Basic Trope: An extinct animal, especially if it is prehistoric, is portrayed as scarier looking or more dangerous, even less smarter, solely because it's not a modern day animal.
- Straight: A velociraptor is depicted as a scaly, naked reptile with lizard-like eyes, drooling fangs and a bloodthirsty disposition.
- Exaggerated:
- A velociraptor is shown with lizard-like eyes, huge blade-like teeth that barely even fit in its mouth, is covered in spikes, breathes fire and has a complete hatred for all life.
- The velociraptor is an Eldritch Abomination to the humanity.
- Downplayed: A velociraptor is depicted as a dangerous and aggressive creature, but in no more than an actual modern-day predator would be.
- Justified: The velociraptor shown is not a true raptor at all, either a genetic experiment intentionally made monstrous, or simply an alien that just happens to resemble a more monstrous/outdated version of a velociraptor.
- Inverted: A velociraptor is shown cute, fluffy and with feathers, and may be harmless or even friendly.
- Subverted: A velociraptor is initially shown as a murderous monster, but it's revealed it was a Non-Malicious Monster just acting out of a more sympathetic reason, like trying to protect its young, or being afraid of people.
- Double Subverted: ...only to go on a killing spree anyway to feed its young or defend itself, in an overly vicious manner.
- Averted: A velociraptor is presented just as the real animal was in life.
- Deconstructed: In a setting where dinosaurs coexist with humans and modern animals, the dinosaurs are unfairly seen in an antagonistic light and are mercilessly killed by man, who somewhat ironically view the modern creatures in a positive light.
- Reconstructed:...but then some of the humans of said setting come to realize that the dinosaurs are not monsters but merely animals, and advocate people to understand them more.
- Parodied: In an alternate timeline where dinosaurs lived after humans, it's the dinosaurs who reconstruct humans as hideous monsters and refute more-accurate scientific depictions as "science ruined humans!"
- Enforced: The velociraptors are an antagonistic force and have to be depicted as more monstrous to make them seem more "evil".
- Lampshaded: "Ever noticed that all the creatures before the Cenozoic were ugly and nasty freaks?"
- Discussed: "These creatures are abominations of nature, brutal beasts that knew only to kill one another and were doomed to extinction!"
Go back to Prehistoric Monster.
