History Main / StockDinosaurArchetypes

Certain aspects of this trope tend to overlap with StockAnimalBehavior as a dinosaur's personality make up for one part of its archetype and adds to the " Stock Archetypes" For its more fantastical counterpart, see DragonVarietyPack, which places emphasis on different kinds of dragons as well as personality traits.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeDawnOfTheDinosaurs'': ''Tyrannosaurus'' is depicted as a fearsome, yet maternal and sympathetic role with a mother and her three young who eventually warm up to Sid, with the mother still being feared by the other dinosaurs. The antagonistic predator instead goes to a ''Baryonyx'' named Rudy whose main trait is having a grudge against Buck for knocking out one of his teeth. Almost every dinosaur is unpleasant, though they're more territorial than leaning on PrehistoricMonster; ''Triceratops'' don't tolerate the presence of other animals other than herd members, ''Ankylosaurus'' attacks the main herd upon first notice, and ''Guanlong'' are opportunistic pack hunters. The exceptions are ''Brachiosaurus'', which doesn't mind the herd sliding at its tail and back, and "pterodactyls" which are placid enough to be tamed and ridden upon by Buck, albeit briefly.

* ''Manga/DinosaurSanctuary'': [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]]; while several types of dinosaurs are shown, much of their usual depictions in pop culture are subverted, instead providing them with more natural, believable personalities that can be seen with almost any other animal. The ''Giganotosaurus'', ''Tyrannosaurus'', and ''Spinosaurus'' that reside in Enoshima Dinoland are shown as placid animals that are rather needy and childish in nature, given they rely on their human keepers to keep them happy and satisfied, Masaru the ''Triceratops'' is a GentleGiant, and Momiji the ''Stegosaurus'' is a MellowFellow. That said, the ''Centrosaurus'', ''Troodon'', and ''Pachycephalosaurus'' have more typical personalities, but still shown in a realistic light, keeping them from being monstrous. Even the most aggressive dinosaur that is shown, an ''Allosaurus'' named Ichigo, only became dangerous because she became panicked by construction workers and killed her keeper out of distress, which unfortunately caused mass panic to label dinosaurs as untamable {{Prehistoric Monster}}s and taint the reputation of dinosaur sanctuaries, something which the protagonists seek to rectify.

* ''Manga/DinosaurSanctuary'': [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]]; while several types of dinosaurs are shown, much of their usual depictions in pop culture are subverted, instead providing them with more natural, believable personalities that can be seen with almost any other animal. The ''Giganotosaurus'' and ''Tyrannosaurus'' that reside in Enoshima Dinoland are shown as placid animals that are rather needy and childish in nature, given they rely on their human keepers to keep them happy and satisfied, and Masaru the ''Triceratops'' is a GentleGiant. That said, the ''Centrosaurus'' and ''Troodon'' have more typical personalities, but still shown in a realistic light, keeping them from being monstrous. Even the most aggressive dinosaur that is shown, an ''Allosaurus'' named Ichigo, only became dangerous because she became panicked by construction workers and killed her keeper out of distress, which unfortunately caused mass panic to label dinosaurs as untamable {{Prehistoric Monster}}s and taint the reputation of dinosaur sanctuaries, something which the protagonists seek to rectify.

** The herbivores either play their archetypes straight or subvert them. ''Austrodon'' and ''Iguanodon'' are herd-travelers and generally non-confrontational, though they can be dangerous if provoked. ''Gastonia'' is fairly territorial and attacks anything it doesn't really recognize and the diplodocid is one of the more aggressive sauropods shown in fiction as it quickly attacks Red and her sister as soon as she recognizes the ''Utahraptors''.
** A pterosaur is shown to take interest and curiosity in Red's adventure and is never shown far behind the ''Utahraptor'', despite the two never interacting with one another once. Like her, he is also searching for a mate and is generally inquisitive. ''Kronosaurus'' appears as a strange, almost-incomprehensible threat in the view of Red and tries to do her best to keep her and her family away from the waters in fear of being suddenly attacked without notice.

