#10
BRONTOSAURUS!
Let's face it. Land before time made this guy popular. Brontosaurus is one of the most iconic dinosaurs in history! Even though scientists questioned it's existence for decades. Now they completely made a 180 mood swing and decided to keep Brontosaurus as a dinosaur. Oh and Brontosaurus means "Thunder Lizard" in Greek. Most epic name ever!
Brontosaurus was a sauropod (hence the long neck) and was believed to be primarily a herbivore. For decades Brontosaurus was believed by science to be a myth, due to Apatosaurus being almost identical to this guy. Until someone realized that they were using the wrong skull when they reconstructed the skeleton. So even science can have EPIC FAILS!
#9
MOSASAURUS!
Yes I know I am cheating. Mosasaurus technically isn't a dinosaur. But it lived alongside Dinosaurs and that's what counts. Mosasaurus was one of the largest sea animals ever during the Cretaceous period. It's total body length? 69 feet (or 21 meters) long. Yeah. To say this thing is T. Rex of the Sea is an understatement!
Mosasaurus was a carnivore that ate just about anything. Sharks, turtles, and ammonites were common meals for this beast of a whale. P.S. some paleontologists argue that Mosasaurus is the ancestor of modern whales.
#8
TRICERATOPS/STYRACOSAURUS!
Triceratops
Styracosaurus
I couldn't decide which one I liked better so I decided to put these two together as a tie. Triceratops is yet another Iconic Dinosaur, but Styracosaurus is the lesser known of the two. Both dinosaurs are Certopsians (four legged dinosaurs with a shield like frill on the back of the head with a certain number of horns on the facial region that varies from species to species). They are both herbivores. So ultimately, with very similar dinosaurs, you can see why I put two dinosaurs in the same slot. But they are both awesome!
Random fun fact about Triceratops and Styracosaurus. they are the only dinosaurs to have a beak AND teeth at the exact same time.
#7
PTERANODON!
Again, I am cheating. Pteranodon is NOT a dinosaur but a pterosaur (dinosaurs that fly around). And again, this thing is primarily a piscivore (a carnivore who ate mostly fish). Pteranodon is arguably the most iconic pterosaur ever.
Pteranodon was believed to have a similar flying style to that of an Albatross. Plus the ratio between the strength of the wings and the weight of the body was similar. Pternadon's ratio was 9:1, while Albatross' is 8:1.
#6
DEINONYCHUS!
Deinonychus is a carnivore and dromeasaur. What's a dromeasaur? They are small bipedal dinosaurs that have a large sickle like claw on the second toe (the toe facing inwards). The Velociraptors in the Jurassic Park films are actually based off of this guy. After all, in real life, Velociraptors are only three feet tall (less than a meter). So to incorporate maximum wow factor, Steven Spielberg (I hope I spelled his surname right) originally was going to use Deinonychus in the films but switched the name to Velociraptor due to it being easier to pronounce.
Either way the dinosaur didn't even have feathers. Get over it. Anyway, paleontologists have LONG debated the purpose of the sickle claw on the feet. Some say it helped them climb trees. Others say it was used as a slashing weapon. The most popular theory is that it was used as a stabbing weapon, probably puncturing a arbitrary or even a vital organ and letting the prey animal bleed to death. Your welcome for the violent mental image.
#5
DILOPHOSAURUS!
Out of all the dinosaurs ever to appear in a film, Dilophosaurus is hands down the most misunderstood. Jurassic Park depicted it as a dog-sized little critter who can spit venom and has a frill on the neck that extends outwards. First, there is no tangible evidence that any dinosaur had venom at all. Second, the purpose of the frill was just so people don't confuse Dilophosaurus with Velociraptor. And finally, in real life, Dilophosaurus was 20 feet (6 meters) long. THE MORE YOU KNOW! *twinkle*
Anyway, even at the proper size this thing is adorable. LOOK AT IT! Cutest dinosaur ever. And then it eats you. Probably whole because it has loosely hinged jaws like a snake.
#4
ALLOSAURUS!
Sure there's T. Rex, the King of the dinosaurs. Then there is Allosaurus ("Allosaurus" literally means "different lizard"). Allosaurus is a much more common dinosaur, with literal hundreds of fossil discovered in less than a decade. And unlike T. Rex, Allosaurus should be the main attraction at Jurassic Park because T. Rex was around AFTER the Jurassic period. Just kidding.
Allosaurus was actually the first dinosaur to ever appear in a movie. Yes. Not T. Rex, but Allosaurus. On another note, the most famous fossil of Allosaurus was dubbed "Big Al". Big Al was a almost complete skeleton, but did not lead a happy life. Several bone fractures (and infections) in the hand, foot, rib cage, back, and tail indicated that Big Al probably died of injuries from fighting other dinosaurs. How Big Al got said injuries is a complete mystery. By far the most painful injury was a greatly infected and partially broken middle toe, that probably made walking difficult. And what good is a super predator if it can't walk, let alone chase after fleeing prey?
#3
PARASAUROLOPHUS!
Parasaurolophus is my favorite herbivore dinosaur. First, this guy is the TRUE cutest dinosaur ever (sorry Dilophosaurus). The hammerhead/trumpet/horn/thing on the head is connected directly to the nasal cavities. It is often believed to live around water. And to top it all off, "Parasaurolophus" is a unnecessarily fun word to pronounce.
#2
TYRANNOSAURUS REX!
Yes. Of course the almighty T. Rex is on my list. It's the single most popular dinosaur in the world. And yet paleontologists are freaking out over the fact that (Spoiler alert!) the Jurassic World T. Rex does not have feathers.
Tyrannosaurus Rex is so famous that their is an entire order named after it (Tyrannosauridae). For a long time it was the largest carnivorous dinosaur. But that honor goes to MY ALL TIME FAVORITE DINOSAUR EVER. And who is my MY ALL TIME FAVORITE DINOSAUR EVER?
NUMBER 1!!!!
SPINOSAURUS!!!
Yeah boys (and girls!)! Spinosaurus is my MY ALL TIME FAVORITE DINOSAUR EVER!!! Spinosaurus is a piscivore (much like Pteranodon) that lived in/near lakes, rivers, swamps, and beaches. The crocodile like snout is designed to prevent slippery, struggling fish escape. It often switched from a bipedal stance (walking on two legs) to a quadrupedal stance (all-fours). It's jaws alone are SIX FEET (1.8 meters) long. It can swallow any time traveling human WHOLE! It is currently the largest carnivore ever discovered, weighing 10 tons (9071 kilograms), and surpassing 49 feet (15 meters) in length. In terms of height, Spinosaurus was eye-level with T. Rex, who was 12 feet (3.6 meters) at the hip.
So now you know my top ten personal favorite dinosaurs. All I have to do now is build some pixel art of them in my Minecraft survival world. Oh, and regarding the T. Rex vs Spinosaurus fight in Jurassic Park 3. That fight could never happen. For starters they lived on opposite sides of the Planet! (NOTE: T. REX IS AN AMERICAN DINOSAUR AS IT LIVED IN PREHISTORIC NORTH AMERICA, WHILE SPINOSAURUS LIVED IN AFRICA.).
Just now realized I got four out of five Land before Time characters on my list. LOL!
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