The last dinosaurs may have died out over 65 million years ago, but incredibly, there are still some relatives of them alive today. And while it may be hard to believe, the only surviving descendant of theropods - two-legged, meat-eating dinosaurs like Allosaurus and T. Rex - are birds like chickens and ostriches. Here, we take a look at ten species that represent the closest you’ll ever get to walking with dinosaurs live.

Chickens

It seems crazy that these friendly, domesticated birds could be descended from gigantic, terrifying hunters, but fossil studies have shown that chickens share a fair bit of DNA with T. Rex. Scientists compared collagen from a T. Rex leg bone with that of several modern-day species, and chickens won out, confirming the theory that many dinosaurs were closer in nature to birds than lizards.

Ostriches

The ancestors of ostriches, kiwis, cassowaries and emus appeared in the Cretaceous period, having evolved from dinosaurs such as velociraptor.  They belong to a different biological group of birds to chickens and ducks, but share theropods as an ancestor.

Alligators

The next closest match to T. Rex in the bone collagen study was alligators. While they are not a direct descendant of dinosaurs, they once shared a common ancestor in a group named the Archosaurs, which are thought to have appeared around 250 million years ago. In fact, crocodilians like crocodiles and alligators are, genetically speaking, more closely related to birds than they are to other reptiles such as snakes and lizards.

Sea turtles

Sea turtles appear to be descendants of Archosaurs too and evolved alongside dinosaurs. They emerged as a distinct type in the Cretaceous period, around 110 million years ago. Back when Triceratops roamed the earth, however, sea turtles were much bigger, reaching four metres in length.

Survivors from the dinosaur age

While the above species either evolved from or shared a common ancestor with dinosaurs, some evolved alongside them - and their descendants are still roaming the earth today!

Sharks are in fact much older than dinosaurs, having evolved into a shape we would recognise today some 450 million years ago. They have survived several mass extinction events, proving them to be a formidable species.

While the word ‘dinosaur’ means ‘terrible lizard’ and depictions of the creatures are very reptilian, their name is actually misleading. Lizards don’t belong to the Archosaur group, meaning that their evolutionary path is separate from that of dinosaurs. Rather, they evolved alongside them and survived the extinction event that wiped out the dinos.

Crustaceans like crabs and lobsters were also scuttling along beaches and occupying the ocean floor at the same time as dinosaurs dominated the land. They appeared 200-150 million years ago and diversified so brilliantly that they too survived the mass extinction event and their descendants are still to be found today.

See Dinosaur World Live

If you want to see dinosaurs for yourself, don’t miss the walking with dinosaurs theatre show, Dinosaur World Live. Currently on tour in the UK, it’s a fantastic family show that uses puppetry to introduce kids to some of prehistory’s most fascinating creatures. Check Dinosaur World prices and book through your local venue.