* '''Herding Herbivores:''' One of two different stock portrayals of herbivores, these dinosaurs have a tendency to be sociable herd animals and are defined by their [[HerbivoresAreFriendly peaceful nature and tendency to stick with one another]]. They can also be skittish, shy, and territorial at times. They suffer an unfortunate stereotype of being stock food source for theropods in fiction. Herding herbivores include [[SocialOrnithopod hadrosaurs, iguanodonts, hypsilophodonts]], and [[GentleGiantSauropod sauropods]].

* ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeDawnOfTheDinosaurs'': ''Tyrannosaurus'' is depicted as a fearsome, yet maternal and sympathetic role with a mother and her three young who eventually warm up to Sid, with the mother still being feared by the other dinosaurs. The antagonistic predator instead goes to a ''Baryonyx'' named Rudy whose main trait is having a grudge against Buck for knocking out one of his teeth. Almost every dinosaur is unpleasant, though they're more territorial than leaning on PrehistoricMonster; ''Chasmosaurus'' don't tolerate the presence of other animals other than herd members, ''Ankylosaurus'' attacks the main herd upon first notice, and ''Guanlong'' are opportunistic pack hunters. The exceptions are ''Brachiosaurus'', which doesn't mind the herd sliding at its tail and back, and ''Pteranodon'' which is placid enough to be tamed and ridden upon by Buck, albeit briefly.

** From the first film, Most predators are not malicious, only hunting to survive. The titular ''Tarbosaurus'' is no exception; he kills animals as he needs something to eat, but he's also a devoted mate to Blue Eyes, loves his family, and would defend his children. The herbivores are usually sociable and live in groups and herds, but the bigger ones like ''Torosaurus'' and ''Ankylosaurus'' will fight if provoked, and ''Pukyongosaurus'' is shown as a majestic sauropod that means no harm. The only exceptions are the ''Tyrannosaurus'', One Eye, who is shown as a vindictive sadist from the get-go, and the ''Therizinosaurus'' which is an irate, mean animal with nothing goofy about it.

* '''Theropods:''' The most common two-legged archetypes, theropods comprise all currently known meat-eating dinosaurs and likely serve as [[PredatorsAreMean adversaries and threats]] in whatever setting they reside in with the [[SuperPersistentPredator relentless persistence]] to go along with it, though they can be given [[PredationIsNatural sympathetic and even heroic roles]]. They also have been categorized into small, intermediate, and large sizes as a way to showcase a power gap and level of threat to their prey. Types of theropods in fiction include [[TerrifyingTyrannosaur tyrannosaurs]], [[SavageSpinosaurs spinosaurs]], [[RaptorAttack maniraptorians]], carnosaurs,[[note]]Older readers may recognize "carnosaurs" including all large theropods, but studies in the 1980s and '90s found that not all of them were closely related. Currently the term covers only the allosauroids like ''Allosaurus'' and ''Carcharodontosaurus'', and their close relatives.[[/note]] and abelisaurs, to name a few.
* '''Herding Herbivores:''' One of two different types of herbivores, these dinosaurs have a tendency to be sociable herd animals and are defined by their [[HerbivoresAreFriendly peaceful nature and dependency to stick with one another]]. They can also be skittish, shy, and territorial at times, though they suffer an unfortunate stereotype of being stock food source for theropods in fiction. Herding herbivores include [[SocialOrnithopod hadrosaurs, iguanodonts, hypsilophodonts]], and [[GentleGiantSauropod sauropods]].

* '''Weird Dinos:''' These dinosaurs are defined by their colorful and flamboyish appearance, which is complimented by having a similarly weird personality. These can overlap with the other aforementioned types and are likely to be herbivores, omnivores, or [[EvilEggEater egg-eaters]] and [[GoofyFeatheredDinosaur be covered in fluff and feathers to accentuate their bizarre style]]. Weird dinosaurs usually include ornithomimids, oviraptorids, and therizinosaurs, though hadrosaurs, sauropods, and some mainstream theropods also qualify at times.
* '''Pterosaurs:''' The dominant fliers of the Mesozoic world, including the [[GiantFlyer largest aerial creatures to have ever lived]]. It should be noted that pterosaurs are ''not'' dinosaurs, but qualify in the list due to their strong association with their terrestrial counterparts. They mostly tend to be the prehistoric equivalent of birds and their attitude can range from peckish, placid, and ambivalent to [[TerrorDactyl soaring menaces who like to pluck out prey with their feet or peck them with their beaks]].

