~*~ DINOSAUR FIELD GUIDE ~*~
Mike's guide to the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park
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OK dino-nerds, this is my comprehensive guide to the dinosaurs featured in both Jurassic Park (1993) and The Lost World (1997). I've included what the movies show, what's ACTUALLY accurate to real paleontology, and my own personal opinions because hey, it's MY website. Let's gooooo!!!
TYRANNOSAURUS REX
"King of the Dinosaurs" Period: Late Cretaceous (68-66 million years ago) Length: Up to 40 feet Weight: 7-9 tons Diet: Carnivore (OBVIOUSLY) MIKE'S TAKE: The ABSOLUTE STAR of both movies. The T-Rex breakout scene in the original JP is the greatest scene in movie history and I will FIGHT anyone who disagrees. That ripple in the water glass?? ICONIC. In The Lost World, we get TWO T-Rexes AND a baby and the San Diego rampage sequence at the end is INSANE. ACCURACY CHECK: Pretty good actually! The size is about right. One thing though - there's debate about whether T-Rex could really only see movement. Most paleontologists now think Rex had EXCELLENT vision. But who cares, it makes for an amazing scene. Also, the running speed in the jeep chase scene... Rex probably couldn't hit 32 mph for long. But again, WHO CARES. It's the coolest thing ever filmed. Would I want one as a pet? YES. But only a baby one. I'd name it Rexy and walk it around Burbank on a leash. My landlord would FREAK. 10/10 would risk it. |
VELOCIRAPTOR
"Clever Girl..." Period: Late Cretaceous (75-71 million years ago) Length: 6 feet (real) / 6 feet tall in JP Weight: 33 lbs (real) / much bigger in JP Diet: Carnivore MIKE'S TAKE: OK so the raptors are the SCARIEST things in both movies. The kitchen scene in JP 1?? I literally grabbed my friend's arm so hard I left bruises. The way they hunt in packs, open doors, set traps... these are the horror movie villains of the dinosaur world. In The Lost World, the tall grass raptor attack is ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING. ACCURACY CHECK: Here's where I gotta be honest with you all. Real Velociraptors were about the size of a turkey. I KNOW. It's disappointing. What JP actually shows is closer to Deinonychus or Utahraptor. Michael Crichton based them on Deinonychus but used the name Velociraptor because it sounds cooler. And you know what? HE WAS RIGHT. Also, real raptors had feathers. FEATHERS!!! Can you imagine the kitchen scene with feathered turkeys?? It wouldn't work. Spielberg made the right call. Would I want one as a pet? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Did you SEE the movie?? They would eat me in my sleep. 0/10 survival rate. Unless we're talking real-sized ones, then maybe... a feathery turkey-raptor could be cool actually. |
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BRACHIOSAURUS
"It's... it's a dinosaur." Period: Late Jurassic (154-150 million years ago) Length: Up to 85 feet Weight: 30-60 tons Diet: Herbivore MIKE'S TAKE: This is the dinosaur that made me cry in the theater. When Grant and Sattler first see the Brachiosaur and John Williams' theme swells up... I'm tearing up right now just TYPING this. It's the most beautiful, awe-inspiring moment in cinema history. The way it rears up on its hind legs to reach the tree branches... MAGICAL. That scene is why Spielberg is the greatest director of all time. ACCURACY CHECK: Pretty solid! The size is about right. The sneezing scene is hilarious but I don't think Brachiosaurus had much in the way of nasal passages for a sneeze like that. Also, it probably couldn't rear up on its hind legs like we see - it would be too heavy. But THE SCENE. THE MUSIC. I don't care about accuracy when it's THAT good. Would I want one as a pet? My apartment is 600 sq ft so that's a hard NO logistically. But in my DREAMS? Yes. I'd ride it to work every day. "Sorry I'm late boss, Brachi had to stop and eat a tree." |
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DILOPHOSAURUS
"The spitter" - AKA Nedry's worst nightmare Period: Early Jurassic (193 million years ago) Length: Up to 23 feet (real) / small in JP Weight: 880 lbs (real) / much smaller in JP Diet: Carnivore MIKE'S TAKE: NEWMAN!!! I mean, Nedry deserved everything he got but that Dilophosaurus scene is NIGHTMARE FUEL. The cute little chirping, the head tilt, then BAM - neck frill opens up and it SPITS VENOM IN HIS FACE. I jumped out of my seat in the theater. My popcorn went everywhere. Best villain death in a movie, period. ACCURACY CHECK: OK this one is almost completely made up and I love Spielberg for it. Real Dilophosaurus was actually about 20 feet long - WAY bigger than what's shown in the movie. There's ZERO evidence it had a frill or could spit venom. The frill and venom were Crichton's inventions. But it's SO COOL that I don't even care. Sometimes fiction is better than reality, folks. Would I want one as a pet? The movie version? NO WAY. Getting venom-spit in my face is not my idea of a good time. The real version? Also no, it's a 20-foot predator. But man, that little chirp it does before the frill comes out... adorable and TERRIFYING. |
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TRICERATOPS
