History UsefulNotes / StockDinosaursTrueDinosaurs

Actually, ''Allosaurus'' is rather easy to distinguish from ''T. rex''. It was smaller, less heavily built, its head was narrower with two small bosses protruding in front of its eyes, and it had [[http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/7489/allotyranno.png longer, stronger front arms with three clawed fingers rather than two]]. All these differences tend to be glossed over in popular media. The fact that ''T. rex'' itself has often been depicted with strong arms with three functional digits (e.g. in Disney's ''Fantasia'') doesn't help, either.

''T. rex'' was described in 1905 by Henry Osborn. Since then, it has been a hit with the audience and possibly ''the'' most famous dinosaur for almost a century. During this time ''T. rex'' has changed from the [[MightyGlacier heavy, fat-bellied giant]] with goose-like gait and flexible tail to the [[LightningBruiser slender, running beast]] seen in ''Film/JurassicPark''. We are still waiting to see its chicks depicted with downy covering, though.

Works from before the 1970s ''never'' represent dromaeosaurids, simply because they were too obscure at the time. Between 1970 and the ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' mania in the 1990s, the most represented "raptor" (though not yet known as such) in popular culture was ''Deinonychus''. For instance, see DinoRiders, DinosaursAttack, and the ''RuneQuest Borderlands'' tabletop [=RPG=] adventure. It was ''Film/JurassicPark'' that caused ''Velociraptor'' to displace ''Deinonychus'' as the stock sickle-clawed dino and started the usage of "raptor" for dromaeosaurid in the mind of the public. (Prior to this, "raptor" was used only to indicate birds of prey.) There are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_issues_in_Jurassic_Park#Velociraptor several issues]] with the [[RaptorAttack depiction of raptors]] in the film.

At the same time that the name ''Velociraptor'' became popular, a new dromaeosaurid was discovered in Utah. This animal was older and larger than ''Deinonychus'', living 128--105 mya and being 23 ft / 7 m long and as tall as a human. It was named ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utahraptor Utahraptor]]'', beginning an awesome case of science culture SureWhyNot -- before ''Film/JurassicPark'', no genus of dromaeosaurids except ''Velociraptor'' had the ''-raptor'' suffix to its name. Since the film, paleontologists started to use it for naming most new dromaeosaurids.

# '''TropeMaker''': The “Dinosaur Renaissance” (''Deinonychus''); ''Film/JurassicPark'' (''Velociraptor''); ''WalkingWithDinosaurs'' (''Utahraptor'')

''Baryonyx'' means "heavy claw" and the animal has been nicknamed "Claws" because of its 10 inch / 25 cm long, hook-like thumb-claws, bigger than the other two fingers on each hand. Since its forelimbs were longer and stronger than in most other theropods[[hottip:*: the structure of the forefeet seems to preclude quadrupedal walking, though]], it is speculated that it might have fed by resting on its front legs on a riverbank and swept large fish such as the carp-like ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Lepidotes]]'' from the river with its powerful claw, a bit like grizzly bears do with salmon. We know for sure fish were included in its diet: scales of ''Lepidotes'' were found inside the ribcage of the only well-known ''Baryonyx'' specimen.

''Dilophosaurus'' was first described in 1954 in Arizona from scant remains lacking the head, and was initially thought to be another species of the "wastebasket taxon" ''Megalosaurus''. The first head complete with double-crest was found only several years later; in 1970, the animal received the name ''Dilophosaurus'', "double-crested lizard". It's unlikely that many people outside the dino-fandom had ever heard of ''Dilophosaurus'' before the novel ''Literature/JurassicPark'' was published in 1990. Here it was depicted as capable of spitting venom like some species of cobra, which it probably couldn't do in RealLife (venomous saliva is unknown among modern birds and crocodiles).

# '''TropeMaker:''' ''Literature/JurassicPark'' (novel)

''Allosaurus'' lived 155 to 150 million years ago in North America, Europe and maybe Africa. [[hottip:*: While the poor remains of the alleged Australian “''Allosaurus''” pertain to a totally different theropod, ''Australovenator''.]] Along with ''Tyrannosaurus'', it has traditionally been ''the'' large carnivorous dinosaur. First discovered in 1877 during the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Wars Bone Wars]], it’s the scientifically most well-known large theropod. Dozens of specimens have been found so far in Western USA, including a veritable “graveyard” in Utah. The name ''Allosaurus'' literally means "other lizard": Othniel Charles Marsh's article naming it gives no reason for the bland choice.

''Ceratosaurus'' lived in the same place as ''Allosaurus'' in the late Jurassic, 153-148 mya. Usually 17-23 ft / 5-7 m long, it was smaller than most other Stock Theropods above, but still a powerful animal. Its look was that of an undersized allosaur, with the same eye-bosses and long forelimbs. Its name, “horned lizard”, underlines its more distinctive anatomical feature: a laterally-flat crest on its nose, classically described as a “nasal horn”. It was also the only known theropod to have armor in the form of bony plates along the middle of its back. Despite the resemblance, ''Ceratosaurus'' was actually more archaic than ''Allosaurus''. [[hottip:*: ''Allosaurus'' belongs to the Tetanuran branch of theropods, while ''Ceratosaurus'' is the namesake of its own branch, Ceratosaurs. Most of the other theropods discussed here are Tetanurans, except fellow ceratosaur ''Carnotaurus'', and the more primitive ''Dilophosaurus'' and ''Coelophysis''.]]

''Archaeopteryx'' [[hottip:*:OK, this dinosaur might actually be avialian, but belongs here anyway.]] lived around 150-148 million years ago in Late Jurassic Europe. Its name means "ancient wing" or "ancient feather"; another obsolete synonym very common in old textbooks was ''Archaeornis'', "ancient bird". Both terms are very meaningful about its historical relevance. It is sometimes known as the "Urvogel", which is German for "original bird".

According to [[ScienceMarchesOn modern knowledge]] ''Archaeopteryx'' is just another feathered theropod (possibly a bird, possibly a deinonychosaur, possibly more primitive than either). [[hottip:*: One archaeopterygid skeleton with no signs of feathers was long classified in another theropod genus, ''Compsognathus'' (see later).]] It has a long tail, three claws on its forelimbs, running feet with an enlarged second toe claw, jaws with small, pointed teeth, and feathers. The main difference is that its feathers aren't just skin-covering down; it has flight feathers of very modern-looking shape in its wings and tail. It probably could glide but it is unlikely that it could flap its wings for powered flight. Maybe it used its claws to climb up trees and then glided to the next tree. Its classic status as “the first bird” is merely traditional at this point, and the start of the “bird lineage” within the theropod branch depends on the chosen criteria to define what’s a bird and [[http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/G104/handouts/104Eumaniraptora.pdf its exact position.]] Still, it remains one of the most ancient known dinosaurs found with prints of feathers.

Discovered in the 1970s, ''Gallimimus'' was one of the largest ornithomimids - 20 ft / 6 m long, with some reports of sizes up to 8 meters long, as long as several giant predatory theropods. It lived in Mongolia in the late Cretaceous, 70 mya. Apart from its longer, blunter snout and slightly shorter legs, its appearance was that of an enlarged ''Ornithomimus''. With its large fossil record ''Gallimimus'' has become a common sight in dino-books since the eighties, but has entered the pop-consciousness only after ''Film/JurassicPark'' (the film, not the novel, which has ''Maiasaura'' in the stampede scene).

# '''TropeMaker:''' Disney/{{Fantasia}} (''Ornithomimus''/''Struthiomimus''); ''Film/JurassicPark'' film (''Gallimimus'')

version of ''KingKong'', apatosaurs are ''meat eaters''.

with missing parts borrowed from other sauropod specimens[[hottip:*:which also gave the display skeleton a short, boxy head and blunt tail, both incorrect]]. However, the Museum

Peter Jackson's ''KingKong'' ReMake [[GeniusBonus referenced]] this situation

Brachiosaurs are visually distinct from diplodocids in several ways: short, blunt tails; very long, strong, giraffe-like necks; the back slopes ''backwards'' instead of forwards, and the forelegs are longer than the back legs (hence ''Brachiosaurus'', "arm-lizard"). The classic portrayals also show a domed head with the nostrils on its tip. We now know it was more squared. [[hottip:*: This because its correct skull was identified only recently. Ironically, ''this'' was the head shown in the iconic “Brontosaurus” mount, but was once believed from another sauropod, ''Camarasaurus''.]]

As with other sauropods, it was associated with water in older reconstructions. To accommodate its upright shape, ''Brachiosaurus'' was often shown totally submerged in lakes, with only their head and, sometimes, ''only their nostrils'' above the water level. Needless to say, this is quite unrealistic. [[hottip:*: Since sauropods’ skulls have high-settled nasal openings, they are classically shown with their nostrils on the top of their heads like the blowholes of a whale; it was recently hypothized they could actually be on the end of their snouts like every other dinosaur.]] In modern portrayals, ''Brachiosaurus'' has often been described as a "prehistoric giraffe" capable of browsing the highest vegetation that other sauropods were not capable to reach – unless diplodocids were able to stand upright on their hindlegs. Brachiosaurs probably weren’t capable of the latter having their center of gravity much farther forward, and their shorter tails didn't provide support (it would only bring a little bit of extra reach anyway). In popular media, they still do: in ''Film/JurassicPark'', a brachiosaur is rearing up its hindlegs to reach a tiny branch. In Disney's ''Dinosaur'', the brachiosaur Baylene is able to remain in a ''fully erect'' position for 30 seconds to break the wall of a cave with her forefeet.

Sadly, ''Brachiosaurus'' recently also went through some naming troubles, but its situation isn't as severe as the ''Apatosaurus''-''Brontosaurus'' deal – the name ''Brachiosaurus'' remains valid, however its best-known species, ''B. brancai'', had to be placed in a different genus, named ''Giraffatitan''.[[hottip:*:Gregory S. Paul first suggested they were distinct in 1988. This suggestion was followed by George Olshevsky in 1991 and DougalDixon in 2006. Otherwise, it was not taken seriously until Michael Taylor proved Paul, Olshevsky and Dixon correct in 2009.]] This means that much of what we know of ''Brachiosaurus'', as well as its stock-status, should actually be attributed to this "new" dinosaur. ''Giraffatitan'' (“titanic giraffe”) was found in Africa in the Tendaguru site, two decades after the original brachiosaur, and, unlike the latter, is known from complete remains.

The several ''Stegosaurus'' species were from 24 ft / 7.5 m up to 30 ft / 9 m long, and weighed from 1.5 up to 5 metric tons. Its plates and deep body made it looking bigger than it was when watched from the side: actually, the stegosaur’s body was laterally-flattened, and not so heavy as it seems. Its front-legs were much shorter than hindlegs, and the neck was set low above the ground (but not the same degree as in old portraits). Despite its overall size, ''Stegosaurus'' had a remarkably small head, with room for only 2.8 oz / 80 g of brain (often stated as "walnut-sized") [[hottip:*:actually it was substantially larger than a walnut ]]. This has made it the most iconic dinosaur within the “Dinosaurs Are Dumb” subtrope (even though sauropods are not far away). The small brain does ''not'' mean that stegosaurs and sauropods were witless, though. And they ''didn’t'' have a secondary brain in their hip region as is often stated; the extra space there probably accommodated the nerves for the hindquarters.

Lived 68 to 65 million years ago in Late Cretaceous North America. It was one of the last discoveries from the Bone Wars. [[hottip:*:Its original find, an isolated horn-core, was believed from a ''bison''.]] Its name means "three-horned face" and is due to its most prominent feature. It was about 26—29.5 ft / 7.9—9 m long and weighing about 6—12 metric tons. Hundreds of skulls are known so far, but not a complete skeleton. Two main species are recognized today, even though up to 15 species were described at one point.

''Triceratops'' has traditionally been considered the largest ceratopsian; its size and abundance in the fossil record have contributed to making it the most popular one. It has always been beloved by dino-fans. Maybe because with its short tail and rhino-like body, it is the least [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent reptilian-looking]] among the Great Stock Dinos even in older depictions; or maybe, because of its historical reputation as "the only plant-eater [[BadAss able to defeat]] the BigBad TyrannosaurusRex". Its portrayal in ''Film/JurassicPark'' consolidated ''Triceratops''' popularity even more: the touching scene of the sick triceratops with the caring humans around has remained in public consciousness. And how could we forget the strong temper of [[CuteBruiser Cera]] in the LandBeforeTime film?

