Paraphyly facts for kids
Paraphyly is a term in cladistics. It means a group which does not include all its descendents. So Sauropsida without birds is paraphyletic, since birds are definitely descended from archosaurs, probably small theropod dinosaurs (origin of birds).
Paraphyly is corrected to monophyly when the missing group(s) are included. So if birds are included in Sauropsida, the larger group is then monophyletic. Traditional classification is often paraphyletic.
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Images for kids
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In this phylogenetic tree, the green group is paraphyletic; it is composed of a common ancestor (the lowest green vertical stem) and some of its descendants, but it excludes the blue group (a monophyletic group) which diverged from the green group.
See also
In Spanish: Parafilético para niños
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Paraphyly Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.