Part 2: Dinosaurs

Herbivores
Triceratops

Triceratops is a genus of large ceratopsian (horned and frilled herbivores) that lived in North America during the Late Cretacious period around 65-68 million years ago. It lived during the same time as Tyrannosaurus rex and was in fact one of its favorite prey. It was also one of the most well equipped to fight off a T. rex. Armed with horns up to a meter long and an incredibly strong beak Triceratops is regarded as one of the most dangerous herbivorous dinosaurs. They grew up to 8-9 meters long and weighed upwards of 12 tons, often heavier than an average T. rex.

Parasaurolophus

A Hadrosaur from the Late Cretacious, or about 73-76 million years ago, Parasaurolophus is famous for its uniquely crested head which is believed to have been a communicative feature. The name even means 'Near Crested Lizard'. They grew up to 10 meters long, 4 meters high, weighed upwards of 3 tons and lived in North America. They are on both Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna and make appearances in all three movies although often for very short periods of time.


Carnivores
Mysterious Carnivore

Small, carniverous dinosaurs with large glowing eyes chase the mysterious woman through the jungle some point after her arrival. We'll find out more about these guys later.

Dilophosaurus

Dilophosaurus lived in the US and China and was one of the largest carnivores of the Early Jurassic Period. It gets its name from the twin bone crests on top of its head. Not having forward facing eyes it probably relied on scent to help it hunt. Long, slender teeth, strong arms and a top speed of up to 30 mph made it a deadly predator. In the movie and game it is much smaller than a normal adult, has a large frilled crest and spits a blinding, paralytic venom; all of these are most likely inaccurate.

Tyrannosaurus

Despite being the 2nd largest therapod, only behind Spinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus is definitely the most powerful. It grew up to 6 meters tall and 14 meters long and weighed over 8 tons. It had a huge skull and the biggest neck muscles out of any carnivore. Its massive jaws were lined with teeth up to 30 centimeters long! They were also much thicker than most other carnivorous dinosaurs and were easily able to crush bone.

Pteranodon

While actually a flying reptile and not a dinosaur, Pteranodon is still a very iconic creature. Its name means 'Toothless Wing' and it could grow to be over 6 feet tall and have a 30 foot wingspan. Many Pteranodons lived in what is now Kansas but at the time contained a small sea. The pterosaur family lived through almost all of the Mesozoic era which comprised about 250 million years including Triassic, Jurassic and Cretacious eras.

Compsognathus

Compsognathus, or popularly "Compy" for short, lived in Germany in the Late Jurassic. Very small, about the size of a chicken, Compsognathus typically grew up to about 10 inches in height and up to a foot long. While a decent theory unfortunately not enough Compsognathus remains have been found to lend any real proof to the idea that they hunted in groups.

Herrerasaurus

Sort of an early ancestor to more well known Therapods like Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus, Herrarasarus was one of the oldest and most primitive Therapods living during the Triassic Era. It came about before Dinosaurs ruled the earth and was still an incredibly advanced creature for its time. It walked on its hind legs, had powerful, grasping clawed hands and serrated razor sharp teeth.

Velociraptor

Velociraptor is another dinosaur that is very different in the movie than in reality. In the movie they are much closer to Deinonychus, where real Velociraptors are only half or even a third as big as well as having lived in Mongolia and not in the United States. The raptors that appear in the series though are vicious pack hunters and the most aggressive dinosaurs created by InGen. It is said they are also the only one, including even the massive Tyrannosaurus, that will kill prey while not hungry.

Troodon

Troodon is a small theropod that lived in the late Cretaceous that is possibly the most intelligent dinosaur to have ever lived. It grew upwards of 2.5 meters and weighed up to 50 kilograms. It was one of the first dinosaurs discovered in North America being found in 1855. The toxic saliva and using their paralized prey as nests are most likely effects added to the game and not real traits.

Tylosaurus

While the game only ever refers to it as a "Mosasaur", and it is indeed of the Mosasaur family (Specifically family Mosasauridae), the creature is actually a Tylosaurus as opposed to a Mosasaurus. They grew upwards of 15 meters long and weighed up to 40 tons. The Tylosaurus in the game is shown to have large scales like a crocodile, giving it a tough hide. In reality the scales were most likely much smaller in order to glide easily through the water like most other marine reptiles.