''Styracosaurus'' lived in North America 76—75 million years ago, slightly earlier than ''Triceratops''. It was discovered in 1913 during the second great North American "dino-rush". [[hottip:*:Most Cretaceous dinosaurs were actually described during this “rush”, But only the coolest-looking ones joined the stock dinosaur ensemble: ''Styracosaurus'', ''Ankylosaurus'', ''Struthiomimus'', ''Parasaurolophus'', and to a lesser degree, ''Corythosaurus''.]] About half as long as a triceratops (only 18 ft / 5.5 m, weighing nearly 3 tons), the styracosaur was actually even more rhino-like. It had much longer horn above the nose but only hints of horns above its eyes. It had a round, short frill, but this headgear was one to match: several pairs of long spikes protruding from the end of the frill in a rayed manner, and shorter protuberances in the anterior edge. This sort of HornedHairdo

The styracosaur has appeared in several works since the first portrayal in 1933 (in ''[[KingKong Son Of Kong]]''), and is also a common feature in toys and popular books. On the other hand, recent documentaries haven’t represented it so frequently. Maybe because in RealLife ''Styracosaurus'' could not battle TyrannosaurusRex as ''Triceratops'' did, but only smaller carnivores like ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Daspletosaurus]]''.

# '''TropeMaker:''' [[KingKong Son of Kong]]

First discovered in Mongolia in 1922, ''Protoceratops'' was the most famous Asian dinosaur until ''Film/JurassicPark'' made ''Velociraptor'' famous. Its discoverer, Roy Chapman Andrews, [[hottip:*: This US scientist matched the AdventurerArchaeologist trope in such a way, he could have been the ''real'' inspirer of ''Franchise/IndianaJones''.]] attributed to it some elongated eggs which now are known to belong to ''Oviraptor''. These were the very first dinosaurian eggs ever identified. The original crushed ''Oviraptor'' skull was found nearby (see above). A classic in paleo-art is showing ''Protoceratops'' hatching its eggs and [[MamaBear chasing]] or even [[RhinoRampage trampling]] an egg-robbing ''Oviraptor''. However, several nests complete with eggs were found later in Asia, which were ''actually'' laid by protoceratopses.

Specifically about ''Parasaurolophus'', [[WildMassGuessing countless hypotheses]] have been made about the function of its “horn”: among them, a tool to thread its way through the dense forest foliage, or even a ''snorkel'' when swimming underwater. The latter just plain doesn't work; there aren't any holes on its tip. The most commonly accepted scientific theory is that the complex series of tubes found within were used for amplifying calls. Scientists have even turned out to ''reproduce'' these calls, which quite resemble a brass instrument. [[hottip:*: HilariousInHindsight, this’d really make its crest like a “horn”: the ''musical'' one.]] It's highly probable the headgear had also a display function: it might be brightly colored to attract attention, and could have had a flap of skin stretched from it to the neck, but both hyps are unproved.

No other stock dinosaurs has had such a MindScrew story than the Edmontosaurines (The ''Brontosaurus''/''Apatosaurus'' is nothing in comparison). Here, ScienceMarchesOn is to a UpToEleven degree, coupled with a huge TaxonomicTermConfusion and IHaveManyNames. Edmontosaurines roamed North America at the very end of the Cretaceous, 73-65 mya. Two genera are recognized for the moment, ''Anatotitan'' and ''Edmontosaurus'', but they could be reunited into one in the possible future 2010s. If so, ''Edmontosaurus'' will become the only valid name for this dinosaur. Two ''Edmontosaurus'' species are currently recognized, ''Edmontosaurus annectens'' and ''Edmontosaurus regalis''. While the former was the same size of ''Parasaurolophus'', ''E. regalis'' and ''Anatotitan'' were among the biggest hadrosaurs, 12/13 m long, as long as ''T. rex'' ''[[UpToEleven but even three times heavier than it]]''. Despite this, their bulk didn't preclude them to be among the rex's favorite prey. [[hottip:*: though it more often attacked the young, sick, injured and dying than the healthy adults, which could weigh up to 15 tons: like an average ''Diplodocus'']].

''Corythosaurus'' was the same size of ''Parasaurolophus'' (10 m long), and lived in Late Cretaceous North America 77-76 mya. A classic error in paleo-art is to depict these two dinosaurs living alongside ''TyrannosaurusRex''. Since the “rex” was discovered in more recent terrains (68-65 mya), this makes a slight AnachronismStew case. First discovered in 1912 by Barnum Brown [[hottip:*: Barnum Brown is better-known for having found the very first ''Tyrannosaurus'' skeletons in Montana some decades before]], the “cory”, unlike the “para”, has one of the richest records among hadrosaurs. Several complete specimens known to science, including many juveniles.

This hadrosaur deserves a special mention. The same size of ''Parasaurolophus'' and ''Corythosaurus'' and contemporary to them, 74 mya, ''Maiasaura'' had no such striking headgear (only a small relief above the eyes), nor did it have such a wide bill like the edmontosaurines. Nonetheless, it has been one of the most important dino-finds ever. Hundreds of ''Maiasaura''s were discovered together in Montana in year 1980 by famous paleontologist Jack Horner [[hottip:*:better known as the ''Film/JurassicPark'' official consultant]], in what is known today as the “Egg Mountain”. His mountain showed not only adults, but also many fossilized, 6 ft wide, crater-like nests made of earth and full of hadrosaurian eggs, hatchlings of all ages, and even skeletons of ''embryos'' still inside the eggshells!

This reconstruction made the top of the Dinosaur Renaissance, definitively debunking the old “big, stupid, unfeeling, oafs” thing. Some years later, the discover became known among pop-writers, too. Only… ''Maiasaura''’s uncospicuous appearance was [[RuleOfCool not interesting enough]]. Even though the “good mother dinosaur” and the whole argument are widely mentioned in the 1st ''Literature/JurassicPark'' novel [[hottip:***: which, by the way, had Horner as the consultant.]], this was totally overlooked in Creator/StevenSpielberg’s following film. Other Hollywoodians resolved the problem in another way: giving ''Maiasaura''’s behaviour to other relatives. In TheLandBeforeTime, the hadrosaurs (actually, every herbivorous dinosaur) migrate through the lands and hatch their young in crater-like nests made of earth. This was copied later by Disney's ''Dinosaurs'' (this time the duckbills were substituted by ''Iguanodon''). All OK? Obviously, not. We have no proof if other dinosaurs really behaved the same. It's like saying that if sparrows build cup-like nests, then ''every'' other bird must build cup-like nests just because ''is'' a bird. Mind this: have you ever seen an ostrich or a penguin [[SomewhereAnOrnithologistIsCrying brooding their eggs in a cup-like nest built on a branch?]]

Most dinosaurs have changed their look at least once: ''Iguanodon'' has done this ''twice''. The first attempt of reconstrution showed [[http://www.places-to-go.org.uk/crystal_palace_iguanodon.htm a huge dragon-like quadruped]], and one of its thumbspikes was inaccurately put on its nose--this is justified by the very fragmentary nature of its original remains. [[hottip:*: The life-sized ''Iguanodon'' and other extinct animals were sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkings and shown to public during the 1956 Universal Exposition in London, in the famous Crystal Palace. A banquet was organized to celebrate the event… inside the still incomplete iguanodon model! Even though the palace got ultimately destroyed by a fire, the sculptures survived the incident, and are still visible in the eponymous park.]] After the discover of the complete skeletons from the "dinosaur mine" in the 1870s, the iguanodont became [[http://www.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lindahall.org/events_exhib/exhibit/exhibits/dino/img/lyd1m.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lindahall.org/events_exhib/exhibit/exhibits/dino/lyd1896.shtml&usg=__0Y-KACIfm7_8JzC-gSnQZE9TDW0=&h=400&w=351&sz=23&hl=it&start=6&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Yq01dsT-TCbeAM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=109&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dupright%2Biguanodon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dit%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-US%26rlz%3D1I7ADBF_it%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=IVRgTcm1CNCWOoOUjK4J bipedal and upright, but still reptile-looking]], often shown with iguana-spikes running along its back, and with an overall theropod appearance. Finally, studies started in the 1970 and led by English paleontologist David Norman made Iguanodon returning quadrupedal again (though still capable to stay and run on two legs), and with cheeks hiddening the teeth in the living animal. [[hottip:**: Once, all ornithischian dinosaurs were portrayed with no cheeks and a wide mouth running from ear to ear, like saurischian dinosaurs: this was based on modern reptile, which are unvariably cheek-less. The shape of ornithischian jaws showed they could have had cheeks to store plant matter during th mastication, like modern herbivorous mammals. This is confirmed by the “hadrosaurs mummies”. If alive today, ornithischians’ head would resemble an [[MixAndMatchCritter ungulate mammal but with a beak]]. An excellent example of this new portrait is seen in Disney's ''{{Dinosaur}}'', which made ''Iguanodon'' the main character in the story -- [[ExecutiveMeddling exaggerating its horse-like look]] with ''fleshy lips'' instead of the proper bill.

We’ll already mentioned ''Megalosaurus'' more than once. Why? Well, both because it was the first giant theropod known to science, and because shows neatly how ScienceMarchesOn is normal stuff in dino-science. Its first remain, a lower jaw with a single tooth left, was found in Southern England in 1824 and described by Reverend William Buckland as belonging to a “big lizard” (the meaning of its name). Buckland didn’t realize to have named the ''very first non-avian dinosaur''. At the time, the Dinosaur category didn't even exist in scientific literature.

The tendence to classify theropod fossils of every kind as ''Megalosaurus'' started soon after its first description. After the Bone Wars, ''Megalosaurus'' still remained a "Wastebasket taxon" to which all finds that were too incomplete or too ambiguous were assigned. ''Megalosaurus''es cropped up everywhere from North America to Africa and from Early Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. Finally, scientists sorted out outsiders into more than 20 genera (''Carcharodontosaurus'', ''Dilophosaurus'', and ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Eustreptospondylus]]'' among them). This clean-up ended only in the 1990s.

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauroposeidon Sauroposeidon]]'' (the god [[ClassicalMythology Poseidon]] was known too as the "Earth Shaker", geddit?) was described in 2000 based on four neck vertebrae (which were, incidentally, first thought to be petrified logs). As a brachiosaurid, it was probably the tallest animal ever. Living in Early Cretaceous USA along with ''Deinonychus'', [[ClashOfTheDinosaurs some portrayals]] have depicted deinonychosaurs bringing down adult ''Sauroposeidon''.

Stock dinosaurs are usually among the biggest / weirdest / more impressive members of each dinosaur subgroup, but not necessarily the most common in fossil record. Just as an example, ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' is known only from a dozen specimens, while other less-popular dinosaurs have left hundreds of skeletons. At the other extreme, some dinosaurs are known from a single bone or tooth.

1940: Disney's ''{{Disney/Fantasia}}'' didn't change the media image much, but introduced some new genera and reached a large audience. Introducing: ''Parasaurolophus'', ''Corythosaurus'', ''Plateosaurus'', Ornithomimids, and ''Protoceratops''.

1990s: Scientifically up-to-date writing (in the books) and computer-based animation (in the films / shows) in the ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' and ''WalkingWithDinosaurs'' franchises definitively popularized the image of dinosaurs as set up by the Dinosaur Renaissance. Introducing:
* ''Jurassic Park'' films and books: ''Velociraptor'', ''Spinosaurus'', ''Dilophosaurus'', ''Gallimimus'', ''Compsognathus'', ''Carnotaurus'', ''Maiasaura''.

!!''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrannosaurus Tyrannosaurus rex]]'' ***

Lived in western North America 67--65 mya at the very end of the Age of Dinosaurs. Other [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Tyrannosaurs]] lived in Asia in the same period, and other members of the tyrannosaurid family lived slightly earlier (still within the Late Cretaceous Period) in North America.

Lived in Northern Africa from 112 to 97 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period. At present, this is the best candidate for usurping the royal title from ''T. rex''.

''Spinosaurus'' is one of the most recognizable theropods with its 5ft / 1.5 m tall spines on its back. In the most common interpretation the spines form a "sail" similar to that of the non-dinosaur ''[[StockDinosaursNonDinosaurs Dimetrodon]]''. Some suggest they could also have formed a hump, but [[http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/dinosaur/2011/06/was-spinosaurus-a-bison-backed-dinosaur/ this is unlikely]]. A sail could have been useful as a thermoregulating device and/or a display tool, and a hump could have been for display, making the animal seem larger.

''Spinosaurus'' was first described in 1915 by a German paleontologist, but its remains are very scanty: its skull is incomplete, and we have ''no limb bones''. In older drawings ''Spinosaurus'' had a tyrannosaur-like head; today it is generally accepted that it was crocodile-headed. Due to the fragmentary nature of its remains, the actual overall size is in debate; once thought the same length of an average ''Tyrannosaurus'' (40 ft / 12 m), many paleontologists wanted to set the length at 50ft / 15 m. Lack of real evidence for this left ''T. rex'' with the official record until the discovery of ''Giganotosaurus'' in the middle 1990s.

There is some controversy regarding ''Spinosaurus''’ diet and way-of-life: did it prey on fish like its smaller cousin ''Baryonyx'' (see later), or on giant herbivores like ''Tyrannosaurus''? Experts tended to prefer the first option at the time ''JurassicParkIII'' was produced, and this fostered even more criticism about the film portrayal as the [[BigBad Ultimate Superpredator]]. Today ''Spinosaurus'' is generally believed a middle-way between these two extremes: an opportunist like a prehistoric grizzly, attacking other smaller dinosaurs when given the opportunity, as well as eating fish ([[BadAss even freshwater sharks]]), and using its size to steal kills from other predators. We're unsure about the latter, though: if it did have a fragile sail, it might break in a fight against other giant predators such as ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Carcharodontosaurus]]'', likely causing the spinosaur to bleed to death.

