Summary
- Not all iconic creatures in the Jurassic Park franchise are technically dinosaurs, as some are prehistoric animals with distinct differences in taxonomy.
- The series has introduced more diverse and ferocious creatures over time, including unique fictional genetic creations not found in real-life dinosaur history.
- From the Dimetrodon to the Indoraptor, these hybrid and prehistoric animals have captivated audiences and added a new level of danger and excitement to the Jurassic Park world.
Seeing the dinosaurs of the Jurassic Park only had six unique dinosaurs, later entries in the franchise would have to stir things up, introducing more and more prehistoric animals into the mix. As time went on, the filmmakers behind the series chose to include more ferocious creatures that technically weren't dinosaurs at all.
Scientifically speaking, dinosaurs were a group of reptiles that dominated the Earth from the Triassic Period all the way to the Cretaceous Period, still existing today in the form of modern birds. Though other iconic prehistoric species featured in the film franchise may have been reptiles, they differed enough in body plan, behavior, and ancestry to be classified under different taxonomy. As of the Jurassic World reboot series, the world of Jurassic Park has also begun to be populated with unique, fictional genetic creations that never actually existed as real-life dinosaurs.
Jurassic World Rebirth: Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know About The Next Jurassic Park Movie
Even though Jurassic World: Dominion wrapped up several major story arcs, it has officially been announced that Jurassic World 4 is happening.
10 Dimetrodon
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
Though it looks like a squat dinosaur, the Dimetrodon actually pre-dates the entire dinosaur species by millions of years, first showing up in the Permian period far before dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Classified as a synapsid, this short-legged quadrupedal critter is best known for the massive, fin-like sail on its back, theorized to help the animal with heat regulation, acting like a giant biological radiator. Dimetrodon first appears as a statue in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, but made its first on-screen appearance in earnest in Jurassic World: Dominion, in which a pack of the beasts attacked Grant, Ellie, and Maisie.
9 Pteranodon
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
One of the most iconic creatures of the dinosaur age, the addition of Pteranodons to Jurassic Park in the very first sequel of the franchise was an obvious choice. Technically, the flying reptiles are of the pterosaur order, characterized by their wings, head fins and beak-like mouths. These intimidating aerial predators had one of the most memorable and terrifying scenes in the entire Jurassic Park series, in which one of them emerged from the fog to carry away Eric Kirby in the harrowing bridge scene of Jurassic Park III, nearly feeding him to its young.
8 Quetzalcoatlus
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
The single largest flying creature to ever exist, Quetzalcoatlus is one of the most deadly prehistoric animals to ever make it into the Jurassic Park franchise. Named after the Aztec feathered serpent god Quetzalcoatl, the beast lived up to its name with a jaw-dropping 33-foot wingspan and a height of 18 feet, punctuated by a long, slender neck and a razor-sharp beak. In Jurassic World: Dominion, one of the flying nightmares manages to nearly destroy Kayla's plane, a testament to the staggering strength and power these airborne carnivores had.
7 Indominus Rex
Jurassic World (2015)
Even if its DNA was sequenced from a dinosaur, the Indominus Rex itself can't technically claim the title, being a hybrid amalgamation of multiple dinosaur species mixed with modern-day animals like tree frogs and pit vipers. With the brute strength and size of a T. Rex, the intelligence of a Velociraptor, and the camouflaging abilities of a cuttlefish, the Indominus Rex was seemingly purposefully engineered to be the ultimate killing machine. Even if Indominus Rex never existed as a real-life dinosaur, it still deserves credit for captivating audiences in one of the Jurassic Park series' better movies.
6 Dimorphodon
Jurassic World (2015)
A strange-looking creature, the Dimorphodon is a pterosaur that looks like it has the head of a dinosaur rather than the pointed beak and fin typically associated with the animals. Unique among pterosaurs, Dimorphodon gets its name from its distinctive maw lined with two different types of teeth, similar to that of a mammal. These animals terrorized the visitors of Jurassic World after being freed from their aviary by Indominus Rex's rampage, carrying away helpless visitors into the sky while raiding the park's food establishments in one of the most chaotic scenes in the requel series.
5 Mosasaurus
Jurassic World (2015)
Mosasaurus was one of the most popular attractions of the Jurassic World park.
The first wholly aquatic prehistoric creature to be featured in the Jurassic Park series, Mosasaurus was one of the most popular attractions of the Jurassic World park, with a dedicated feeding show that attracted visitors as a once-in-a-lifetime event. The massive undersea predator, though a reptile, is not considered a dinosaur, belonging to an undersea group of creatures simply known as Mosasaurs. The Mosasaurus got one of the most satisfying scenes in Jurassic World, landing the finishing blow on Indominus Rex with a bone-shattering chomp.
4 Deinosuchus
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
A familiar sight compared to most prehistoric creatures, Deinosuchus is a testament to the unchanged body plan of modern-day alligators and crocodiles. Essentially a massive, scaled up crocodile, Deinosuchus was listed among the species included within Indominus Rex's genome, likely contributing to the hybrid animal's ability to swim and impressive bite force. Although Deinosuchus doesn't technically get a full appearance in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, only briefly seen as a holographic display, knowing InGen, the on-hand DNA sample means that the semi-aquatic monster has likely already been recreated.
3 Lystrosaurus
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
Unlike most dinosaurs in the series, the Lystrosaurus named Leonard gets an interesting role in Jurassic World: Dominion as something of a good guy, helping Owen take down the mercenary Rainn Delacourt with a brutal chomp. Similar to the Dimetrodon, the Lystrosaurus first existed in the Permian period, though it existed long enough to share the Earth with true dinosaurs in the early Triassic era. Classified as a dicynodont therapsid, the Lystrosaurus may be herbivorious, but wasn't afraid to use its trademark beak and small tusks to deadly effect when pitted against other dinosaurs in Malta's fighting ring.
2 Indoraptor
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
The Indoraptor is an original creation from the Jurassic Park series.
Much like the predecessor it gets its namesake from, the Indominus Rex, the Indoraptor is an original creation from the Jurassic Park series, rather than an actual species that really existed in the fossil record. Bringing the Indominus Rex's potential for destruction to a smaller, more discreet scale as a purpose-built biological weapon, the Indoraptor was created by Dr.
Henry Wu to respond to a targeting system, allowing it to be programmed to attack designated targets. The Jurassic Park series has always made deviations to the designs of their dinosaurs, but Indoraptor marked a new, insidious low for genetic tampering.
1 The Giant Locusts
Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
Crossbred between modern-day locusts and an extinct version of the insects, the hybrid giant locusts of Jurassic World: Dominion were another creation from the mind of Dr. Wu. Designed to spread genetic adaptations to Biosyn-engineered plants, the locusts quickly spread out of control, quickly creating an ecological disaster as they ravaged food supplies. Even more terrifyingly, the locusts could survive intense heat for surprising amounts of time, leading up to a biblical swarm of the flaming creatures presenting an even more dire threat. Despite being smaller, these creatures left some of the biggest impact on the Jurassic Park series.
Jurassic World Rebirth
- Release Date
- July 2, 2025
- Runtime
- 134 Minutes
- Director
- Gareth Edwards
- Writers
- David Koepp, Michael Crichton
- Prequel(s)
- Jurassic World: Dominion
Cast
Zora Bennett
Jonathan BaileyDr. Henry Loomis
Duncan Kincaid
Martin Krebs
Five years after Jurassic World Dominion, Earth's ecology confines dinosaurs to equatorial zones. Zora Bennett, a covert ops expert, leads a team to secure genetic material from massive dinosaurs for a life-saving drug.
- Franchise(s)
- Jurassic Park
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
