List of Dinosaurs

This list includes all of the most famous dinosaurs together with many lesser-known species. How many have you heard of?

Abelisaurus

We start our list of dinosaurs with Abelisaurus, a predatory theropod dinosaur of the late Cretaceous Period. Abelisaurus was a medium-sized, bipedal dinosaur that was probably between 7 and 9 metres (23 and 29 ft.) in length.

(‘Bipedal’ means that an animal walks on two legs.)

All that we know about Abelisaurus comes from a single, incomplete skull!

• Find out more about Abelisaurus here: Abelisaurus Facts.

Albertosaurus

Albertosaurus was a close relation of Tyrannosaurus, and was in the same family, Tyrannosauridae. Looking very much like its more famous relative, Albertosaurus walked on two legs, and had small arms. It would have been a fast runner, and probably sat at the very top of the food chain.

Albertosaurus had crests above its eyes which may have been brightly coloured. Unlike Tyrannosaurus, whose eyes pointed forwards, its eyes were on the sides of its head.

• You can read more about Albertosaurus here: Albertosaurus Facts

Allosaurus

Allosaurus was one of the largest predators of the Jurassic Period. It would have reached lengths of around 12 metres (40 ft.), and weighed between 2 and 5 metric tonnes (2.2 and 3.3 short tons).

Allosaurus preyed on dinosaurs such as Stegosaurus, and may even have hunted huge Jurassic Sauropods such as Diplodocus and Apatosaurus.

• You can find out more about Allosaurus here: Allosaurus Facts

Ankylosaurus

Ankylosaurus was a member of a group of dinosaurs called Ankylosauria. Their name means ‘fused together lizards’ on behalf of their joined-together armoured plates.

Ankylosaurians were members of a larger group of dinosaurs called ‘armoured dinosaurs’.

Ankylosaurus was around 10 metres (33 ft.) in length and weighed around 5 metric tonnes (5.5 short tons). It had a bony club at the end of its powerful tail, which would have been an effective weapon against predators.

• Find out more about Ankylosaurus here: Ankylosaurus Facts.

Apatosaurus

Apatosaurus was a huge sauropod dinosaur. It lived in the late Jurassic Period. It weighed between 20 and 30 metric tonnes (22 and 33 short tons), and was around 20 to 23 metres (65 and 75 ft.) in length.

Apatosaurus achieved its colossal size by eating plants, not meat. It may have used its long tail as a whip to protect itself from predators.

Brontosaurus was discovered after Apatosaurus. At the time is was thought to be a different dinosaur, but it was later found to be an Apatosaurus. However, the name ‘Brontosaurus’ had become so widely used that many people thought that they were different dinosaurs.

There’s a twist in the tail: recent studies have found that the Brontosaurus may not be an Apatosaurus after all.

• You can find out more about Apatosaurus here: Apatosaurus Facts

Archaeopteryx

Imagine a cross between a small dinosaur and a bird, and you’ve probably got a good picture of what Archaeopteryx looked like. It had the tooth-filled mouth and bony tail of a dinosaur, with the feathered wings of a bird.

Many scientists now consider birds to be dinosaurs. Archaeopteryx lived in the late Jurassic Period.

• Read more about Archaeopteryx here: Archaeopteryx Facts

Baryonyx

Baryonyx was a two-legged, fish-eating dinosaur that lived in the early Cretaceous Period.

In 1983, amateur fossil collector William J. Walker came across a strange fossil. He alerted the Natural History Museum in London, who realised that he had made an important find.

After further digging, palaeontologists uncovered around three-quarters of a new dinosaur. It was named Baryonyx walker, in honour of its discoverer.

• Find out more about Baryonyx here: Baryonyx Facts

Brachiosaurus

This huge sauropod grew up to 25 metres (82 ft.) in length and weighed between 30 and 50 metric tonnes (33 and 55 short tons). It was one of the largest land animals ever. Brachiosaurus’s name means ‘arm lizard’, because of the way its forelimbs joined its shoulders.

Unlike other sauropods, Brachiosaurus’s front legs were longer than its hind legs.

• You can find out more about Brachiosaurus here: Brachiosaurus Facts.

Brontosaurus

(See Apatosaurus)

Carnotaurus

Carnotaurus was a large, fast-moving predator that walked on two legs. It was around 9 metres (30 ft.) in length, and weighed around 1.35 metric tonnes (1.5 short tons).

This distinctive meat-eater had two horns on its head. Its name means ‘meat-eating bull’ on behalf of these horns.

• Find out more about Carnotaurus here: Carnotaurus Facts.

Coelophysis

Coelophysis is one of the earliest known dinosaurs. It lived in the late Triassic Period. Despite their great age, many Coelophysis fossils have been found.

Coelophysis was a small and lightly-built dinosaur, and would have been nimble and fast. It may have hunted in packs.

Deinonychus

This early Cretaceous dinosaur grew to around 3 metres (10 ft.) in length and weighed around 80 kg (176 lb). Its name, which means ‘terrible claw’ refers to the deadly claw found on each of its feet.

