1 | [[quoteright:345:[[Magazine/NationalGeographic https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tropesaurusindex_6321.jpg]]]][[caption-width-right:345:This is not a ''Velociraptor''.[[note]]It's a ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeOtherSmallTheropods Masiakasaurus]]'', which lived in Madagascar later into the Cretaceous, was likely featherless, did not have sickle claws on its feet, and was not closely related to ''Velociraptor''.[[/note]]]] |
2 | |
3 | For UsefulNotes/{{dinosaurs}}, dinosaur-related, and other prehistoric tropes and UsefulNotes. Despite the name, this index also covers non-dinosaurian prehistoric/extinct life. See also AvianTropes, for the dinosaurs' descendants aka the last living theropod dinosaurs. |
4 | |
5 | !!Tropes: |
6 | [floatboxright: |
7 | Related: |
8 | + AvianTropes |
9 | + DragonTropes |
10 | ] |
11 | |
12 | [[foldercontrol]] |
13 | [[index]] |
14 | [[folder:Prehistory in General]] |
15 | * AgeOfReptiles: When even a ConstructedWorld has an age ruled by dinosaurs and/or other reptilian creatures that later gave way to a modern age of mammals. |
16 | * AllFlyersAreBirds: Pterosaurs (and other flying animals like bats) are often given bird-like characteristics, regardless of how much they actually have in common with birds. |
17 | * AnachronismStew: A very common case when coping with prehistoric or extinct life, ex. cavemen interacting with nonbird dinosaurs. |
18 | * ArtisticLicensePaleontology: Unrealistic or inaccurate depictions of prehistoric life. |
19 | * BehemothBattle: Giant prehistoric animals are often seen battling each other. |
20 | * DinosaurDoggieBone: Dogs chewing on fossilized bones the way they would on regular bones. |
21 | * ExtinctAnimalPark: A zoo or park hosting restored extinct wildlife. |
22 | * FossilRevival: Fossilized creatures being brought back to life. |
23 | * HiroshimaAsAUnitOfMeasure: The explosive power of the celestial body that hit the Earth at the end of the Cretaceous killing the last dinosaurs is often measured in billions of Hiroshima bombs. |
24 | * HollywoodPrehistory: Generalized prehistoric setting melding together creatures from wildly different time periods, chiefly dinosaurs, cavemen and mammoths.%%Custom name display begins with the digit "1". |
25 | * JurassicFarce: Parodies of ''Franchise/JurassicPark'', one of the most influential works featuring dinosaurs. |
26 | * LostWorld: A hidden, often secret location where people and creatures long gone from the outside world still survive. |
27 | * MedievalPrehistory: Prehistoric life in a vaguely medieval setting. |
28 | * MisplacedWildlife: Dinosaurs or other extinct creatures are often misplaced in fiction, ex. the North American ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' living alongside (or [[SpinosaurusVersusTRex fighting]]) with the African ''Spinosaurus aegyptiacus''. |
29 | * PerilousPrehistoricSeas: The seas and oceans of the prehistoric era are dangerous to be traversing or living in. |
30 | * PhlebotinumKilledTheDinosaurs: Ascribing the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs to a variety of eclectic causes. |
31 | * {{Prehistoria}}: Video game levels themed around dinosaurs and prehistory. |
32 | * PrehistoricAnimalAnalogue: Using extinct animals as source for designs for fictional creatures. |
33 | * PrehistoricMonster: Extinct creatures depicted as scary and violent brutes rather than looking and behaving like natural present-day animals. |
34 | * PrimateVersusReptile: A giant primate and a giant reptile, often something dinosaurian, fight King Kong-style. |
35 | * ScienceMarchesOn: An extremely common trope when coping with prehistoric life, heavily influencing the popular portrayals of extinct creatures. |
36 | * TimeTravelersDinosaur: An extinct creature makes an appearance due to time travel. |
37 | * UndeadFossils: When the remains of prehistoric animals start moving on their own. |
38 | [[/folder]] |
39 | |
40 | [[folder:Dinosaurs & Relatives]] |
41 | * AlternateHistoryDinosaurSurvival: A hypothetical take on what if the dinosaurs never became extinct and continued to evolve beyond the Cretaceous Period. |
42 | * AquaticHadrosaurs: The outdated depiction of hadrosaur dinosaurs ("duckbills") as semi-aquatic creatures. |
43 | * AquaticSauropods: The outdated depiction of sauropod dinosaurs, such as ''Diplodocus'' and ''Brachiosaurus'', as primarily water-dwelling animals. |