These tend to be the most common types of dinosaurs that tend to be seen in entertainment works as well as which behavioral and physical traits they possess to give themselves their own identity from one another. Of course, some works can provide alterations to each dinosaur's personality traits and give them a more bizarre or unconventional archetype to fulfill. Of course, there can be subversions to how a dinosaur is normally depicted in favor of a more distinct approach.

Dinosaurs are undoubtedly the most famous and popular prehistoric relics in the eyes of fiction and popular culture. Judging by their paleontological history and findings, several dinosaurs have been found with types ranging from all sizes, appearances, and features, lending to their many appearances in numerous entertainment works from the 20th Century onwards.

Since their appearances in professional paintings like the ones by Charles R. Knight, literary works such as ''Literature/TheLostWorld1912'', and its [[Film/TheLostWorld film adaptation in 1925]], dinosaurs have seen various forms of interpretations and depictions, mainly influenced by how the animal looked like and what bodily features they sported, with speculations varying from either as a way to defend itself, to traverse great distances, to showcase itself during mating seasons, to regulate its body temperature, among many others. This resulted in several dinosaur types paying homage to a number of modern-day animals, which were likely an influence on their interpretations and allowed the public eye to easily make a distinction from one dinosaur to another, judging by how they were shown in pieces of work.

On another note, dinosaurs can sometimes be seen as a prehistoric or real-world equivalent to fantastical creatures, such as dragons and unicorns, whose showcasing in fiction can often come across as rather reminiscent. Dragons are an especially notable case as the earliest dinosaur remains were confused for dragon bones and both creatures (especially in the case of large theropods) are shown in very similar ways; brutish, territorial, and inspiring fear towards everyone else they came across.

* '''Theropods:''' The most common two-legged archetypes, theropods are the go-to for meat-eating dinosaurs and likely serve as [[PredatorsAreMean adversaries and threats]] in whatever setting they reside in with the [[SuperPersistentPredator relentless persistence]] to go along with, though they can be given [[PredationIsNatural sympathetic and even heroic roles]]. They also have been categorized in small, intermediary, and large sizes as a way to showcase a power gap and level of threat to their prey. Types of theropods in fiction include [[TerrifyingTyrannosaur tyrannosaurs]], [[SavageSpinosaurs spinosaurs]], [[RaptorAttack maniraptorians]], carnosaurs, and abelisaurs, to name a few.

*** While ''Tyrannosaurus'' is the series's mascot, there have been other "giant theropods" like ''Spinosaurus'', ''Indominus rex'', and ''Giganotosaurus'' who took the role of the star carnivore and villain in the films they appear in. Depicted as similarly vicious, persistent, and territorial for the most part, ''Tyrannosaurus'' was given a small number of virtuous qualities, particularly being GoodParents as a way to make them more down-to-earth in comparison to its contemporaries, with only ''Giganotosaurus'' seeming to be closer to the real animal by simply being a territorial predator, in comparison to the more malicious and directly antagonistic ''Spinosaurus'' and ''Indominus''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Carnivores}}'': [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] rather bizzarely. All of the herbivores shown are docile but without their nature to be social animals and with the exception of ''Triceratops'', ''Chasmosaurus'', and ''Iguanodon'' they're all panicky and flee at the first sight of you or your gunshot, which even includes ''Stegosaurus'' and ''Ankylosaurus''. On the carnivores' side of things, ''Allosaurus'' and ''Spinosaurus'' are portrayed as "small" and "medium" theropods respectively, a far cry from how they're usually shown in other works. Beyond those, the dinosaurs play their expected roles with ''Tyrannosaurus'' getting perhaps the most extreme form of being an apex predator. The trope is played straighter in the ''Dinosaur Hunter HD'' and ''Reborn'' versions where herbivores are more sociable and aggressive, depending on the species.