Drepanosaurs (members of the clade Drepanosauromorpha) are a group of extinct reptiles that lived between the Carnian and Rhaetian stages of the late Triassic Period, approximately between 230 and 210 million years ago. The various species of drepanosaurs were characterized by a bird-like skull, a barrel-shaped body, and a horizontally narrow tail. A number of drepanosaurs had specialized grasping limbs and often prehensile tails similar to those of chameleons. Drepanosaurs are generally thought to have been arboreal (tree-dwelling), and probably insectivores. Some studies have alternately suggested fossorial (digging) and aquatic lifestyles for some members. Fossils of drepanosaurs have been found in North America (Arizona, New Mexico, New Jersey, Utah) and Europe (England and northern Italy). The name is taken from the family's namesake genus Drepanosaurus, which means "sickle lizard," a reference to their strongly curved claws.

Some studies have included drepanosaurs within the group Avicephala, which also includes the gliding Weigeltisauridae, but the close relationship between the two groups has been doubted by other authors. Their phylogenetic position has been disputed, with some studies considering them to be members of Archosauromorpha (and thus more closely related to modern birds and crocodilians than to lizards), while other studies have considered them to be basal neodiapsids that are not related to any modern reptiles.

Drepanosaurs are notable for their distinctive, triangular skulls, which resemble the skulls of birds. Some drepanosaurs, such as Avicranium, had pointed, toothless, bird-like beaks. This similarity to birds may have led to the misattribution of what may be a drepanosaur skull to the would-be "first bird," Protoavis.

Drepanosaurs featured a suite of bizarre, almost chameleon-like skeletal features. Above the shoulders of most species was a specialized "hump" formed from fusion of the vertebrae, possibly used for advanced muscle attachments to the neck, and allowing for quick forward-striking movement of the head (perhaps to catch insects). Many had derived hands with two fingers opposed to the remaining three, an adaptation for grasping branches. Some individuals of Megalancosaurus (possibly exclusive to either males or females) had a primate-like opposable toe on each foot, perhaps used by one sex for extra grip during mating. Most species had broad, prehensile tails, sometimes tipped with a large "claw," again to aid in climbing. These tails, tall and flat like those of newts and crocodiles, have led some researches to conclude that they were aquatic rather than arboreal. In 2004, Senter dismissed this idea, while Colbert and Olsen, in their description of Hypuronector, state that while other drepanosaurs were probably arboreal, Hypuronector was uniquely adapted to aquatic life. The tail of this genus was extremely deep and non-prehensile: much more fin-like than members of the more exclusive group Drepanosauridae.

Aerial locomotion has been attributed to at least two drepanosaur genera: Megalancosaurus and Hypuronector. The first was originally suggested by Ruben et al. 1998 on the basis of bird-like characters and limb proportions. While the suggestion has not been ruled out entirely, it has since been largely dismissed, due to Megalancosaurus' clunky, chameleon-like anatomy. Hypuronector, however, is much more likely to be a glider or flyer due to the elongated forelimbs. Fossorial or digging-related adaptations have been recognized in several drepanosaur genera, including Ancistronychus, Drepanosaurus, Fabanychus, Skybalonyx, and Unguinychus. In particular, Drepanosaurus may have been adapted to hook-and-pull digging, similar to modern-day anteaters. Skybalonyx possessed claws similar in shape to modern-day moles and echidna, both of which are humeral-rotation diggers.

The phylogenetic position of drepanosaurs is highly disputed. Various studies have proposed that drepanosaurs are protorosaurian archosauromorphs, lepidosauromorphs related to kuehneosaurids, non-saurian diapsids related to weigeltisaurids, or (most recently) basal neodiapsids.

When Drepanosaurus and Dolabrosaurus were first discovered (in 1980 and 1992, respectively), they were each considered early lepidosaurians, ancestral to modern lizards. Megalancosaurus was first believed to be a thecodont (i.e. an archosauriform) upon its discovery in 1980, but later studies placed it as a prolacertiform, and perhaps even an ancestor to birds, although this latter hypothesis has not been supported by subsequent studies.

A 2004 study by Senter placed drepanosaurs with the coelurosauravids (weigeltisaurids) and Longisquama in a clade called which he called Avicephala. Senter's analysis placed Avicephala within Diapsida but outside Neodiapsida, defined by Senter as the clade containing "all taxa phylogenetically bracketed by Younginiformes and living diapsids."