These dinosaurs are the cream of the crop. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most awesome dinosaurs to ever capture our collective imaginations.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most awesome dinosaurs
00:09to ever capture our collective imaginations.
00:18Number 20, Dilophosaurus.
00:20These Jurassic-era dinos possessed a very unique cranial structure, with two shaped
00:24crowns on top of their heads.
00:26The Dilophosaurus was the largest land animal during its day, a predatory killer that could
00:30move swiftly and gracefully to catch its prey.
00:39A mouthful of razor-sharp teeth proved deadly for anything caught by the Dilophosaurus,
00:43while its sturdy physical makeup provided this dinosaur with a natural defense against
00:47other animals.
00:48You'd truly feel bad for anything that ran afoul of this apex predator, since there
01:02were likely very few who could hope to match the Dilophosaurus during the time of its dinosaur
01:07dominance.
01:08Number 19, Nigersaurus.
01:10The Nigersaurus may not possess as much name recognition as its more famous dinosaur cousins,
01:15but don't count out the coolness of this Cretaceous-era beast.
01:25Teeth are the name of the game when it comes to the unique physical structure of the Nigersaurus,
01:29since its large skull and mouth contained over 500 of the things.
01:33These teeth also naturally replaced themselves around every two weeks, and were tiny and
01:38dense choppers that primarily fed upon an herbaceous diet of plants and ferns.
01:49The aforementioned head of the Nigersaurus is also surmised to have primarily hung low
01:53to the ground, in an effort, paleontologists surmise, to routinely scan the ground for
01:57food.
01:58Number 18, Comsagnathus.
02:01Bigger doesn't always mean better when it comes to cool species of dinosaurs.
02:04The Comsagnathus was a diminutive and agile animal, with a name that translates roughly
02:09to pretty jaw.
02:23Young examples of the Comsagnathus were often found to be roughly the size of a chicken,
02:27although adults could potentially grow a bit larger.
02:30These quick hunters were predators, feasting upon tiny lizards and similar creatures as
02:34part of their carnivorous diet.
02:39There are also a number of reconstructed Comsagnathus skeletons on display in modern museums, showcasing
02:45a unique distinction between the dinosaur's gigantic reputation and their smaller but
02:49no less interesting cousins.
02:51Number 17, Pterosaur.
02:52Alright, so these winged lizards aren't actually dinos, but rather flying reptiles.
02:58However, they are cousins of dinosaurs, share a common ancestor, and have been portrayed
03:02in pop culture for almost as long as their relatives.
03:14The pteranodon certainly comes to mind, as does the dimorphodon.
03:17It's also sort of obvious as to what makes these creatures so cool, since the very idea
03:21of a flying creature just captures the imagination, right from the start.
03:25Normal pterosaurs could climb certain trees on land, while pterodactyloids stud out prey
03:29from both the air and water during the hunt.
03:32Many examples of pterosaurs also possess attributes more similar to birds than dinosaurs, such
03:36as insular hair and feathers.
03:46Number 16, Dreadnoughtus.
03:48The coolness factor of this dino is evident right from its moniker, which is indicative
03:53of a giant old-school battleship.
03:55The Dreadnoughtus was, thankfully, a herbivore, which meant that smaller dinosaurs needn't
03:58fear this 85-plus-foot hulk descending upon them to feast.
04:08They're among the largest earthbound vertebrates to ever exist, and the paleontologist who
04:12discovered them, Kenneth Lacovara, decided upon its name to prove that the Dreadnoughtus
04:16feared nothing.
04:17Whoever said that meat-eating, predatory dinosaurs needed to have all the fun?
04:28The Dreadnoughtus was seriously impressive.
04:30Full stop.
04:31Number 15, Pachycephalosaurus.
04:34The Dilophosaurus isn't the only dinosaur out there with a cool-looking dome.
04:37Enter the Pachycephalosaurus, a multi-syllabic tongue twister with a natural defense system
04:42on its head.
04:49Specifically, the Pachycephalosaurus possessed a super-thick skull roof that could serve
04:56as a battering ram while also dissuading other predators from taking a big, dangerous bite.
05:00We use the word could because many paleontologists and historians actually question whether or
05:05not this actually took place.
05:19So is the skull structure of the Pachycephalosaurus simply a cool-looking bone hat?
05:24Maybe.
05:25But either way, these plant-eating bipeds are super cool.
05:28Number 14, Therizinosaurus.
05:31Was the Therizinosaurus a prehistoric descendant of the man of your dreams, Freddy Krueger?