While small compared to other dinosaurs, Deinonychus was built for speed, and would have been an effective predator. It also had long forelimbs and powerful clawed ‘hands’.

Diplodocus

Diplodocus, like all other sauropods, was a giant, four-legged dinosaur with a long neck and tail. It may have used its long tail like a whip for protection against predators.

Diplodocus was around 25 metres (82 ft.) in length, and weighed between 10 and 26 metric tonnes (11 and 29 short tons). It lived in North America in the late Jurassic Period.

• Find out more about Diplodocus here: Diplodocus Facts.

Edmontosaurus

Edmontosaurus was a large herbivorous dinosaur. It was a member of the ‘duck-billed’ group of dinosaurs, so-called on behalf of their duck-like mouths. Edmontosaurus herds roamed western North America in the late Cretaceous Period.

Edmontosaurus would have walked on its two longer hind legs for most of the time. When it needed to get down to reach food near the ground, it would have walked on all four legs.

Giganotosaurus

Giganotosaurus means ‘giant southern lizard’. This predator walked on two legs and was even bigger than Tyrannosaurus. It was around 16 metres (62 ft.) in length and weighed 8 metric tonnes (9 short tons). It was likely to have had good senses of vision and smell.

Giganotosaurus was found in South America in the late Cretaceous Period.

• You can find out more about Giganotosaurus here: Giganotosaurus Facts.

Gorgosaurus

Gorgosaurus was a close relative of the Tyrannosaurus, being in the same family, Tyrannosauridae. Gorgosaurus lived in the late Cretaceous Period and was found in America and Canada.

With a huge skull and jaws filled with sharp teeth, Gorgosaurus definitely lived up to its name, which means ‘dreadful lizard’.

• Find out more about Gorgosaurus here: Gorgosaurus Facts

Iguanodon

Iguanodon was the second dinosaur ever to be named. The first Iguanodon fossil was a tooth. It was discovered in England by the wife of medical doctor and geologist Dr Gideon Mantell. Mantell named the specimen Iguanodon, because the tooth resembled that of an iguana.

Iguanodon was a large, plant-eating dinosaur, able to walk on two and four legs. It lived in the early Cretaceous Period. It had spiked thumbs, which may have been used as defence against predators or for fighting with other Iguanodons.

• Find out more here: Iguanodon Facts

Leaellynasaura

This small bipedal dinosaur was just under 1 metre (3 ft.) in length. It was first discovered in the Australian dinosaur hotspot Dinosaur Cove. Leaellynasaura lived in the early Cretaceous Period, and may have been fully-feathered.

Megalosaurus

Megalosaurus was discovered in England, and was the first dinosaur to be named. Surgeon and geologist James Parkinson identified some fossilised remains as being from a reptile. He named it ‘Megalosaurus’, which means ‘great lizard’. This was in 1824: almost twenty years before Sir Richard Owen invented the word ‘dinosaur’!

Megalosaurus was around 9 metres (30 ft.) in length and weighed around 1 metric tonne (1.1 short tons). It stood on two legs, and was a predator. It lived in the middle Jurassic Period.

• You can find out more about Megalosaurus here: Megalosaurus Facts

Minmi

Minmi was a heavily armoured small dinosaur of the Ankylosauria family. Its body, including its undersides, was covered with bony plates. It had longer legs than most of its relatives, suggesting that, despite being well armoured, it could move quickly.

Minmi fossils have been discovered in Australia. It lived in the early Cretaceous Period.

Ornithomimus

Ornithomimus was an ostrich-like dinosaur. Around 3.5 metres (11.5 ft.) long, Ornithomimus had long legs and a long, thin neck. It would have been able to run at high speeds, possibly reaching over 40 mph (64 km/h).

Ornithomimus means ‘bird mimic’ on behalf of its bird-like feet. Fossils have been found that suggest Ornithomimus had feathers.

Parasaurolophus

Parasaurolophus was a Late Cretaceous herbivore. It was around 10 metres (33 ft.) in length and weighed 3.5 metric tonnes (4 short tons). Parasaurolophus had a distinctive crest growing out of the back of its skull. Tubes inside of this crest were connected to its nostrils.Scientists speculate that this arrangement could have been used to produce sound.

Parasaurolophus had a ‘tall’ but narrow tail. This may have been brightly coloured to attract females or as another form of display.

• You can find out more about Parasaurolophus here: Parasaurolophus Facts.

Protoceratops

Protoceratops was a sheep-sized dinosaur of the late Cretaceous Period. It had jaws shaped like a parrot’s bill, and a mouthful of teeth for eating tough vegetation. It had a frill on the back of its head. This may have served to protect the animal’s neck.

In Mongolia, a fossilised protoceratops was found entwined with a fossilised velociraptor. The velociraptor may have been in the process of attacking the protoceratops before a land slip buried both animals.

Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus was a meat-eating dinosaur of the late Cretaceous Period. Growing up to 15 metres (49 ft.) in length and 23 metric tonnes (25.35 short tons) in weight, it was larger than the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.