44 | * AweInspiringDinosaurShot: Dinosaurs are shown or depicted as majestic creatures and their world as fantastical through a cutscene. Often used as an EstablishingSeriesMoment. |
45 | * TheDayTheDinosaursDied: The K-Pg extinction is often depicted in media for dramatic effect. |
46 | * DinosaurMedia: Index of media focusing on dinosaurs and prehistoric life. |
47 | * DinosaursAreDragons: Dinosaurs and dragons tend to be treated as the same thing or to borrow traits from one another. |
48 | * TheDinosaursHadItComing: The dinosaurs brought their extinction on themselves. |
49 | * DomesticatedDinosaurs: Dinosaurs kept as domesticated animals for various purposes. |
50 | * DoofyDodo: Dodos (not prehistoric but extinct a few centuries ago) are often portrayed as goofy and harmless. |
51 | * DumbDinos: Dinosaurs are often portrayed as very stupid, slow, and overly aggressive. |
52 | * FeatheredFiend: Just because something is covered in fluffy feathers (whether it's a giant bird or a non-avian theropod), it can still be terrifying! |
53 | * GentleGiantSauropod: The generic depiction of the giant long-necked dinosaurs being docile and friendly animals. |
54 | * GoofyFeatheredDinosaur: Feathered dinosaurs portrayed as comedic and non-threatening. |
55 | * HeadButtingPachy: The portrayal of pachycephalosaur dinosaurs (''Pachycephalosaurus'' and its kin) headbutting things. |
56 | * KidsLoveDinosaurs: There's something fascinating about dinosaurs in the eyes of children. |
57 | * LivingDinosaurs: Surviving non-avian dinosaurs found living somewhere remote. |
58 | * MokeleMbembe: An aquatic dinosaur said to live deep within isolated jungles. |
59 | * {{Notzilla}}: When a {{Kaiju}} is based on the very theropod-like Franchise/{{Godzilla}}. |
60 | * RaptorAttack: Unrealistic or inaccurate portrayals of dromeosaurid dinosaurs (dinosaurs like ''Deinonychus'' and ''Velociraptor''). |
61 | * SavageSpinosaurs: Spinosaurids, such as ''Spinosaurus'' and ''Baryonyx'', depicted as fearsome predators even deadlier, or at least meaner, than ''T. rex''. |
62 | * {{Slurpasaur}}: Real-life lizards with fake horns or fins glued on used as stand-ins for dinosaurs in old movies. |
63 | * SocialOrnithopod: The ornithopod dinosaurs (like the hadrosaurs and ''Iguanodon'') are usually shown to be social animals that either live in herds, groups and/or are placid in nature. |
64 | * SpinosaurusVersusTRex: Whenever a ''Spinosaurus'' and a ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' appear in the same work, they always have a fight. |
65 | * StockDinosaurArchetypes: the archetypal personalities stereotypically attributed to various species of dinosaurs. |
66 | * StockNessMonster: Portrayals of the Loch-Ness Monster or similar things, implied to be surviving dinosaurs or plesiosaurs. |
67 | * TemperCeratops: The ceratopsian dinosaurs (such as ''Triceratops'') are described as being akin to bulls and rhinos; temperamental and aggressive by herbivore standards. |
68 | * TerrifyingTyrannosaur: Tyrannosaurs (''T. rex'' and its kin) portrayed as terrifying and imposing. |
69 | * TerrorDactyl: Portrayals of pterosaurs ("pterodactyls") as monstrous, often with traits from bats, dragons, or birds of prey. |
70 | * ToughArmoredDinosaur: The thyreophoran dinosaurs, like ''Stegosaurus'' and ''Ankylosaurus, portrayed as warlike and resilient. |
71 | * ToxicDinosaur: Certain types of dinosaurs possess poison, either as a weapon or as a form of defense. |
72 | * TRexpy: A fictional creature inspired by ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. |
73 | * {{Whateversaurus}}: A fictional prehistoric critter that didn't exist in reality, often with a stock suffix in its name. |
74 | [[/folder]] |
75 | |
76 | [[folder:Other Prehistoric Life]] |
77 | * AllCavemenWereNeanderthals: Cavemen tend to be portrayed as knuckle-dragging, slow-witted brutes clad in skins and carrying clubs. |
78 | * BigCreepyCrawlies: While not exclusively about prehistory, giant arthropods were common in the Carboniferous and often show up in prehistoric-themed works or settings. |
79 | * ContemporaryCaveman: A caveman living in modern times for some reasons. |
80 | * DireBeast: Not an exclusively prehistoric trope, but many extinct animals are perceived as being bigger, scarier, and more monstrous versions of familiar modern animals, such as the dire wolf. |