Here is a late entry in Pop Culture Carnivore World: ''Giganotosaurus'' from late Cretaceous South America 97 million years ago, sometimes misnamed “Gigantosaurus”. A close ''Allosaurus'' relative, it had a bigger head (6 ft / 1.80 m long, even longer than a Tyrannosaur's) and a stockier build: its looks seems rather like a cross between an allosaur and a tyrannosaur - incidentally, making the classic hybrid allo/tyranno so often seen in classic films ({{Fantasia}}, OneMillionBC… ) a sort of TruthInTelevision.

Discovered in 1993 and officially described two years later, ''Giganotosaurus'' was celebrated as “the biggest predatory dinosaur ever”, surpassing ''Tyrannosaurus'', of whom the largest specimen known (the famous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_(dinosaur) Sue]]) was discovered a few years before. The "giga" remained the record-holder until new ''Spinosaurus'' fossils were discovered in the 2000s, and the re-examination of the descriptions of older finds, reminded us that the latter was even larger, something already postulated but ignored for 80 years.

At the same time, re-examination of ''Giganotosaurus'' remains show an animal not much larger that ''Tyrannosaurus''; the only advantage in length is due to a longer snout, and had the two animals been placed side to side, they'd seem to be the same size. Its close relative ''Carcharodontosaurus'' (known since the first half of the 20th century in the form of teeth, but rediscovered in 1996), got the same treatment in the 1990s, ultimately lost the struggle for widespread recognition; and both ended up [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] in popular culture by ''Spinosaurus''.

Another South American theropod like the former, ''Carnotaurus'' lived in the late Cretaceous in a younger age, 70 million years ago. Discovered only in 1985, it is known from a single specimen, but this was one of these things every paleontologist wishes to find: the ''only'' big theropod so far found with evident skin impressions. As these prints are from the whole right side of its body, ''Carnotaurus'' is the only large dinosaur whose external look is known with a reasonable degree of sureness (but see also the extraordinary "hadrosaur mummies").

But this is not all: our carnotaur has revealed to be one of the strangest-looking dinosaurs known. Forelimbs even tinier than those of ''T. rex'', a sort of useless stubs with no true fingers (though three clawed fingers appear in many portrayals) that contrast vividly with the long legs apt for high-speed runs. Robust head with a short, bulldog-like snout. And, above all, a couple of unique bull-like horns above the eyes which no other known theropod had (Carnotaurus means "meat-eating bull"). These “devilish” horns, along with its skin being covered by rows of horny tubercles, make ''Carnotaurus'' a quite [[DinosaursAreDragons dragon-looking]] dinosaur. Ironically, with its slender body, tiny forearms, and fragile lower jaws, it's hard to imagine how it could kill large prey in RealLife.

Though it doesn't come close to rivalling ''Tyrannosaurus'' in size (it was only about 22 ft / 7 m or so in length, while a big rex would be about 43 ft / 13 m), ''Carnotaurus'' has become somewhat popular in the last decades, thanks to its [[RuleOfCool striking look]]. It was portrayed as an oversized, pseudo-rexing villain in the 2000 Disney’s {{Dinosaur}}. Before that, it also showed up in Michael Crichton's second ''Jurassic Park'' book, where its size was portrayed more accurately, but to up the threat level, it was given (quite implausible) [[HollywoodChameleons chameleon-style]] stealth abilities. Note that neither modern birds nor crocodilians can change their colors like chameleons do.

!! The "spitter": ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilophosaurus Dilophosaurus]]'' **

Two years later, the JP movie made the dilophosaur even more popular and even more incorrect. Its size was greatly decreased (it's possible that the animal seen is a juvenile), but above all, Spielberg added a totally improbable [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frilled_lizard Frilled Lizard]] -like cowl on its neck. It certainly ''did not'' have this frill; it would require a lot of specific musculature on the neck, and the imprint of this would be visible on the skeleton (it isn't). Still, '''[[FollowTheLeader all]]''' later popular depictions have represented ''Dilophosaurus'' [[DidNotDoTheResearch with this thing]].

''Allosaurus'' lived 155 to 150 million years ago in North America, Europe and maybe Africa. [[hottip:*: While the poor remains of the alleged Australian “''Allosaurus''” pertain to a totally different theropod, ''Australovenator''.]] Along with ''Tyrannosaurus'', it has traditionally been ''the'' large carnivorous dinosaur. First discovered in 1877 during the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Wars Bone Wars]], it’s the scientifically most well-known large theropod. Dozens of specimens have been found so far in Western USA, including a veritable “graveyard” in Utah. The name ''Allosaurus'' literally means "other lizard": Othniel Charles Marsh's article naming it gives no reason for the bland choice.

''Allosaurus'' entered pop culture before ''Tyrannosaurus''. After its description, was briefly considered the “biggest land carnivore ever” together with “Megalosaurus”. In Conan Doyle’s ''Literature/TheLostWorld'' (1912) the two scientists encounter a giant carnivore, and argue about whether it is an ''Allosaurus'' or a ''Megalosaurus'' (maybe a reference to the recent "bone wars".). When TyrannosaurusRex found its way into pop-consciousness, ''Allosaurus'' automatically became its PoorMansSubstitute, as the two animals tend to be easily confused with each other in the public mind.

''Ceratosaurus'' lived in the same place as ''Allosaurus'' in the late Jurassic, 153-148 mya. Usually 17-23 ft / 5-7 m long, it was smaller than most other Stock Theropods above, but still a powerful animal. Its look was that of an undersized allosaur, with the same eye-bosses and long forelimbs. Its name, “horned lizard”, underlines its more distinctive anatomical feature: a laterally-flat crest on its nose, classically described as a “nasal horn”. It was also the only known theropod to have armor in the form of bony plates along the middle of its back. Despite the resemblance, ''Ceratosaurus'' was actually more archaic than ''Allosaurus''. [[hottip:*: ''Allosaurus'' belongs to the Tetanuran branch of theropods, while ''Ceratosaurus'' is the namesake of its own branch, Ceratosaurs. Most of the other theropods discussed here are Tetanurans, except fellow ceratosaur ''Carnotaurus'', and the more primitive ''Dilophosaurus'' and ''Coelophysis''.]]

''Ceratosaurus'' was first found during the "bone wars" like ''Allosaurus'', but is much rarer in the fossil record than the latter. In paleo-art and documentaries ''Ceratosaurus'' is usually shown either as a scavenger or an underdog predator. While the allosaur is seen as the "lion" of its time, the ceratosaur might be considered the "hyena"; with its smaller size, longer teeth and stronger jaws, the comparison works. Since RealLife spotted hyenas are not lions' underdogs (as seen in the LionKing) with both co-dominating the top-predator niche, its possible that ceratosaurs and allosaurs had a similar relationship.

The horn on its nose and the armor make ''Ceratosaurus'' the most "dragon-looking" of the theropods known at the start of the 20th century. It's not [[RuleOfCool a big surprise]] that it appeared in so many classic dino-films, from simple cameos (like ''Fantasia'') up to being the main dino-actor (like the HarryhausenMovie ''Animal World'', in which two ceratosaurs get into a fight and fall off a cliff). ''Ceratosaurus'' holds the record of being the first dinosaur ever shown in non-animated cinema --the 1914 film ''Brute Force'' pitted cavemen vs dinosaurs and started the DinosaursAreDragons trope. In the following fiction ''Ceratosaurus'' received the same treatment of ''Allosaurus'', acting as a ''T. rex'' substitute for the BigBad part. With its distinctive look, the ceratosaur has lower chances than the allosaur to be confused with the tyrannosaur; on the other hand, its size was often exaggerated to make it more of a "horned tyrannosaur".

# '''Entry Time:''' 1914

We’ll already mentioned ''Megalosaurus'' more than once. Why? Well, both because it was the first giant theropod known to science, and because shows neatly how ScienceMarchesOn is normal stuff in dino-science. Its first remain, a lower jaw with a single tooth left, was found in Southern England in 1824 and described by Reverend William Buckland as belonging to a “big lizard” (the meaning of its name). Buckland didn’t realize to have named the ''very first non-avian dinosaur''. At the time, the Dinosaur category didn't even exist in scientific literature.

The tendence to classify theropod fossils of every kind as ''Megalosaurus'' started soon after its first description. After the Bone Wars, ''Megalosaurus'' still remained a "Wastebasket taxon" to which all finds that were too incomplete or too ambiguous were assigned. ''Megalosaurus''es cropped up everywhere from North America to Africa and from Early Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. Finally, scientists sorted out outsiders into more than 20 genera (''Carcharodontosaurus'', ''Dilophosaurus'', and ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Eustreptospondylus]]'' among them). This clean-up ended only in the 1990s.

The “modern” ''Megalosaurus'' is a fairly generic theropod some 30 ft / 9 m in length, similar to a robust allosaur but smaller and more primitive. Even though is mentioned in dinosaur books and some docus due to its historical significance, it stayed anonymous in pop-culture, and was rarely if ever found in recent popular works. The TV show {{Dinosaurs}} has one “megalosaur” in the form of Bob Sinclair: but he doesn't look particularly like any dinosaur at all. A ''near'' appearance is the ''Eustreptospondylus'' in WalkingWithDinosaurs, which was a smaller and more slender close relative.

''Archaeopteryx'' was discovered 1861 in the famed [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solnhofen_Limestone Solnhofen]] deposit in Germany, whose rocks have preserved fossils so well that even soft parts of animals are visible. Because of this, most specimens of ''Archaeopteryx'' found later in Germany were found with impressions of feathers. CharlesDarwin had published ''On the Origin of Species'' two years earlier, and in the following debate this "half-reptile" / "half-bird" became a key piece of evidence. A century later, ''Archaeopteryx'' was again used as crucial evidence, this time in John Ostrom's theory that modern birds had evolved within the theropod group - before, the archaeopteryx was believed a descender from non-dinosaurian Triassic archosaurs.

# '''Entry Time:''' 1861
# '''TropeMaker:''' Itself

''Ornithomimus'' was a small, agile animal (the antithesis to the classical MightyGlacier dinosaur) that lived in North America between 75--65 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous. It was 12 feet / 3.5 meters long and weighed around 220--330 lbs / 100--150 kg. Its shape was similar to a long-tailed ostrich. It had a long neck with a birdlike skull and a toothless beak. The brain and eyes were large, possibly an adaptation to support quick movement. Its tail was very long, balancing the animal when running. The legs were similar to modern running birds, with short muscular femurs, elongated tibias / shins, and three toes each. With this anatomy, it may have been the fastest non-avian dinosaur. It was most likely feathered. However, it probably only had down-covering, not true vaned feathers or “wings”.

# '''Entry Time:''' 1940 (''Ornithomimus''/''Struthiomimus''); 1993 (''Gallimimus'')
# '''TropeMaker:''' {{Disney/Fantasia}} (''Ornithomimus''/''Struthiomimus''); ''Film/JurassicPark'' film (''Gallimimus'')

ago. Described during the Bone Wars from some pieces of bone, today it is by far
the most abundant early theropod in fossil record. In the 1940s, a whole graveyard
with hundreds of specimens was found in New Mexico; traditionally said to have dead
all together in a flood, this could not be true however.

airsacs within them (its name just means "hollow frame"),

''Coelophysis'' probably hunted down small prey, which it swallowed whole.
While it could have hunted in packs, there is no evidence for such behavior.
Bones found in the stomachs of adult specimens from the aforementioned "graveyard"
were reported to belong to young ''Coelophysis'', leading the dinosaur to be described as cannibalistic.

Only 4 ft long and weighing few kilograms, ''Compsognathus'' is the smallest Stock Dinosaur (not counting ''Archaeopteryx'' and ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Microraptor]]'', which could be considered stock by some at this point). It had an elegant frame, running legs, long tail, and elongated head with weak jaws and peg-like teeth. In paleo-art, is usually shown as a hunter of insects, small vertebrates and sometimes archaeopteryges (the latter is unlikely though). Once portrayed with two-fingered, ''T. rex''-like hands and sometimes even ''fin-like hands'', ''Compsognathus'' actually had typical three-fingered hands (the errors were due to the incompleteness of the two known specimen's hands).

If you hear about it in documentary media, it will likely be for two things: its former record of "the smallest dinosaur" (classically described as [[TastesLikeChicken chicken-sized]], its size was upgraded by later finds) and its former status as "the closest relative of Archaeopteryx" (despite similarities, it was possibly less-close to birds than tyrannosaurs). Though ''Compsognathus'' may at least have had downy covering, it had not pennaceous feathers.