"The sick Trike" - That Spielberg magic Period: Late Cretaceous (68-66 million years ago) Length: Up to 30 feet Weight: 6-12 tons Diet: Herbivore MIKE'S TAKE: The sick Triceratops scene is so underrated. When Ellie is going through the droppings looking for lilac berries and she's just elbow-deep in dino poop... that's DEDICATION to science! That's the kind of paleontologist I want to be if I ever go back to school. The animatronic Trike is one of Stan Winston's best creations - it looks 100% real and it's BREATHING. In The Lost World we see them in the wild on Site B and they are MAJESTIC. ACCURACY CHECK: Triceratops is actually one of the more accurately depicted dinosaurs in JP! The size is pretty close, the posture is good. The three horns are correct. Main quibble is the skin texture - we don't really know what their skin looked like in detail, but the movie version seems reasonable. Would I want one as a pet? YES!!! A baby Trike would be the coolest pet ever. Like a giant rhino-dog. I'd put a saddle on it and ride it to Blockbuster. 8/10 pet material. |
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GALLIMIMUS
"They're flocking this way!!!" Period: Late Cretaceous (70 million years ago) Length: Up to 20 feet Weight: 440 lbs Diet: Omnivore MIKE'S TAKE: The Gallimimus stampede scene is one of the first times CG dinosaurs really MOVE in the movie and it's incredible. When Grant and the kids hide behind the log and the whole herd comes running past... then the T-Rex snatches one mid-run... CHEF'S KISS. That scene proved CG could do things animatronics never could. ACCURACY CHECK: Actually pretty good! Gallimimus was indeed an ostrich-like dinosaur that moved in herds. The running speed in the movie seems about right. No major complaints here. One of the more accurate depictions in the franchise. Would I want one as a pet? Sure! It's like a giant ostrich. I'd race it. Mike's Gallimimus Racing League. Coming to a Burbank parking lot near you. 7/10. |
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PARASAUROLOPHUS
"The one with the cool head crest" Period: Late Cretaceous (76-73 million years ago) Length: Up to 36 feet Weight: 2.5 tons Diet: Herbivore MIKE'S TAKE: You see these guys in the background of both movies and they're always so peaceful and majestic. In the original, they're drinking at the lake in the background. In Lost World, there's a whole herd on Site B. That head crest was probably used to make sounds - like a built-in trombone!!! How cool is that?? A dinosaur with a musical instrument built into its HEAD. ACCURACY CHECK: Spot on! The crest shape is accurate, the size is right, and the herding behavior matches what we know. Scientists really do think the hollow crest was used for communication - it could produce low-frequency sounds. Spielberg nailed this one. Would I want one as a pet? Imagine waking up to a Parasaurolophus honking at sunrise. Actually that sounds annoying. But they're SO PRETTY. 6/10, would need earplugs. |
STEGOSAURUS
NEW IN THE LOST WORLD!!!
Period: Late Jurassic (155-150 million years ago) Length: Up to 30 feet Weight: 3-5 tons Diet: Herbivore MIKE'S TAKE: FINALLY!!! Spielberg gave us Stegosaurus in The Lost World and it was WORTH THE WAIT. The scene where Sarah Harding is photographing the baby Stego and then mama and papa show up swinging their tail spikes (called a THAGOMIZER - best word ever)?? My heart was POUNDING. Those tail spikes are NO JOKE. ACCURACY CHECK: Great depiction! The plates along the back, the thagomizer at the tail tip, the size - all pretty accurate. Fun fact: the name "thagomizer" was actually coined by Gary Larson in a Far Side comic. Paleontologists adopted it as the official term. I love science. Would I want one as a pet? A baby one? ABSOLUTELY. Look at those plates! It's like a living castle. But those tail spikes would DESTROY my apartment. 7/10 in a field, 0/10 in a studio apartment. |
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COMPSOGNATHUS (COMPYS)
NEW IN THE LOST WORLD!!!
Period: Late Jurassic (150 million years ago) Length: About 3 feet Weight: 5-8 lbs Diet: Carnivore/Insectivore MIKE'S TAKE: THE OPENING SCENE OF THE LOST WORLD. That little girl on the beach. Those tiny cute little Compys come out of the bushes looking all adorable and then they SWARM HER. I will never look at a small animal the same way again. Later they take down Dieter Stark (the hunter dude) and it is BRUTAL. Death by a thousand tiny bites. These things prove that size doesn't matter when you hunt in packs. ACCURACY CHECK: Size is pretty accurate - they really were tiny. The swarming behavior is speculative but possible. Real Compys probably ate insects and small lizards mostly. The venom the movie gives them isn't supported by evidence but it makes for a terrifying scene so I'm OK with it. Would I want one as a pet? Honestly? ONE Compy would be adorable. Like a little dinosaur cat. But you CANNOT let them breed or you're done for. 5/10 for one, -10/10 for a pack. |
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S TIER: Baby T-Rex (WORTH THE RISK) A TIER: Triceratops, Brachiosaurus (if I had land) B TIER: Gallimimus, Stegosaurus, Parasaurolophus C TIER: Single Compy F TIER: Velociraptor, Dilophosaurus (DEATH WISH) ABSOLUTELY NOT: Pack of Compys (I want to LIVE) |
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