question: What is the dinosaur genus that's closest to modern birds?
distractor3: Rapter
distractor1: sauropods
distractor2: diplodocus
correct_answer: deinonychus
support: Deinonychus is the genus name of an extinct dinosaur that is considered to be one of the closest non-bird relatives of modern birds. It lived about 110 million years ago in what is now North America. Deinonychus was a predatory carnivore with many bird-like features. For example, it had feathers and wings. It also had strong legs with clawed feet, similar to modern raptors. Its respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems were similar to those of birds as well. The location of fossilized eggs near Deinonychus fossils suggests that it may have brooded its eggs. This would mean that it was endothermic. (Can you explain why?) On the other hand, Deinonychus retained a number of reptile-like traits, such as jaws with teeth and hands with claws at the tips of its wings.