In fact, Spinosaurus is quite possibly the largest predator ever to have walked the earth.

Spinosaurus means ‘thorn lizard’ / ‘spine lizard’. The name comes from Spinosaurus’s most distinctive feature: a large ‘sail’ on its back, consisting of spines covered by a layer of skin.

It is thought that this bony sail helped spinosaurus to warm up faster than other dinosaurs, allowing it to hunt when others could not.

• You can find out more about Spinosaurus here: Spinosaurus Facts.

Stegoceras

Stegoceras was a bipedal herbivore that lived in the late Cretaceous Period. It was about 2 metres (6.5 ft.) in length, and probably about the height of a man.

Stegoceras was a Pachycephalosaurian; a ‘dome-headed dinosaur’ with a very thick skull. It was probably a herd animal, and has been found in North America

Stegosaurus

Stegosaurus was a large plant-eating dinosaur in the Stegosauridae family. It grew to around 9 metres (30 ft.) in length, and weighed around 2 metric tonnes (2.2 short tons). Despite its large size, its brain was around the size of a walnut!

Stegosaurus had a row of large bony plates running along the top of its back. These may have offered protection from attack, or may have helped stegosaurus stay at the correct temperature. Stegosaurus was able to defend itself with a cluster of spikes on its tail.

Stegosaurus was found in America, and lived during the late Jurassic period.

• Find out more about Stegosaurus here: Stegosaurus Facts.

Suchomimus

Suchomimus was a member of the Spinosauridae family of dinosaurs, and a relative of Spinosaurus. Like Spinosaurus, Suchomimus had a spiny sail on its back and a long, crocodile-like face. It lived in the early Cretaceous Period, and was found in Africa.

Triceratops

The aptly-named Triceratops (the name means three-horned face) lived during the late Cretaceous Period. It may have lived in herds, and has been found in western America.

Triceratops was a large, heavily built dinosaur, and would have been able to put up quite a fight if attacked by meat-eaters such as Tyrannosaurus or Albertosaurus.

• You can find out more about Triceratops here: Triceratops Facts.

Troodon

Troodon was a small, bird-like dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous Period. It grew to around 2 metres (6.5 ft.) in length, and would have been waist-high to a man.

Despite its small size, Troodon was well armed, with sharp teeth, clawed fingers, and an enlarged, sickle-shaped claw on each of its feet. This intelligent dinosaur was fast, agile, and equipped with good eyesight.

• Find out more about Troodon here: Troodon Facts

Tyrannosaurus

Tyrannosaurus is perhaps the most famous type of dinosaur in the world, and no list of dinosaurs would be without it. One species in particular, Tyrannosaurus Rex, is particularly well-known as being the archetypal ‘killer dinosaur’.

Tyrannosaurus was one of the largest land-based meat-eaters of all time. Not only was it strong; it was also intelligent, fast, and equipped with excellent senses of sight and smell.

One feature of Tyrannosaurus is its huge skull. It would have been able to support powerful jaw muscles; its fearsome teeth would have had a bite force to match.

Tyrannosaurus grew to around 12 metres (40 ft.) in length, and weighed up to 8 metric tonnes (9 short tons). Tyrannosaurus lived right up to the end of the Cretaceous Period. It became extinct along with all of the other non-bird dinosaurs with the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event.

• You can find out more about Tyrannosaurus Rex here: Tyrannosaurus Rex Facts.

Velociraptor

Velociraptor was a small, bird-like, predatory dinosaur of the late Cretaceous Period. Its name means ‘swift plunderer’, and adequately describes this speedy, fierce carnivore.

Velociraptor was armed with a mouthful of sharp teeth, and sharp claws on its hands. Its most famous weapons, however, were the single large, curved claws that were found on each foot. These could have been used for slashing and ripping, and also to grab and restrain the velociraptor’s prey.

In many films, velociraptor is portrayed as being taller than a man. In real-life, however, it would have been waist-high at most. It may also have been fully feathered.

• You can find out more about Velociraptor here: Velociraptor Facts.

List of Dinosaurs – Dinosaur Names with Pictures: Conclusion

We hope that you have enjoyed this list of dinosaurs. We wanted to include not only the most famous dinosaurs, but also some lesser-known species, just to test the dinosaur experts out there! How did you do?

Want In-Depth Dino Info?

The list of dinosaurs above is great for quick facts, but if you want in-depth info on your favorite dinosaur, then click on its name in the list below:

• Abelisaurus Facts
• Albertosaurus Facts
• Allosaurus Facts
• Apatosaurus Facts
• Archaeopteryx Facts
• Baryonyx Facts
• Brachiosaurus Facts
• Carnotaurus Facts
• Diplodocus Facts
• Giganotosaurus Facts
• Gorgosaurus Facts
• Iguanodon Facts
• Megalosaurus Facts
• Parasaurolophus Facts
• Pterodactylus Facts
• Spinosaurus Facts
• Triceratops Facts
• Troodon Facts
• Tyrannosaurus Rex Facts
• Velociraptor Facts