It was given the name ''Oviraptor'', meaning "egg-thief", because its first remains (a crushed skull) was found next to a clutch of eggs which were thought to belong to the small ceratopsian ''Protoceratops''. In the 1990s the eggs were found to contain oviraptor chicks: the specimen was brooding its eggs. This was further confirmed few years later, when an oviraptorid skeleton was found just above a nest full of the same kind of eggs. The actual diet of oviraptorids is a matter of speculation – they could have been fruit-eaters, predators, or both; they could even have fed on eggs if given the chance.

Living in North America some 75--65 million years ago alongside giant tyrannosaurs, ''Troodon'' was a small dinosaur only around 7.9 ft / 2.4 m in length and weighing some 110 lb / 50 kg. It was still the largest member of the troodontid family, a sibling family to ''Dromaeosauridae'' and among the closest relatives to birds. Troodontids looked a lot like dromaeosaurids (see ''Velociraptor'', above), including having feather covering, but their toe claw was less formidable and their legs were longer.

''Troodon'' had larger eyes and ears than most dinosaurs, and a relatively large brain. Its forwards-pointing eyes show binocular vision. With its small, relatively blunt teeth, It was likely a mostly-carnivorous omnivore, but has been classically portrayed as a quick, cunning nocturnal hunter of small mammals, with grasping hands, bulbous eyes, and cat-like or even ''gecko-like'' pupils.

Its first remain was a single tooth (hence the name, “wounding tooth”), one of the very first north-american dinosaurs found (1856), but initially believed a lizard, then a pachycephalosaurian. Meanwhile, a small theropod, ''Stenonychosaurus'', was described in the 1920s, and classified as a generic “coelurosaur”. In the 1980s, one scientists found the two animals being one and the same, and ''Stenonychosaurus'' fell in disuse in favor to ''Troodon''. In the same years, scientists found the troodont’s brain being the biggest respect-to-the-size among all dinosaurs: this gave to it the reputation of “the smartest dinosaur” in popular books - despite this, its brain was still smaller than most modern birds.

The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauropodomorpha Sauropodomorphs]] ("sauropod-shaped") include dinosaurs with long necks. Most of them pertain to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauropoda Sauropods]] subgroup, while all the other members are traditionally called [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosauropoda Prosauropods]].

dinosaurs with long necks and tails. Some of them were the largest land animals that

survive the fall, they'd starve to death from lack of nutritious food. If submerged,

Found in the 1870s during the "bone wars", for a long time this was the iconic image of a sauropod.

''Apatosaurus'' ("deceptive lizard": a [[HilariousInHindsight stunningly apt name]]) is actually better known as "Brontosaurus" ("thunder lizard"), though the name change is beginning to penetrate into public consciousness.

precedence being created first, the name "Brontosaurus" was dropped.

dinosaur lived in western North America during the Late Jurassic Period, 154--150 million years ago. Both dinosaurs belonged to the same family, Diplodocidae, and many features of ''Apatosaurus'' (the whip-like tail, the skull-shape, and the longer hindlimbs) are shared by ''Diplodocus'' as well. Unlike ''Apatosaurus'', ''Diplodocus''’ portraits have always had a narrow-ended tail and the long head with a flattened snout typical of diplodocids (the ''Diplodocus''’ skull and tail-end are known since the first discoveries). This means, the two animals can be easily distinguished from each other in older media (unless the artists DidNotDoTheResearch or TheyJustDidntCare).

(10--16 metric tons); the ''Diplodocus'' shape was more slender and elegant than the robust ''Apatosaurus'', with a longer, slimmer neck. ''Diplodocus'' has classically been qualified as “the longest dinosaur”, but this record is now contended by other diplodocids, like ''Supersaurus''.

In recent years, the documentary ''WalkingWithDinosaurs'' has made popular some recent theories about ''Diplodocus'' and sauropods in general: the straight, horizontal neck posture and the iguana-like spiky back. The first is due to analysis of the neck vertebrae using computer models; the second arose from a discovery made in the 1990s of a diplo with prints of horny spikes near its back. Both theories are now disputed: maybe sauropods could fold their neck and lift it like most modern long-necked animals, while the spikes might be spread over the animal's back instead of one a single line. We don't know if other sauropods did have such a feature, but spiky longnecks are now a common sight in books and art.

Also in Jurassic Park, a brachiosaur is shown with an oversized head with fleshy lips, chewing vegetation like a cow. Sauropods didn't chew: their teeth were more suited to cutting plant material (in the case of the brachiosaur), or to raking it like a comb (like the diplodocids). Even worse, some toys and drawings show brachiosaurs with ''diplodocid body and legs''. They are usually still recognizable, however, having upright necks and the classic domed head.

Sadly, ''Brachiosaurus'' recently also went through some naming troubles, but its situation isn't as severe as the ''Apatosaurus''-''Brontosaurus'' deal – the name ''Brachiosaurus'' remains valid, however its best-known species, ''B. brancai'', had to be placed in a different genus, named ''Giraffatitan''.[[hottip:*:Gregory S. Paul first suggested they were distinct in 1988. This suggestion was followed by George Olshevsky in 1991 and DougalDixon in 2006. Otherwise, it was not taken seriously until Michael Taylor proved Paul, Olshevsky and Dixon correct in 2009.]] This means that much of what we know of ''Brachiosaurus'', as well as its stock-status, should actually be attributed to this "new" dinosaur. ''Giraffatitan'' (“titanic giraffe”) was found in Africa in the Tendaguru site, two decades after the original brachiosaur, and, unlike the latter, is known from complete remains.

Titanosaurs are based on the genus ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Titanosaurus]]''

weight at about 73 metric tons (about twice a ''Brachiosaurus'').
Few people know, however, than another South American titanosaur, ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Antarctosaurus]]'', has left some remains almost the same size of the argentinosaur, which were found ''several decades before''. Being very scant and dubious, they have been largely ignored.

demonstration of the immense size of these animals. It’s strange, however, unlike its predator ''Giganotosaurus'', ''Argentinosaurus'' has not received much attention
in fiction since that. Maybe because, size-related impressiveness apart,
the argentinosaurs here do nothing sensational - the adults continue to walk

* ''Ultrasaurus''; this is a story written across TheEighties and TheNineties about two sets of bones and one name. The US set of bones (a bit of backbone and a shoulder girdle) was described as "Ultrasaurus", the largest dinosaur ever... to the press, not in a scientific paper. The South Korean set of bones (a bit of backbone and an upper forearm) was a described few years later as an ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasaurus Ultrasaurus]]''. It later turned out to be a much smaller animal, but kept the name. This, however, prevented the US animal from being called ''Ultrasaurus'' officially, so they had to settle for "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersaurus Ultrasauros]]". It was still the largest dinosaur, though. Well, at least for a few years, until it was realized that the US set of bones was actually from two different animals, a ''Supersaurus'' and a ''Brachiosaurus'': the name "Ultrasauros" was consequently discarded in favor of ''Supersaurus''. The US ultrasaur was depicted as a brachiosaurid 30 m long, 16 m tall and with a weight up to 130 tons. It showed up in some documentaries of the time, and is cited in CalvinAndHobbes as well as in the first JP novel (which mentions the following example, too.)

now being referred to as ''basal sauropodomorphs''). ''Plateosaurus'' has been considered
the prototypical "sauropod predecessor", is the most common in fossil record and one of the largest as well.

dinosaur in European fossil record. More than 100 specimens are known, and even a "graveyard", in Southern Germany.

were small and blunt, apt to grabbing vegetation instead of tearing meat.

Traditionally depicted as a slow quadruped which rears up its hindlegs to reach higher foliage (like diplodocids), today ''Plateosaurus'' is thought an exclusively bipedal beast, and believed to have been capable of rapid runs if necessary. It may have defended itself with its thumbclaws.

as in most other portraits made before few years ago.
However, some ''Plateosaurus''-looking dinosaurs occasionally crop up in TV

these two groups: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stegosauria stegosaurians]]

Lived in Late Jurassic North America, 155 to 150 million years ago, and was

distinctive silhouette, ''Stegosaurus'' has always been one of the most iconic dinosaurs of all,

The several ''Stegosaurus'' species were from 24 ft / 7.5 m up to 30 ft / 9 m long, and weighed from 1.5 up to 5 metric tons. Its plates and deep body made it looking bigger than it was when watched from the side: actually, the stegosaur’s body was laterally-flattened, and not so heavy as it seems. Its front-legs were much shorter than hindlegs, and the neck was set low above the ground (but not the same degree as in old portraits). Despite its overall size, ''Stegosaurus'' had a remarkably small head, with room for only 2.8 oz / 80 g of brain (often stated as "walnut-sized") [[hottip:*:actually it was substantially larger than a walnut ]]. This has made it the most iconic dinosaur within the “Dinosaurs Are Dumb” subtrope (even though sauropods are not far away). The small brain does ''not'' mean that stegosaurs and sauropods were witless, though. And they ''didn’t'' have a secondary brain in their hip region as is often stated; the extra space there probably accommodated the nerves for the hindquarters.

still crop up occasionally.

long and possibly weighed up to 6 metric tons, even though some extimations scale it up to 9-10 m.
This because, despite its size, its remains are quite scant, with no complete skeletons still found. Its iconic status among ankylosaurians could be explained by [[RuleOfCool its sheer size]] (it’s often said “the largest ankylosaurian”), but also because its own dinosaurian group is called with its name. ''Ankylosaurus'' was also one of the most strongly-armored ankylosaurians – several sources have described it as a “living tank”.

Discovered in 1908 and famous since the 1940s, ''Ankylosaurus'' is often portrayed
defending itself against some large theropod like ''T. rex'' (e.g. the finale of ''WalkingWithDinosaurs''), either repairing under its armor or using its tail-club as a medieval mace, breaking the legs of its opponent.

those of other large herbivores and almost always found isolated.

club, or to have it shaped incorrectly - for example, making it two-lobed like that of
its scientifically better-known relative ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Euoplocephalus]]'':
actually it should be elliptical. Another mistake is to add spikes to the "club".

large and small plates and be interspersed with short spikes.
Many classic portraits, on the other hand, show long spikes only on the sides,

should have four horns behind the eyes and the ends of the mouth.

Being related each other, Stegosaurs and Ankylosaurs shared many features. They had the typical Ornithischian jaws, with teeth only on the back and a toothless beak on the tip. However, their beak/teeth were weaker than other ornithischians (ceratopsians, ornithopods); maybe they chewed only soft plant material near the ground-level. Like sauropods, stegosaurians and ankylosaurians tend to be shown as rather slow-moving animals, and pre-“renaissance” depictions did portray four-legged dinosaurs with splayed legs and dragged tails. Actually quadrupedal dinos had erect limbs (among them only sauropods had true claws), and footprints show they usually kept their tails above the ground when walking around.

The most recent group of ornithischian dinosaurs, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marginocephalia marginocephalians]] were closer to ornithopods (see further) than to thyreophorans (see previous), and are divided in two very different subgroups: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratopsia ceratopsians]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachycephalosauria pachycephalosaurs]], unified by their armored head.

The ceratopsians were a group of dinosaurs characterized by a bony "frill" at the back of the neck. Starting as small bipedal animals like ''all'' the main dinosaur groups, they evolved towards a heavy quadrupedal body plan, while lengthening the frill and growing horns on their eyebrows and nose. Even though ceratopsians had erect limbs like every other quadrupedal dinosaur, several portraits have shown them with splayed frontal legs.

The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratopsidae ceratopsid]] family contains all the largest members of the group. Apart from the frill-shape and number/length of the horns, ceratopsids shared the same basic look. They are classically divided in two subgroups: those with long frontal horns, short nasal horn and (usually) long frills; and those with short frill, no frontal horns, and (usually) a long nasal horn. ''Triceratops'' is a short-frilled member of the first subgroup, while ''Styracosaurus'' is a good example of the second one.

Lived 68 to 65 million years ago in Late Cretaceous North America. It was one of the last discoveries from the Bone Wars. [[hottip:*:Its original find, an isolated horn-core, was believed from a ''bison''.]] Its name means "three-horned face" and is due to its most prominent feature. It was about 26—29.5 ft / 7.9—9 m long and weighing about 6—12 metric tons. Hundreds of skulls are known so far, but not a complete skeleton. Two main species are recognized today, even though up to 15 species were described at one point.

''Triceratops'' has traditionally been considered the largest ceratopsian; its size and abundance in the fossil record have contributed to making it the most popular one. It has always been beloved by dino-fans. Maybe because with its short tail and rhino-like body, it is the least [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent reptilian-looking]] among the Great Stock Dinos even in older depictions; or maybe, because of its historical reputation as "the only plant-eater [[BadAss able to defeat]] the BigBad [[TyrannosaurusRex Tyrannosaurus rex]]". Its portrayal in ''Film/JurassicPark'' consolidated ''Triceratops''' popularity even more: the touching scene of the sick triceratops with the caring humans around has remained in public consciousness. And how could we forget the strong temper of [[CuteBruiser Cera]] in the LandBeforeTime film?

