Top 20 Coolest Dinosaurs to Ever Roam the Earth
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!