05:35It's easy to think so, thanks to those intimidating ungles, or claws on its forelimbs.
05:48Thankfully, the Therizinosaurus was a herbivore, with this unique design intended primarily
06:00for gathering vegetation while also potentially scaring away predators.
06:04Of course, the dominant size of the Therizinosaurus also achieved this goal, since examples of
06:08these dinosaurs could grow up to 16 feet tall and over 30 feet long.
06:26So although these clawed beasts didn't prey upon other dinosaurs, no tall trees were
06:31safe from the reach of the mighty Therizinosaurus.
06:33Number 13, Baryonyx.
06:36The Baryonyx is another example of a dinosaur, like the Therizinosaurus, with a unique claw
06:40shape on its forelimbs.
06:49In this case, however, it's the noticeable extended ungle on its first finger.
06:53This claw could extend up to 12 inches in length, giving the Baryonyx a distinct advantage
06:58when it came to hooking in fish, which paleontologists believe was its primary food source.
07:03Elsewhere, the Baryonyx also hunted prey on land, sometimes attacking creatures bigger
07:07than itself while also occasionally scavenging when food was scarce.
07:17The crest that adorned the skull of a Baryonyx also gave it a unique, almost crocodilian
07:22appearance.
07:23Number 12, Carnotaurus.
07:25The Carnotaurus was an adept hunter, a quick-footed dinosaur that could top speeds to 35 miles
07:29per hour.
07:38The physical makeup of this cool-looking beast featured a thick head and neck area with equally
07:42dense horns placed on top.
07:44Some paleontologists believe that rival Carnotaurus butted heads together during combat, similar
07:49to what goats and rams do today.
07:51These fearsome predators also tended to run quite large.
08:00Specifically, a Carnotaurus could probably reach about 26 feet in length and about 10
08:13feet in height.
08:14Number 11, Velociraptor.
08:16Dino fans can obviously chuck up the popularity of this next entry to the Jurassic Park and
08:20Jurassic World franchises.
08:27Both the Velociraptor and Megaraptor iterations have made appearances in these films, frightening
08:32and thrilling us in equal measure.
08:34The real-life size of a Velociraptor isn't nearly as big as those franchises would have
08:38you believe, however, coming in at a size closer to that of a turkey.
08:51Still, this doesn't mean that these quick and agile hunters couldn't stalk and kill
08:55their prey, often doing so with the sickle claws that were located on their hind feet.
09:00Number 10, Brachiosaurus.
09:02Belonging to the long-necked sauropod category of dinosaurs, these tall, titanic creatures
09:06are among the most famous members of that group.
09:16Compared to their fellow sauropods, Brachiosaurus have more steeply inclined necks, which, thanks
09:21to their longer forelimbs and treetop grazing habits, means they were basically the giraffes
09:26of the Jurassic period.
09:30Although it's unlikely that Brachiosaurus could stand on their hind legs as we've seen
09:33on film, their distinctive arched heads and familiar posture are now a mainstay of popular
09:38fiction, making the Brachiosaurus one of the most well-known dinos on this list.
09:42Number 9, Allosaurus.
09:44Another of the theropods, or bipedal and generally carnivorous dinosaurs on this list, the Allosaurus
09:49was one of the top predators of its day, taking down medium-sized sauropods and other large
09:53herbivores.
10:03With a name that means different lizard, its body was more evenly proportioned than many
10:07of the other large, meat-eating dinosaurs.
10:10That means Allosaurus were better suited to running at high speeds, with scientists estimating
10:14that they could have reached up to 34 miles per hour.
10:24Today, the Allosaurus is less recognizable than some of the Cretaceous-period theropods,
10:29but had Jurassic Park been more period-accurate, this dino could have been the signature predator
10:33terrorizing park guests.
10:35Number 8, Spinosaurus.
10:37Large and long, this long-snouted theropod was one of the biggest predators to walk on
10:41land, maybe even bigger than a T. rex.
10:44Essentially, the Spinosaurus was a huge crocodile on two legs, but its resemblance to those
11:01modern reptiles is more than cosmetic, based on the high location of its nostrils and fossilized
11:06stomach contents that have been discovered.
11:08Researchers have guessed that the Spinosaurus was semi-aquatic and likely specialized in
11:12hunting water-based prey, kind of like a croc.
11:19With a name derived from its distinctive spinal sails, the Spinosaurus, with its resemblance
11:23to contemporary reptiles, is a fascinating creature.
11:26Number 7, Troodon.