Compared to other stock dinosaurs, ''Triceratops'' and his relatives have been portrayed fairly accurately. The ceratopsids in the original movie ''The Lost World'' (the TropeMaker, from year 1925) are nearly as realistic as those seen in the 1999 docu ''WalkingWithDinosaurs'' (which are actually ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Torosaurus]]'' [[hottip:**:however, recent research suggests that ''Torosaurus'' is just a more mature form of ''Triceratops'']]). ScienceMarchesOn even for “Mr. Three-Horn” however, and recent finds indicate that it was covered in bristles.

''Triceratops'' and ''T. rex'' have been shown fighting in modern works from the first dino-movies and through the whole paleoartistic tradition (including one especially iconic [[http://www.charlesrknight.com/Enlarge.htm?109 painting]]). Though it may even be TruthInTelevision, it's likely that the tyrannosaur preferred younger and more vulnerable prey than an adult ''Triceratops''. The evident resemblance with rhinos means writers can’t resist the urge to make triceratopses acting like rhinos or even bulls. They’ll be ill-tempered, will charge everything, and could even ''moo'' like bovines.

Several genera of horned dinosaurs other than ''Triceratops'' existed in Late Cretaceous North America, but only some of them have made appearances in pop-culture, and ''Styracosaurus'' is the only one to do so with regularity, sometimes as substitute for ''Triceratops'', other times together with it. Being more spectacular but less-common in fossil record than other ceratopsids, this makes the usual RuleOfCool example.

''Styracosaurus'' lived in North America 76—75 million years ago, slightly earlier than ''Triceratops''. It was discovered in 1913 during the second great North American "dino-rush". [[hottip:*:Most Cretaceous dinosaurs were actually described during this “rush”, But only the coolest-looking ones joined the stock dinosaur ensemble: ''Styracosaurus'', ''Ankylosaurus'', ''Struthiomimus'', ''Parasaurolophus'', and to a lesser degree, ''Corythosaurus''.]] About half as long as a triceratops (only 18 ft / 5.5 m, weighing nearly 3 tons), the styracosaur was actually even more rhino-like. It had much longer horn above the nose but only hints of horns above its eyes. It had a round, short frill, but this headgear was one to match: several pairs of long spikes protruding from the end of the frill in a rayed manner, and shorter protuberances in the anterior edge. This sort of HornedHairdo

Why do ceratopsids have their frill? The bony core has a pair of large holes that make it less heavy but also less useful as protection (''Triceratops'' was the only ceratopsid that ''didn’t'' have those holes). The frill could have been raised for threat display. Another hypothesis is that it was a thermoregulating device (like ''Stegosaurus'' plates, ''Triceratops'' shield seems rich in blood-vessels). Maybe the frill was for making the several ceratopsid species more distinctive (like the hadrosaur crests, see further). It is also possible that frills show sexual dimorphism.

The styracosaur has appeared in several works since the first portrayal in 1933 (in ''[[KingKong Son Of Kong]]''), and is also a common feature in toys and popular books. On the other hand, recent documentaries haven’t represented it so frequently. Maybe because in RealLife ''Styracosaurus'' could not battle TyrannosaurusRex as ''Triceratops'' did, but only smaller carnivores like ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Daspletosaurus]]''.

Because of its relatively modest appearence, ''Protoceratops'' is less-portrayed in pop-media than ''Triceratops'' and ''Styracosaurus''. Maybe the most well-known protoceratops is B.J., that yellow guy seen in Series/BarneyAndFriends. In the much more beloved book-series {{Dinotopia}}, the talking dino-character who befriends humans is also a ''Protoceratops''.

skull roof. Like ceratopsians, there is the possibility that were omnivores.

Dino" is quite understandable. A number of bony knobs and blunt spikes around
the base of the dome and on its nose contrasted with the smoothness of the dome

tonsure[[hottip:***:I.e. a "Roman tonsure".]]; hence the epithet

''Pachycephalosaurus'', which became the type genus for the group. Consequently,

trying to kill one of the protagonists with headbutts. The headbutting is a

heads into each other (the classic theory), or bashing each others'
flanks (as proposed in the 2000s). Since females had thick
heads too, this seems unlikely; also, their heads would have slippered each other
if rammed against each other. Finally, their necks were probably too weak

bonehead.

[[/folder]]

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrosauridae Hadrosaurs]] are nicknamed "duck-billed dinosaurs" because of their wide, flat beak especially evident in some species, less in others. The most evolved Ornithopods, their grinding maxillary mechanism was the most efficient of all reptiles ever, and they also developed complex prominences above their skull with social function.

Hadrosaurs have an unusually high number of kinds portrayed in popular media, but four have received the greatest attention: ''Parasaurolophus'' and ''Corythosaurus'' thanks to their evident headgears; ''Edmontosaurus'' (called “Trachodon” or “Anatosaurus” in old media), because is the most duck-billed duckbill, and one of the first described too; and ''Maiasaura'', which has heavily contributed to the “dino-renaissance”. Breaking the usual rule, none of them is the biggest known hadrosaur.

Lived 76 to 73 million years ago in Late Cretaceous North America. 35 ft / 10 m long and weighing 4/5 metric tons (like an elephant), ''Parasaurolophus'' was a typical hadrosaur, with longer and stronger hindlimbs than forelimbs, three-toed feet ending with blunt nails, a long powerful tail, a small “hump” on its shoulders, a flexible neck, and the classic “duck-billed” head (although the “bill” was not as wide as other relatives). Its long, backwards-pointing protrusion made its skull a bit longer than a human’s height. Even though is often called a “horn”, it was actually an extension of the nasal cavities, and ended with a blunt point. [[hottip:*:Of course, don’t exclude to see “paras” in media with the crest looking [[HornedHairdo like a literal horn]]]]. Its unique crest makes ''Parasaurolophus'' one of the most popular hadrosaurs (if ''the'' most popular). Significatively, parasaurolophus’ remains are rarer than other duckbills.

The hadrosaurs’ lacking of specific weapons has made them nicknamed “the Cretaceous antelopes”. They are usually shown in dino-books and documentaries as "chosen preys" for tyrannosaurs, “raptors” and even giant crocodiles, uncapable to offer resistence and obliged to flee away from them. This could be TruthInTelevision, but in RealLife “duckbills” were not exactly gazelle-like things. Adult hadrosaurs were strong and heavily-built: in a high-speed collision against a tyrannosaur, the hadrosaur had less chances to fall down (and more chances to rise again thanks to its longer forefeet). It's easier to imagine tyrannosaurs hunted young hadrosaurs more often than adults.

This dinosaur has a rather strange destiny in fiction: it has appeared in ''almost every'' dino-film, but almost always with minor roles – basically with the only purpose to increase the variety of the "dinosaur world". And don’t expect to hear its name, too. [[hottip:**: Even though not one of the shortest dino-names, it remains coolly-sounding anyway]]. A good example is in the ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' films. Some ''Parasaurolophus''es are visible behing the ''Brachiosaurus'' in the famous “Welcome to Jurassic Park!” scene; some are seen in both sequels, too. But all these were simple cameos, and the animal is ''never'' named. Other unnamed apparitions are in Disney’s ''Fantasia'' and ''Dinosaurs''. One rare example of a major-character ''Parasaurolophus'' is seen in TheLandBeforeTime… at least, Ducky and her parents are officially labeled so: they’re actually another hadrosaur, ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Saurolophus]]''.

''Edmontosaurus'' is one of the most scientifically known dinosaurs (or even ''the most of all''). More than 10,000 known specimens show every evidence about its life (even diseases). The most striking ones are the “petrified mummies”, which have preserved not only skin prints, but also ''hardened muscles''. If you don't believe us, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachodon_mummy see]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_(fossil) here]]. The second find is very recent, and shows an unexpected thing: hadrosaurs had a much more massive tail than traditionally thought. If this’d be true for all dinosaurs, then [[ScienceMarchesOn many classic studies about dinosaur biomechanics should be reviewed]]. For example, hadrosaurs and ''Iguanodon'' are often thought mainly quadrupedal, but a heavier tail would made their center of gravity just under their hips, perfectly balancing their body on two legs. Maybe hadrosaurs mainly walked on two feet and stayed on all fours only when grazing or resting, like kangaroos. [[hottip:**: It’s worth noting most hadrosaur and iguanodont tracks do not show prints of forelimbs.]]

''Anatotitan'' deserves the "duck-billed dinosaur" title more than any other hadrosaur, with its flat head and spatula-like beak. ''Edmontosaurus'' had a stockier head and a an undulating-edged upper bill, but was still more duckish than most relatives. Their DonaldDuck-like face made these dinosaurs unusually nice-looking. In popular work, their “duckness” may be strongly exaggerated, rendering its flat bill literally identical to a duck's, without any teeth or cheeks. In RealLife, hadrosaurs were not exactly toothless. Behind their bill they had up to ''a thousand'' teeth closely packed together in “batteries” and capable to grind the toughest vegetation—fossil pine needles have been found in the aforementioned mummies. Maybe edmontosaurines had a flap of inflatable skin on their nose to amplify their calls, but this is only a supposition.

''Trachodon'' first appeared in pop-media in 1925 (''Film/TheLostWorld'' film adaptation), in which is portrayed as a prey for a giant carnivore. Since then, it became THE duckbill in public consciousness, to the point “trachodont” was also used as a popular synonym of “hadrosaur”. Since the “renaissance” times, “Anatosaurus” has become the most widely-used name. [[hottip:***:Note that "''Anatosaurus''" and "''Edmontosaurus''" (regalis) were both valid before 1990, described as two distinct hadrosaurs in dino-books and documentaries.]] After 1990, ''Trachodon'' and ''Anatosaurus'' are rapidly disappearing in pop-consciousness – even though their ghost is still seen sometimes, like the "brontosaur" one. As it seems, ''Edmontosaurus'' and ''Anatotitan'' haven’t gone a long way in non-docu media: when an edmontosaurine appears, is simply known as “duckbill”, and the crested ''Parasaurolophus'' has become the most portrayed hadrosaur today. Compensating this, edmontosaurines are quite common in modern CGI documentaries, being the only hadrosaurs which could have met TyrannosaurusRex in RealLife. “Anatotitan” became popularized by WalkingWithDinosaurs, and has also appeared in {{Primeval}}. ''Edmontosaurus'' has not received the same attention in TV, but is the most common in current dino-books.

Hadrosaurs were very diversified in RealLife. Even though they shared the same body-plan, their head was ''wildly'' diverse. They are divided in two main lineages: basically, those with hollow crests, and those without. Other than ''Parasaurolophus'', the only hollow-crested duckbill with a significant number of appearances in pop-media is ''Corythosaurus''. Naturally, the latter has been a much rarer sight. In the''Franchise/JurassicPark'' film series ''Corythosaurus'' joins ''Parasaurolophus'' only in the third film. Just like “Parasaurolophus”, good luck if you'll ever hear “Corythosaurus” named outside documentary media.

''Corythosaurus'' was the same size of ''Parasaurolophus'' (10 m long), and lived in Late Cretaceous North America 77-76 mya. A classic error in paleo-art is to depict these two dinosaurs living alongside ''[[TyrannosaurusRex Tyrannosaurus rex]]''. Since the “rex” was discovered in more recent terrains (68-65 mya), this makes a slight AnachronismStew case. First discovered in 1912 by Barnum Brown [[hottip:*: Barnum Brown is better-known for having found the very first ''Tyrannosaurus'' skeletons in Montana some decades before]], the “cory”, unlike the “para”, has one of the richest records among hadrosaurs. Several complete specimens known to science, including many juveniles.

The corythosaur’s cranial structure was similar to the parasaurolophus, with expanded nasal bones which formed a crest. However, the ''Corythosaurus'' crest was very different than ''Parasaurolophus'': it was laterally-flattened, round-shaped, and put upright above the head. It shape has often been compared to a Greek helmet (''Corythosaurus'' just means "helmet lizard"), but some have (more prosaically) defined it as frisbee-like or dish-like. This crest was hollow like that of ''Parasaurolophus'', but with less-complex internal structure. It seems very different-sized and also different-shaped between genders and growth stages: adult males have the biggest, tallest and roundest ones, while those of females and youngsters were smaller and narrower, and the hatchlings were born devoid of it.

This hadrosaur deserves a special mention. The same size of ''Parasaurolophus'' and ''Corythosaurus'' and contemporary to them, 74 mya, ''Maiasaura'' had no such striking headgear (only a small relief above the eyes), nor did it have such a wide bill like the edmontosaurines. Nonetheless, it has been one of the most important dino-finds ever. Hundreds of ''Maiasaura''s were discovered together in Montana in year 1980 by famous paleontologist Jack Horner [[hottip:*:better known as the ''Film/JurassicPark'' official consultant]], in what is known today as the “Egg Mountain”. His mountain showed not only adults, but also many fossilized, 6 ft wide, crater-like nests made of earth and full of hadrosaurian eggs, hatchlings of all ages, and even skeletons of ''embryos'' still inside the eggshells!