81 | * FrazettaMan: Prehistoric "humans" portrayed as vicious, stupid, hairy, and generally little more than somewhat upright apes. |
82 | * HandsomeHeroicCaveman: Prehistoric cavemen with a NubileSavage appearance, usually TheHero in their stories. |
83 | * LowTechSpears: Spears are used as an archetypical weapon for less technologically advanced peoples, such as cavemen. |
84 | * MammothsMeanIceAge: Mammoths are the most common "face" or symbol of the Ice Age, and their presence is often used as a shorthand for it and associated concepts. |
85 | * MeekMesozoicMammal: Early mammals are portrayed as timid and easy prey for dinosaurs. |
86 | * PantheraAwesome: ''Smilodon'', or "saber-toothed cats", portrayed as a simple ancient version of modern big cats. Predatory dinosaurs are also often given color schemes based on those of big cats. |
87 | * PrimitiveClubs: Primitive beings, such as cavemen, are often portrayed as wielding crude, simple clubs. |
88 | * SnowySabertooths: Due to their close association with mammoths, saber-toothed cats (or fictional creatures analogous to them) are often portrayed as inhabiting cold, snowy environments year-round. |
89 | [[/folder]] |
90 | |
91 | [[folder:Useful Notes]] |
92 | * UsefulNotes/{{Dinosaurs}}: Facts about dinosaurs in general. |
93 | ** UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex: Specifically about the most famous dinosaur. |
94 | * UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife: Information about prehistoric animals, with a time-scale and a "translation guide" learning scientific names. |
95 | ** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeDinosaurs: About the history of research on non-bird dinosaurs and other Mesozoic reptiles. |
96 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeLargeTheropods: About the big, predatory dinosaurs. |
97 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeBirdlikeTheropods: About the birdlike dinosaurs. |
98 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeBirds: About extinct true birds. |
99 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeOtherSmallTheropods: About the other remaining theropods. |
100 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeSauropods: About the biggest dinosaurs. |
101 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeSauropodPredecessors: About their smaller cousins. |
102 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeStegosaurs: About the dinosaurs with plated backs and spiked tails. |
103 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeAnkylosaurs: About the dinosaurs with tank-like bodies. |
104 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeCeratopsids: About the horned dinosaurs. |
105 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeCeratopsidPredecessors: About their smaller relatives. |
106 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifePachycephalosaurs: About "bone-headed" dinos. |
107 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeHadrosaurs: About the so-called "duck-billed" dinosaurs. |
108 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeHadrosaurPredecessors: About the latter's relatives. |
109 | *** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifePrimitiveOrnithischians: About the most ancestral bird-hipped dinosaurs. |
110 | ** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeNonDinosaurianReptiles: About non-dinosaur prehistoric reptiles (including mammal-ancestors). |
111 | ** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeMammals: About our closest animal relatives (including human ancestors). |
112 | ** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeOtherExtinctCreatures: About prehistoric amphibians, fish, invertebrates, plants, and bacteria. |
113 | * UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursTrueDinosaurs: The most commonly portrayed dinosaurs in media. |
114 | ** UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursSaurischianDinosaurs: ''Brontosaurus'', ''Tyrannosaurus'', and their relatives (extinct birds included). |
115 | ** UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursOrnithischianDinosaurs: ''Stegosaurus'', ''Triceratops'', and their relatives. |
116 | ** UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursNonDinosaurs: Non-dinosaur extinct critters (flying reptiles, swimming reptiles, ancient mammals, and others). |
117 | [[/folder]] |
118 | [[/index]] |
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