator.
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Chinese crocodile lizard
Lines of raised scales on the tail and along the back lend this lizard its crocodile-like name. Look beside the orange or reddish throat for the change in shape from head to tail. The thick ridges make a useful visual comparison with armored prehistoric reptiles.
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