Horner and then other scientists made this possible reconstruction of ''Maiasaura'' lifestyle. Huge herds of possibly 10.000 individuals used to migrate across Western North America from the northern Canada south to Montana to winter in their island. Here, they mated, built their nests, laid their eggs, and filled their nests with decaying vegetation to keep the precious eggs warm. [[hottip:**: Remains of fossilized rotting plant material have been found in these nests. Being too heavy adult ''Maiasaura''s didn't brood their eggs like modern chickens do.]] After the hatching, adults feed their helpless babies with good food, moved by their cute appearance (the babies’ skulls show large eyes and short muzzles like modern mammal cubs). After having developed their skeleton, the youngsters started to search their food on their own; finally, the whole herd undertook again their migration toward the North, to pass here the Polar summer. In short, an overall behaviour ''very'' similar to many modern migrating birds.

This reconstruction made the top of the Dinosaur Renaissance, definitively debunking the old “big, stupid, unfeeling, oafs” thing. Some years later, the discover became known among pop-writers, too. Only… ''Maiasaura''’s uncospicuous appearance was [[RuleOfCool not interesting enough]]. Even though the “good mother dinosaur” and the whole argument are widely mentioned in the 1st ''Literature/JurassicPark'' novel [[hottip:***: which, by the way, had Horner as the consultant.]], this was totally overlooked in StevenSpielberg’s following film. Other Hollywoodians resolved the problem in another way: giving ''Maiasaura''’s behaviour to other relatives. In TheLandBeforeTime, the hadrosaurs (actually, every herbivorous dinosaur) migrate through the lands and hatch their young in crater-like nests made of earth. This was copied later by Disney's ''Dinosaurs'' (this time the duckbills were substituted by ''Iguanodon''). All OK? Obviously, not. We have no proof if other dinosaurs really behaved the same. It's like saying that if sparrows build cup-like nests, then ''every'' other bird must build cup-like nests just because ''is'' a bird. Mind this: have you ever seen an ostrich or a penguin [[SomewhereAnOrnithologistIsCrying brooding their eggs in a cup-like nest built on a branch?]]

Living 126 to 125 million years ago in Early Cretaceous Europe, this is the most iconic non-avian dinosaur from the “old continent”. It’s also one of the most scientifically well-known dinosaurs, and one of the most abundant in fossil record. ''Iguanodon'' has had a special role within the stock dino-ensemble. Along with ''Megalosaurus'', it’s the only dinosaur that has covered the whole history of scientific and popular portraits, but unlike the megalosaur, has managed to preserve its fame still today.

When the first ever mounted display of a sauropod skeleton was erected at Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural

# '''TropeMaker:''' display at Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History (as "Brontosaurus")

1990s: Scientifically up-to-date writing (in the books) and computer-based animation (in the films / shows) in the ''JurassicPark'' and ''WalkingWithDinosaurs'' franchises definitively popularized the image of dinosaurs as set up by the Dinosaur Renaissance. Introducing:

''T. rex'' was described in 1905 by Henry Osborn. Since then, it has been a hit with the audience and possibly ''the'' most famous dinosaur for almost a century. During this time ''T. rex'' has changed from the [[MightyGlacier heavy, fat-bellied giant]] with goose-like gait and flexible tail to the [[LightningBruiser slender, running beast]] seen in JurassicPark. We are still waiting to see its chicks depicted with downy covering, though.

Works from before the 1970s ''never'' represent dromaeosaurids, simply because they were too obscure at the time. Between 1970 and the JurassicPark mania in the 1990s, the most represented "raptor" (though not yet known as such) in popular culture was ''Deinonychus''. For instance, see DinoRiders, DinosaursAttack, and the ''RuneQuest Borderlands'' tabletop [=RPG=] adventure. It was JurassicPark that caused ''Velociraptor'' to displace ''Deinonychus'' as the stock sickle-clawed dino and started the usage of "raptor" for dromaeosaurid in the mind of the public. (Prior to this, "raptor" was used only to indicate birds of prey.) There are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_issues_in_Jurassic_Park#Velociraptor several issues]] with the [[RaptorAttack depiction of raptors]] in the film.

At the same time that the name ''Velociraptor'' became popular, a new dromaeosaurid was discovered in Utah. This animal was older and larger than ''Deinonychus'', living 128--105 mya and being 23 ft / 7 m long and as tall as a human. It was named ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utahraptor Utahraptor]]'', beginning an awesome case of science culture SureWhyNot -- before JurassicPark, no genus of dromaeosaurids except ''Velociraptor'' had the ''-raptor'' suffix to its name. Since the film, paleontologists started to use it for naming most new dromaeosaurids.

# '''TropeMaker''': The “Dinosaur Renaissance” (''Deinonychus''); ''JurassicPark'' (''Velociraptor''); ''WalkingWithDinosaurs'' (''Utahraptor'')

Meanwhile, the spinosaur remained an only-known-among-dino-lovers dinosaur… until, in year 2001, ''JurassicPark 3'' (which fans [[FanonDisContinuity don’t really like to talk about]] but was nonetheless popular) changed this situation in a blink. This film introduced the spinosaur to the audience as “bigger and badder” than a ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. Many dino-fans complained that the JP spinosaur was oversized and altered to make it a sort of Pseudo-Rex thing. Then, new discoveries told us Spielberg wasn't totally wrong: ''Spinosaurus'' really ''was'' bigger than ''Tyrannosaurus rex''. Not only that, it was indeed the biggest of the lot, and is still considered to be so.

There is some controversy regarding ''Spinosaurus''’ diet and way-of-life: did it prey on fish like its smaller cousin ''Baryonyx'' (see later), or on giant herbivores like ''Tyrannosaurus''? Experts tended to prefer the first option at the time ''JurassicPark 3'' was produced, and this fostered even more criticism about the film portrayal as the [[BigBad Ultimate Superpredator]]. Today ''Spinosaurus'' is generally believed a middle-way between these two extremes: an opportunist like a prehistoric grizzly, attacking other smaller dinosaurs when given the opportunity, as well as eating fish ([[BadAss even freshwater sharks]]), and using its size to steal kills from other predators. We're unsure about the latter, though: if it did have a fragile sail, it might break in a fight against other giant predators such as ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Carcharodontosaurus]]'', likely causing the spinosaur to bleed to death.

# '''TropeMaker:''' JurassicPark 3

# '''TropeMaker:''' The Lost World - JurassicPark (novel)

''Dilophosaurus'' was first described in 1954 in Arizona from scant remains lacking the head, and was initially thought to be another species of the "wastebasket taxon" ''Megalosaurus''. The first head complete with double-crest was found only several years later; in 1970, the animal received the name ''Dilophosaurus'', "double-crested lizard". It's unlikely that many people outside the dino-fandom had ever heard of ''Dilophosaurus'' before the novel ''JurassicPark'' was published in 1990. Here it was depicted as capable of spitting venom like some species of cobra, which it probably couldn't do in RealLife (venomous saliva is unknown among modern birds and crocodiles).

Just like ''Velociraptor'', ''Dilophosaurus'' became a household name after the film, commonly known as the Spitting Dinosaur. Even though it has not appeared in any of the sequels, the JP portrayal has remained in pop-consciousness, coincidentally preventing the RealLife animal from become more widely-known. Today, the ever-increasing public interest in dinosaurs (mainly started thanks to JurassicPark) is making Spielberg’s MixAndMatchCritter more and more of a Lost Subtrope.

# '''TropeMaker:''' JurassicPark (novel)

''Ceratosaurus'' is quite rare in films these days: the only relevant example is a short cameo in ''JurassicPark 3'', in which it’s not even named (but at least is correct-sized). Even modern documentaries rarely represent it –the WalkingWithDinosaurs series didn’t show it at all. The recent ''Ceratosaurus'' decline is probably due to the occurrence of other, newly-discovered theropods since the seventies: ''Carnotaurus'' in particular, being similar yet even more BadAss looking.

Discovered in the 1970s, ''Gallimimus'' was one of the largest ornithomimids - 20 ft / 6 m long, with some reports of sizes up to 8 meters long, as long as several giant predatory theropods. It lived in Mongolia in the late Cretaceous, 70 mya. Apart from its longer, blunter snout and slightly shorter legs, its appearance was that of an enlarged ''Ornithomimus''. With its large fossil record ''Gallimimus'' has become a common sight in dino-books since the eighties, but has entered the pop-consciousness only after JurassicPark (the film, not the novel, which has ''Maiasaura'' in the stampede scene).

# '''TropeMaker:''' {{Disney/Fantasia}} (''Ornithomimus''/''Struthiomimus''); JurassicPark film (''Gallimimus'')

A common sight in classic dino-books, the apparition in ''The Lost World: JurassicPark'' in 1997 brought ''Compsognathus'' some popularity among a wider public. In the film, it is a [[KillerRabbit deceptively cute critter]] which attacks in [[ZergRush huge packs]] and kills humans with a paralytic bite. While ''Compsognathus'' may have been cute (its name means "dainty-jaw"), in RealLife there is no indication of social behavior, and its jaws and teeth were strictly adapted to catch small prey. The fact that the original specimen's stomach cavity contained only a small lizard would tend to support this.

# '''TropeMaker:''' ''The Lost World: JurassicPark''

As with other sauropods, it was associated with water in older reconstructions. To accommodate its upright shape, ''Brachiosaurus'' was often shown totally submerged in lakes, with only their head and, sometimes, ''only their nostrils'' above the water level. Needless to say, this is quite unrealistic. [[hottip:*: Since sauropods’ skulls have high-settled nasal openings, they are classically shown with their nostrils on the top of their heads like the blowholes of a whale; it was recently hypothized they could actually be on the end of their snouts like every other dinosaur.]] In modern portrayals, ''Brachiosaurus'' has often been described as a "prehistoric giraffe" capable of browsing the highest vegetation that other sauropods were not capable to reach – unless diplodocids were able to stand upright on their hindlegs. Brachiosaurs probably weren’t capable of the latter having their center of gravity much farther forward, and their shorter tails didn't provide support (it would only bring a little bit of extra reach anyway). In popular media, they still do: in ''JurassicPark'', a brachiosaur is rearing up its hindlegs to reach a tiny branch. In Disney's ''Dinosaur'', the brachiosaur Baylene is able to remain in a ''fully erect'' position for 30 seconds to break the wall of a cave with her forefeet.

If you see ''Stegosaurus'' in popular media, don't be surprised to see inaccuracies. To this day, it could have paired plates or even plates in a single line, instead of zigzagging in two lines. And it could have two, three, five, six, or even ''eight'' spikes. In some cases the neck is unrealistically long, like Dinny in AlleyOop, making it resemble a cross between a stegosaurian and a sauropod. In many old films, ''Stegosaurus'' is shown as a sorta "predestined loser" against big meat-eaters like ''Allosaurus'', ''Ceratosaurus'' or ''[[AnachronismStew Tyrannosaurus]]'', being too slow to defend itself effectively. On the other hand, in modern portraits ''Stegosaurus'' tend to be more a more BadAss guy, like in ''The Lost World: JurassicPark'' or WalkingWithDinosaurs.

''Triceratops'' has traditionally been considered the largest ceratopsian; its size and abundance in the fossil record have contributed to making it the most popular one. It has always been beloved by dino-fans. Maybe because with its short tail and rhino-like body, it is the least [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent reptilian-looking]] among the Great Stock Dinos even in older depictions; or maybe, because of its historical reputation as "the only plant-eater [[BadAss able to defeat]] the BigBad [[TyrannosaurusRex Tyrannosaurus rex]]". Its portrayal in JurassicPark consolidated ''Triceratops''' popularity even more: the touching scene of the sick triceratops with the caring humans around has remained in public consciousness. And how could we forget the strong temper of [[CuteBruiser Cera]] in the LandBeforeTime film?

First discovered in Mongolia in 1922, ''Protoceratops'' was the most famous Asian dinosaur until JurassicPark made ''Velociraptor'' famous. Its discoverer, Roy Chapman Andrews, [[hottip:*: This US scientist matched the AdventurerArchaeologist trope in such a way, he could have been the ''real'' inspirer of ''Franchise/IndianaJones''.]] attributed to it some elongated eggs which now are known to belong to ''Oviraptor''. These were the very first dinosaurian eggs ever identified. The original crushed ''Oviraptor'' skull was found nearby (see above). A classic in paleo-art is showing ''Protoceratops'' hatching its eggs and [[MamaBear chasing]] or even [[RhinoRampage trampling]] an egg-robbing ''Oviraptor''. However, several nests complete with eggs were found later in Asia, which were ''actually'' laid by protoceratopses.

"[[RobinHood Friar Tuck]] -osaurus" in ''The Lost World: JurassicPark'' film.