11:28Sometimes the smartest hunter is the coolest.
11:41Troodon was a small, possibly omnivorous theropod dinosaur notable for having the highest brain-to-size
11:47ratio among dinosaurs, leading some to conclude that it may have been the most intelligent
11:51dinosaur, and its large, forward-facing eyes may have had something to do with its brain
11:55power since it would have needed more intelligence to handle more visual input.
12:20It's also theorized that Troodon's big peepers allowed it to hunt nocturnally, which
12:24would have been handy since it could be found as far north as the Arctic Circle.
12:28Despite its possible status as a genius among dinosaurs though, scientists estimate it would
12:32have only been as smart as a modern bird.
12:34Number 6, Iguanodon.
12:36The Iguanodon holds the distinction of being one of the first dinosaurs ever named, and
12:52although it's similar in build to other herbivore dinos, it tended to stick out for
12:56other reasons, mainly thanks to its so-called thumbs, which took the form of spikes.
13:00The spiky digits are generally thought to have acted as a form of defense or as a means
13:04to break up tough plant growth.
13:16What's more, specimens of the Iguanodon have been found on nearly every continent, so it
13:21can claim to be one of the most thoroughly studied species as well.
13:24Number 5, Ankylosaurus.
13:26While many plant-eating dinosaurs relied on their physical size or strength in numbers
13:29to protect them, the Ankylosaurus' approach to self-defense was far more memorable.
13:46Ankylosaurus was an herbivore with some of the most impressive natural defenses ever
13:49developed.
13:50It was a two-parts dinosaur and modern-day tank.
13:52With a body covered in bony armor plates, a heavy horned skull, and a thick club at
13:57the end of its tail, Ankylosaurus could ward off attacks from many a massive predator.
14:05And given that it was alive during the late Cretaceous period, it would have faced some
14:13of the most notorious dinosaurs to ever walk this earth.
14:16Number 4, Stegosaurus.
14:18Known in speed and in brain power, Stegosaurus may not have been the brightest guy around,
14:22but its characteristic spinal plate and spiked tail have made this lumbering herbivore one
14:26of the most recognizable dinosaurs out there.
14:34The evolutionary purpose of its signature plates continues to be debated today, but
14:38the most prominent theory suggests they were for display, either to attract mates or deter
14:43predators, or possibly as a form of temperature regulation.
14:46One fact about its other memorable feature, the arrangement of the Stegosaurus's tail
14:49spikes is called a thagomizer, but scientists didn't invent the informal term.
15:04It was coined in the comic The Far Side by creator Gary Larson.
15:07No joke.
15:08Number 3, Deinonychus.
15:09Thanks to Jurassic Park, this dinosaur is what most people picture when they think of
15:14a Velociraptor.
15:18Though the two are related, the Jurassic Park films and the novels they're based on rebranded
15:22the Deinonychus probably because, let's face it, the name Velociraptor does sound cooler.
15:27But the real Velociraptor, as mentioned earlier, was only about the size of a turkey.
15:31Deinonychus, on the other hand, was much closer to the man-sized hunter dinosaurs with the
15:36wicked claws everyone loves to see on screen, even if studios still haven't given them anatomically
15:40accurate feathers.
15:50Number 2, Triceratops.
15:52Few dinosaurs have captured the attention of humans quite like this creature.
16:08Like some of our other entries, Triceratops calls to mind a more recent animal, namely
16:12the Rhinoceros.
16:13Its renowned facial horns and bony neck frill, along with its beak-like mouth, give it a
16:17great deal more personality than most other dinosaurs.
16:20While closely related dinosaurs with more horns and more elaborate frills have been
16:24discovered, Triceratops remained the best known and most popular thanks to its depiction
16:28in popular culture as an herbivorous dinosaur capable of going toe-to-toe, or rather tooth-to-horn,
16:33with carnivores.
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17:01Number 1 – Tyrannosaurus Rex
17:04One of the largest land predators to ever walk the Earth, but not the biggest as we've
17:08already seen, the T-Rex was, as its name proclaims, the king of its day.
17:20Some theorists have tried to dethrone it, claiming it was more scavenger than hunter,
17:24but the recent discovery of a T-Rex tooth embedded in the fossilized remains of a Hadrosaur
17:28strongly suggests predator.
17:30Either way, its intimidating size, savagely powerful bite, and those absurdly small forelimbs
17:35have cemented it in pop culture as the coolest dinosaur of them all.
17:49What was your favorite dinosaur growing up?
17:51Let us know in the comments!