This dinosaur has a rather strange destiny in fiction: it has appeared in ''almost every'' dino-film, but almost always with minor roles – basically with the only purpose to increase the variety of the "dinosaur world". And don’t expect to hear its name, too. [[hottip:**: Even though not one of the shortest dino-names, it remains coolly-sounding anyway]]. A good example is in the JurassicPark films. Some ''Parasaurolophus''es are visible behing the ''Brachiosaurus'' in the famous “Welcome to Jurassic Park!” scene; some are seen in both sequels, too. But all these were simple cameos, and the animal is ''never'' named. Other unnamed apparitions are in Disney’s ''Fantasia'' and ''Dinosaurs''. One rare example of a major-character ''Parasaurolophus'' is seen in TheLandBeforeTime… at least, Ducky and her parents are officially labeled so: they’re actually another hadrosaur, ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Saurolophus]]''.

Hadrosaurs were very diversified in RealLife. Even though they shared the same body-plan, their head was ''wildly'' diverse. They are divided in two main lineages: basically, those with hollow crests, and those without. Other than ''Parasaurolophus'', the only hollow-crested duckbill with a significant number of appearances in pop-media is ''Corythosaurus''. Naturally, the latter has been a much rarer sight. In the JurassicPark film series ''Corythosaurus'' joins ''Parasaurolophus'' only in the third film. Just like “Parasaurolophus”, good luck if you'll ever hear “Corythosaurus” named outside documentary media.

This hadrosaur deserves a special mention. The same size of ''Parasaurolophus'' and ''Corythosaurus'' and contemporary to them, 74 mya, ''Maiasaura'' had no such striking headgear (only a small relief above the eyes), nor did it have such a wide bill like the edmontosaurines. Nonetheless, it has been one of the most important dino-finds ever. Hundreds of ''Maiasaura''s were discovered together in Montana in year 1980 by famous paleontologist Jack Horner [[hottip:*:better known as the JurassicPark official consultant]], in what is known today as the “Egg Mountain”. His mountain showed not only adults, but also many fossilized, 6 ft wide, crater-like nests made of earth and full of hadrosaurian eggs, hatchlings of all ages, and even skeletons of ''embryos'' still inside the eggshells!

This reconstruction made the top of the Dinosaur Renaissance, definitively debunking the old “big, stupid, unfeeling, oafs” thing. Some years later, the discover became known among pop-writers, too. Only… ''Maiasaura''’s uncospicuous appearance was [[RuleOfCool not interesting enough]]. Even though the “good mother dinosaur” and the whole argument are widely mentioned in the 1st JurassicPark novel [[hottip:***: which, by the way, had Horner as the consultant.]], this was totally overlooked in StevenSpielberg’s following film. Other Hollywoodians resolved the problem in another way: giving ''Maiasaura''’s behaviour to other relatives. In TheLandBeforeTime, the hadrosaurs (actually, every herbivorous dinosaur) migrate through the lands and hatch their young in crater-like nests made of earth. This was copied later by Disney's ''Dinosaurs'' (this time the duckbills were substituted by ''Iguanodon''). All OK? Obviously, not. We have no proof if other dinosaurs really behaved the same. It's like saying that if sparrows build cup-like nests, then ''every'' other bird must build cup-like nests just because ''is'' a bird. Mind this: have you ever seen an ostrich or a penguin [[SomewhereAnOrnithologistIsCrying brooding their eggs in a cup-like nest built on a branch?]]

''Ceratosaurus'' lived in the same place as ''Allosaurus'' in the late Jurassic, 153-148 mya. Usually 17-23 ft / 5-7 m long, it was smaller than most other Stock Theropods above, but still a powerful animal. Its look was that of an undersized allosaur, with the same eye-bosses and long forelimbs. Its name, “horned lizard”, underlines its more distinctive anatomical feature: a laterally-flat crest on its nose, classically described as a “nasal horn”. It was also the only known theropod to have armor in the form of bony plates along the middle of its back. Despite the resemblance, ''Ceratosaurus'' was actually more archaic than ''Allosaurus''. [[hottip:*: ''Allosaurus'' belongs to the Tetanuran branch of theropods, while ''Ceratosaurus'' is the namesake of its own branch, Ceratosaurs. Most of the other theropods discussed here are Tetanurans, except fellow ceratosaur ''Carnotaurus'', and the more primitive ''Dilophosaurus'' and ''Coelophysis'']].

''Ceratosaurus'' lived in the same place as ''Allosaurus'' in the late Jurassic, 153-148 mya. Usually 17-23 ft / 5-7 m long, it was smaller than most other Stock Theropods above, but still a powerful animal. Its look was that of an undersized allosaur, with the same eye-bosses and long forelimbs. Its name, “horned lizard”, underlines its more distinctive anatomical feature: a laterally-flat crest on its nose, classically described as a “nasal horn”. It was also the only known theropod to have armor in the form of bony plates along the middle of its back. Despite the resemblance, ''Ceratosaurus'' was actually more archaic than ''Allosaurus''. [[hottip:*: ''Allosaurus'' belongs to the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetanuran Tetanuran]] branch of theropods, while ''Ceratosaurus'' is the namesake of its own branch, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratosauria Ceratosaurs]]. Most of the other theropods discussed here are Tetanurans, except fellow ceratosaur ''Carnotaurus'', and the more primitive ''Dilophosaurus'' and ''Coelophysis'']].

''Iguanodon'' is one of the three animals along with ''Megalosaurus'' and the obscure ankylosaurian ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife Hylaeosaurus]]'' which were called "dinosaurs" for the first time in history (1842), by the English paleontologist [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Owen Richard Owen]]. ''Iguanodon'' was already identified in 1825, just one year after ''Megalosaurus'', by English doctor and fossil-collector Gideon Mantell. It was initially described from its iguana-like teeth and few other incomplete remains: hence its name meaning ''iguana's tooth''. But then, in 1877 about 40 ''Iguanodon'' skeletons were discovered within a coalmine in Belgium near the town of Bernissart, the very first "dino graveyard" ever found. Many other remains were later assigned to ''Iguanodon'' (often found outside Europe), but many have recently split in other genera (see PrehistoricLife).

Most dinosaurs have changed their look at least once: ''Iguanodon'' has done this ''twice''. The first attempt of reconstrution showed [[http://www.places-to-go.org.uk/crystal_palace_iguanodon.htm a huge dragon-like quadruped]], and one of its thumbspikes was inaccurately put on its nose--this is justified by the very fragmentary nature of its original remains. [[hottip:*: The life-sized ''Iguanodon'' and other extinct animals were sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkings and shown to public during the 1956 Universal Exposition in London, in the famous Crystal Palace. A banquet was organized to celebrate the event…[[LivingInsideBelly inside the still incomplete iguanodon model! Even though the palace got ultimately destroyed by a fire, the sculptures survived the incident, and are still visible in the eponymous park.]] After the discover of the complete skeletons from the "dinosaur mine" in the 1870s, the iguanodont became [[http://www.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lindahall.org/events_exhib/exhibit/exhibits/dino/img/lyd1m.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lindahall.org/events_exhib/exhibit/exhibits/dino/lyd1896.shtml&usg=__0Y-KACIfm7_8JzC-gSnQZE9TDW0=&h=400&w=351&sz=23&hl=it&start=6&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Yq01dsT-TCbeAM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=109&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dupright%2Biguanodon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dit%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-US%26rlz%3D1I7ADBF_it%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=IVRgTcm1CNCWOoOUjK4J bipedal and upright, but still reptile-looking]], often shown with iguana-spikes running along its back, and with an overall theropod appearance. Finally, studies started in the 1970 and led by English paleontologist David Norman made Iguanodon returning quadrupedal again (though still capable to stay and run on two legs), and with cheeks hiddening the teeth in the living animal. [[hottip:**: Once, all ornithischian dinosaurs were portrayed with no cheeks and a wide mouth running from ear to ear, like saurischian dinosaurs: this was based on modern reptile, which are unvariably cheek-less. The shape of ornithischian jaws showed they could have had cheeks to store plant matter during th mastication, like modern herbivorous mammals. This is confirmed by the “hadrosaurs mummies”. If alive today, ornithischians’ head would resemble an [[MixAndMatchCritter ungulate mammal but with a beak]]. An excellent example of this new portrait is seen in Disney's ''{{Dinosaur}}'', which made ''Iguanodon'' the main character in the story -- [[ExecutiveMeddling exaggerating its horse-like look]] with ''fleshy lips'' instead of the proper bill.

Most dinosaurs have changed their look at least once: ''Iguanodon'' has done this ''twice''. The first attempt of reconstrution showed [[http://www.places-to-go.org.uk/crystal_palace_iguanodon.htm a huge dragon-like quadruped]], and one of its thumbspikes was inaccurately put on its nose--this is justified by the very fragmentary nature of its original remains. [[hottip:*: The life-sized ''Iguanodon'' and other extinct animals were sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkings and shown to public during the 1956 Universal Exposition in London, in the famous Crystal Palace. A banquet was organized to celebrate the event…[[LivingInsideBelly inside the still incomplete iguanodon model!]] Even though the palace got ultimately destroyed by a fire, the sculptures survived the incident, and are still visible in the eponymous park.]] After the discover of the complete skeletons from the "dinosaur mine" in the 1870s, the iguanodont became [[http://www.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lindahall.org/events_exhib/exhibit/exhibits/dino/img/lyd1m.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lindahall.org/events_exhib/exhibit/exhibits/dino/lyd1896.shtml&usg=__0Y-KACIfm7_8JzC-gSnQZE9TDW0=&h=400&w=351&sz=23&hl=it&start=6&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Yq01dsT-TCbeAM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=109&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dupright%2Biguanodon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dit%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-US%26rlz%3D1I7ADBF_it%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=IVRgTcm1CNCWOoOUjK4J bipedal and upright, but still reptile-looking]], often shown with iguana-spikes running along its back, and with an overall theropod appearance. Finally, studies started in the 1970 and led by English paleontologist David Norman made Iguanodon returning quadrupedal again (though still capable to stay and run on two legs), and with cheeks hiddening the teeth in the living animal. [[hottip:**: Once, all ornithischian dinosaurs were portrayed with no cheeks and a wide mouth running from ear to ear, like saurischian dinosaurs: this was based on modern reptile, which are unvariably cheek-less. The shape of ornithischian jaws showed they could have had cheeks to store plant matter during th mastication, like modern herbivorous mammals. This is confirmed by the “hadrosaurs mummies”. If alive today, ornithischians’ head would resemble an [[MixAndMatchCritter ungulate mammal but with a beak]].]] An excellent example of this new portrait is seen in Disney's ''{{Dinosaur}}'', which made ''Iguanodon'' the main character in the story -- [[ExecutiveMeddling exaggerating its horse-like look]] with ''fleshy lips'' instead of the proper bill.

The back plates were the most distinctive stegosaurian feature, but it isn't entirely clear what their purpose was. Defense, thermoregulation, and display (mating or threat) are the classic hyps, but we haven’t definitive proof for none. The early defense-theory is the most unlikely: the plates were dermic structures not attacked to the skeleton, and were rich in blood-vessels (if wounded, they’d have bled a lot, bringing the animal to death). The “solar panel/radiator” theory was the most followed until recent years: it could explain the vessels, and also the singular arrangement of these plates--they were asymmetrically-placed, giving more surface to solar rays. WalkingWithDinosaurs popularized the third theory, showing a ''Stegosaurus'' reddening its plates and scarying an ''Allosaurus''.

''Ornithomimus'' was a small, agile animal (the antithesis to the classical MightyGlacier dinosaur) that lived in North America between 75--65 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous. It was 12 feet / 3.5 meters long and weighed around 220--330 lbs / 100--150 kg. Its shape was similar to a long-tailed ostrich. It had a long neck with a birdlike skull and a toothless beak. The brain and eyes were large, possibly an adaptation to support quick movement. Its tail was very long, balancing the animal when running. The legs were similar to modern running birds, with short muscular femurs, elongated tibias / shins, and three toes each. With this anatomy, it may have been the fastest dinosaur. It was most likely feathered. However, it probably only had down-covering, not true vaned feathers or “wings”.

''Ornithomimus'' was a small, agile animal (the antithesis to the classical MightyGlacier dinosaur) that lived in North America and Asia between 75--65 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous. It was 12 feet / 3.5 meters long and weighed around 220--330 lbs / 100--150 kg. Its shape was similar to a long-tailed ostrich. It had a long neck with a birdlike skull and a toothless beak. The brain and eyes were large, possibly an adaptation to support quick movement. Its tail was very long, balancing the animal when running. The legs were similar to modern running birds, with short muscular femurs, elongated tibias / shins, and three toes each. With this anatomy, it may have been the fastest dinosaur. It was most likely feathered. However, it probably only had down-covering, not true vaned feathers or “wings”.

Titanosaurs are based on the genus ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanosaurus Titanosaurus]]''

!! Lighter and softer: ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithomimus Ornithomimus]]'', ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struthiomimus Struthiomimus]], and ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallimimus Gallimimus]]'' **

!! Lighter and softer: ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithomimus Ornithomimus]]'' ** and ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallimimus Gallimimus]]'' *

# '''Entry Time:''' 1940 (''Ornithomimus''); 1993 (''Gallimimus'')
# '''TropeMaker:''' {{Disney/Fantasia}} (''Ornithomimus''); JurassicPark film (''Gallimimus'')

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauroposeidon Sauroposeidon]]'' (the god Poseidon was known too as the "Earth Shaker", geddit?) was described at the end of the 1990s based on four neck vertebrae (which were, incidentally, first thought to be petrified logs). If it was a brachiosaurid it was probably the tallest animal ever. It could also have been a titanosaurid, though. Living in Early Cretaceous USA along with ''Utahraptor'', some portrayals have depicted "giant raptors" bringing down adult Sauroposeidons.

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauroposeidon Sauroposeidon]]'' (the god Poseidon was known too as the "Earth Shaker", geddit?) was described at the end of the 1990s based on four neck vertebrae (which were, incidentally, first thought to be petrified logs). If it was a brachiosaurid it was probably the tallest animal ever. It could also have been a titanosaurid, though. Living in Early Cretaceous USA along with ''Utahraptor'', some portrayals have depicted "giant raptors" bringing down adult Sauroposeidons (needless to say, this is BeyondTheImpossible).

&zoomThis text is about [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur dinosaurs]]. Dinosaurs are a grouping of animals tiny to large, bipedal or quadrupedal, eating plants, meat, or both, but ''always land-based'' (though spinosaurids and possibly the iguanodontian ''Lurdusaurus'' are believed to have been semi-aquatic). More precisely, this text is about ''non-avialian dinosaurs'', i.e. birds and primitive relatives of birds are excluded.

This text is about [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur dinosaurs]]. Dinosaurs are a grouping of animals tiny to large, bipedal or quadrupedal, eating plants, meat, or both, but ''always land-based'' (though spinosaurids and possibly the iguanodontian ''Lurdusaurus'' are believed to have been semi-aquatic). More precisely, this text is about ''non-avialian dinosaurs'', i.e. birds and primitive relatives of birds are excluded.

The scientific and popular view of what a megalosaur was has gone through several drastic changes. The first attempt at reconstruction, the life-size sculpture in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Palace_Dinosaurs Crystal Palace Park]] constructed in the 1850s, made the ''Megalosaurus'' a dragon-like animal walking on all fours. Next to the ''Megalosaurus'' was an ''Iguanodon'' sculpture (also quadrupedal), and for several decades this was the stock image of the world of dinosaurs: [[http://www.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/89649/large/C0025395-Iguanodon_and_Megalosaurus,_artwork-SPL.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sciencephoto.com/media/89649/enlarge&usg=__lM9lryFtce86n5l1bzdlvZXxhBs=&h=334&w=530&sz=73&hl=it&start=7&zoom=1&tbnid=RraIWkTlv2Q0bM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=132&ei=VFJ3TpOxDMuQswaDqIWfCw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmegalosaurus%2Biguanodon%2Bfight%26um%3D1%26hl%3Dit%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1I7PBEA_it%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1 one herbivorous dragon facing a carnivorous dragon in combat]]. From this time is Charles Dickens' novel ''Bleak House'' (1853) where ''Megalosaurus'' is mentioned, described as an "elephantine lizard". New genera of large carnivores were described during the Bone Wars, such as ''Allosaurus'' and ''Ceratosaurus'', whose better remains showed clearly bipedal animals. Since then, ''Megalosaurus'' has been reconstructed bipedal as well. Even with their correct shapes, the “''Megalosaurus'' vs ''Iguanodon''” battle has remained a classic in non-fictional portrayals (a bit like “''Tyrannosaurus'' vs ''Triceratops''”), even though in RealLife [[AnachronismStew the megalosaur was a middle Jurassic animal (166 mya), while the iguanodont lived 40 million years after in the Early Cretaceous]].

Sorry, these ones aren't here. If you're searching for ''Tarbosaurus'', ''Albertosaurus'', ''Megaraptor'', ''Suchomimus'', ''Majungasaurus'', and so on, go [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeLargeTheropods here]].

Sorry, these ones aren't here. If you're searching for ''Dromaeosaurus'', ''Ornitholestes'', ''Therizinosaurus'', ''Mononykus'', ''Deinocheirus'', and so on (and the Liaoning feathered dinosaurs of course), go [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeBirdlikeTheropods here]]. Or [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeOtherSmallTheropods here]].

Sorry, these ones aren't here. If you're searching for ''Camarasaurus'', ''Mamenchisaurus'', ''Saltasaurus'', ''Cetiosaurus'', ''Barosaurus'', and so on, go [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeSauropods here]].

Sorry, these ones aren't here. If you're searching for ''Massospondylus'', ''Anchisaurus'', and so on, go [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeSauropodPredecessors here]].

Sorry, these ones aren't here. If you're searching for ''Kentrosaurus'', ''Tuojiangosaurus'', and so on, go [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeStegosaurs here]].

Sorry, these ones aren't here. If you're searching for ''Euoplocephalus'', ''Polacanthus'', ''Nodosaurus'', ''Gastonia'', ''Scelidosaurus'', and so on, go [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeAnkylosaurs here]].

Sorry, these ones aren't here. If you're searching for ''Torosaurus'', ''Centrosaurus'', ''Chasmosaurus'', ''Pentaceratops'', ''Psittacosaurus'', and so on, go [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeCeratopsids here]]. Or [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeCeratopsidPredecessors here]].

Sorry, these ones aren't here. If you're searching for ''Stegoceras'' and so on, go [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifePachycephalosaurs here]].

Sorry, these ones aren't here. If you're searching for ''Hadrosaurus'', ''Kritosaurus'', ''Saurolophus'', ''Lambeosaurus'', ''Tsintaosaurus'', and so on, go [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeHadrosaurs here]].

Sorry, these ones aren't here. If you're searching for ''Hypsilophodon'', ''Camptosaurus'', ''Ouranosaurus'', ''Tenontosaurus'', ''Dryosaurus'', and so on, go [[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeHadrosaurPredecessors here]].

!!More primitive dinosaurs

First discovered in Mongolia in 1922, ''Protoceratops'' was the most famous Asian dinosaur until JurassicPark made ''Velociraptor'' famous. Its discoverer, Roy Chapman Andrews, [[hottip:*: This US scientist matched the AdventurerArchaeologist trope in such a way, he could have been the ''real'' inspirer of IndianaJones.]] attributed to it some elongated eggs which now are known to belong to ''Oviraptor''. These were the very first dinosaurian eggs ever identified. The original crushed ''Oviraptor'' skull was found nearby (see above). A classic in paleo-art is showing ''Protoceratops'' hatching its eggs and [[MamaBear chasing]] or even [[RhinoRampage trampling]] an egg-robbing ''Oviraptor''. However, several nests complete with eggs were found later in Asia, which were ''actually'' laid by protoceratopses.

!! Bigger and Badder: ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinosaurus Spinosaurus]]'' *

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruhathkayosaurus Bruhathkayosaurus]]''; found in India in the 1990s, this one makes, for now, the UpToEleven example. Described as a titanosaurian sauropod and extimated up to 220 metric tons, it would be even more massive than a blue whale. However, its formal description is extremely inadequate, and it is speculated that the leg and hip bones found are actually petrified wood. But this is not all: our exotic-named giant was initially regarded as a '''theropod'''. Imagine a carnivorous dinosaur 50 times heavier than a T. rex… Unfortunately, ''Bruhathkayosaurus'' must now join ''Amphicoelias'' below as another "one that got away;" it seems that its bones were never actually removed from the site where they were found and got washed away during rainstorms.

!! Bigger and Badder: ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinosaurus Spinosaurus]]'' **

television series ''LandOfTheLost''.

# '''TropeMaker:''' LandOfTheLost

However, the troodont’s presence in fiction has been only occasional (despite an emergent tend to feature it in documentaries), and not related to the actual animal but to that could be called its “altmode”. In 1982 Canadian paleontologist Dale Russel conjectured a possible way that descendants of ''Troodon'' could have evolved had it not gone extinct along with the rest of the dinosaurs. If its brain had kept increasing in size, today it would have been comparable to a human's. Combined with further evolution of its bipedal movement, binocular vision, and semi-manipulative hands, the resulting "Dinosauroid" was proposed to be a blend of (featherless) [[LizardFolk dinosaurian]] and [[TheGreys humanoid]] features. The Dinosauroid has made a few appearances in novels and TV series; its RealLife dino-ancestor usually gets mentioned. It's worth noting that the Dinosauroid model resembles the Sleestaks of ''LandOfTheLost'' (1974--1977), possibly a case of SureWhyNot

According to [[ScienceMarchesOn modern knowledge]] ''Archaeopteryx'' is just another feathered theropod (possibly a bird, possibly a deinonychosaur, possibly more primitive than either). [[hottip:*: One archaeopterygid skeleton with no signs of feathers was long classified in another theropod genus, ''Compsognathus'' (see later).]] It has a long tail, three claws on its forelimbs, running feet with an enlarged second toe claw, jaws with small, pointed teeth, and feathers. The main difference is that its feathers aren't just skin-covering down; it has flight feathers of very modern-looking shape in its wings and tail. It probably could glide but it is unlikely that it could flap its wings for powered flight. Maybe it used its claws to climb up trees and then glided to the next tree. Its classic status as “the first bird” is merely traditional at this point, and the start of the “bird lineage” within the theropod branch depends on the chosen criteria to define what’s a bird. Still, it remains one of the most ancient known dinosaurs found with prints of feathers.

# '''TropeMaker:''' CharlesDarwin

According to [[ScienceMarchesOn modern knowledge]] ''Archaeopteryx'' is just another feathered theropod, a bit closer to birds than deinonychosaurs. [[hottip:*: One archaeopterygian skeleton with no signs of feathers was long classified in another theropod genus, ''Compsognathus'' (see later).]] It has a long tail, three claws on its forelimbs, running feet with an enlarged second toe claw, jaws with small, pointed teeth, and feathers. The main difference is that its feathers aren't just skin-covering down; it has flight feathers of very modern-looking shape in its wings and tail. It probably could glide but it is unlikely that it could flap its wings for powered flight. Maybe it used its claws to climb up trees and then glided to the next tree. Its classic status as “the first bird” is merely traditional at this point, and the start of the “bird lineage” within the theropod branch depends on the chosen criteria to define what’s a bird. Still, it remains one of the most ancient known dinosaurs found with prints of feathers.

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruhathkayosaurus Bruhathkayosaurus]]''; found in India in the 1990s, this one makes, for now, the UpToEleven example. Described as a titanosaurian sauropod and extimated up to 220 metric tons, it would be even more massive than a blue whale. However, its formal description is extremely inadequate, and it is speculated that the leg bones found are actually petrified wood. But this is not all: our exotic-named giant was initially regarded as a '''theropod'''. Imagine a carnivorous dinosaur 50 times heavier than a T. rex… Unfortunately, ''Bruhathkayosaurus'' must now join ''Amphicoelias'' below as another "one that got away;" it seems that its bones were never actually removed from the site where they were found and got washed away during rainstorms.

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruhathkayosaurus Bruhathkayosaurus]]''; found in India in the 1990s, this one makes, for now, the UpToEleven example. Described as a titanosaurian sauropod and extimated up to 220 metric tons, it would be even more massive than a blue whale. However, its formal description is extremely inadequate, and it is speculated that the leg bones found are actually petrified wood. But this is not all: our exotic-named giant was initially regarded as a '''theropod'''. Imagine a carnivorous dinosaur 50 times heavier than a T. rex…

Here’s a brief summary of the edmontosaurines’ awesome taxonomic tangle Their first remains, isolated teeth found in USA, were named “Trachodon” (“rough-tooth”) in 1856. During the Bone Wars, two skeletons were discovered and named ''Trachodon copei''. Soon later, two spectacular hadrosaur "mummies" were popularly referred as the "''Trachodon'' mummies". In 1917, a gigantic hadrosaur was discovered in Alberta near Edmonton, and named ''Edmontosaurus regalis''. In year 1942, one scientist found that ''Trachodon'' must be only used for the original teeth, and coined a brand new name, ''Anatosaurus'' (“Duck lizard”), for both the Bone Wars skeletons (''Anatosaurus copei'') and the mummies (''Anatosaurus annectens''). However, in the 1990, new studies showed ''A. copei'' being much more different than ''A. annectens'' and ''E. regalis'' put together, and scientists changed ''Anatosaurus annectens'' in ''Edmontosaurus annectens''. At this point the ''copei'' was the only remained ''Anatosaurus'', but... taxonomic rules say "''Anatosaurus''" should indicate only the "annectens". This meant it should be renamed, too. Being scientists often very nostalgic, they decided to recall it with a similar name: ''Anatotitan'' ("giant duck"). [[SarcasmMode Quite clear, isn’t it?]]