From the first Jurassic Park movie in 1993 to the second and third in 1997 and 2001 all the way to the latest pair, Jurassic World released in 2015 and 2018 – there is something fantastical yet horrifying when playing with the idea that we could in fact live among the ancient creatures we refer to as Dinosaurs. Those larger than life reptiles with their huge claws and even worse, intimidating teethy grins – it is almost impossible to imagine what kind of world it would be if we did share this planet with those unique and large animals. Let’s leave our imaginations on the cinematic screens!

Going through the movie created creatures, we shed some light on the real teeth facts of some of the most popular and feared Jurassic Park and Jurassic World Dinosaur characters.

 

1. Brachiosaurus

Falling in love with this giraffe like dinosaur in Jurassic Park and Jurassic World – the depiction of the veggie eating dinosaur is quite true to form. The Brachiosaurus much like movie goers saw as it used its neck to reach food, had unique spoon shaped teeth which were perfect for stripping down vegetation. It is thought the Brachiosaurus swallowed large chunks of plants whole because their teeth were likely the best for breaking down it’s diet of over 800 pounds of dry plant matter.

 

2. Pteranodon

This flying specimen’s name might say it all. The meaning of Pteranodon is ‘winged and toothless’ with is accurate to the movie – so there’s some real teeth facts there. But don’t get too excited, although featured in Jurassic World – reference to the Pteranodon as a dinosaur is a tale! Though very much a carnivore, this unique creature lived among and during the dinosaur era but was not in fact a dinosaur. Feeding on such things as fish, mollusks, crabs, insects and the carcasses of dead dinosaurs – the Pteranodon, like modern birds had a long beak with no teeth.

 

3. Dimorphodon

Another flying reptile that was not a dinosaur among Jurassic’s dino characters! However the movie did do it justice when it came to its menacing jaw line. Dimorphodon means ‘two-formed tooth’ which is most definitely due to the flying reptiles two types of teeth. The first set, the most intimidating and hard to miss, the long curved fangs jetting out from the front of the jaw with the second teeth much less intimidating, the short pointed teeth located right behind.

 

4. Compsognathus

Depicted in the movies as being a teeny tiny dinosaur, the real life chicken sized reptile is known for its pint size. But don’t mistake its small stature for weakness. Though it’s name means ‘pretty jaw’ this meat eating creature had many sharp curved teeth that it utilized to catch and keep its prey in a tight hold and rip flesh. Judging by the size of the jaw, the Compsognathus likely chose to dine on smaller lizards or mammals that were easier to take down.

 

5. Indominus Rex

This popular Jurassic dinosaur character was unfortunately (or fortunately for its potential prey) a fictional creature created for the movie. Some major tall tooth tales here! Even though there was never a Indominus Rex ever roaming the Earth millions of years ago, a lesser well known dinosaur did inspire the movie’s character, the Therizinosaurus. We can imagine though, if this dinosaur did roam the earth it’s teeth would be a part no other dinosaur would want to come in contact with!

 

6. Dilophosaurus

This dinosaur is known for its distinctive teeth which the Jurassic Park movie never truly visually captured. With numerous narrow and sharp teeth, the Dilophosaurus had a collective of sharp chompers at the front of the jaw line which we can imagine aided the dino in catching food or defending itself. A tooth uncovered from this unique dinosaur measured in at 2 inches long!

 

7. Pachycephalosaurus

Known for its distinctive boney dome on the top of its skull aka dome-headed dino, the Pachycephalosaurus had a relatively small jawline, with tiny serrated leaf shaped crowned teeth. With what we think is a very accurate visual in the movie, we would have to say Jurassic World did the Pachycephalosaurus good. This herbivore dinosaur likely ate berries, seeds and soft vegetation based on the size of its jaw, mouth and those tiny chompers.

 

8. Mosasaurus

This horrifying water performing dinosaur in Jurassic World looked very similiar to the real Mosasaurus that swam in the Earth’s waters 60 – 70 million years ago. Though, it was smaller in real life than the movie showcased and likely wouldn’t be able to eat a whole shark. Tooth be told (yes, tooth) the water dinosaur had two rows of razor sharp teeth in its upper jaw. The purpose of the second set? To assist its expanding jaw when holding and forcing down its prey WHOLE! If that’s not frightening we don’t know what is!

 

9. Indoraptor

Another faux dinosaur! This one is truly spooky on the big screen with its eyes and teeth extra bright in the darkness which is clearly meant to give movie goers that fearful feeling in the pit of their stomachs. The inspiration for the Indoraptor – it is a cross between Jurassic Park’s previous fictional Indominus rex with all of the goodness of more raptor genes. What we know for sure is the Indoraptor is a carnivore that will hunt and feed whatever it can possibly get its reptilian hands on! Aiding in that task, some really sharp pearly whites!

 

10. Spinosaurus

The largest of the meat -eating dinos, even larger than the terrorizing T-Rex. In Jurrasic Park 3 the movie pits the Spinosaurus against the T-Rex in an all out fight, but what do we really know about this real life dinosaur? This semi-aquatic dinosaur had a face reminiscent of a crocodile and a unique placement of teeth. With spear like pearly whites , 6 – 7 could be found protruding from either side of the narrow part of the snout with 12 large teeth located behind on both sides. With room behind the front 3 for the larger bottom teeth to fit – the end result…a perfect combination to trap and clamp down moving prey or in a defensive one on one.

 

11. Velociraptor

You can’t reference Jurassic Park without making mention of those fast and frightening ‘raptors’ – which are actually based off the dinosaur species Deinonychus. The real life Velociraptors were a lot less intimidating and can best be compared to that of a chicken. That’s right…a fierce chicken!

Aside from it’s feathers and actual size (think large rooster) the Velociraptor had 13 to 15 serrated teeth in its upper jaw with a similar amount in its bottom jaw – spaced widely the feathered dinosaur likely dined on smaller prey…a far cry from the movie’s depiction.

 

12. Carnotaurus

This puny armed dinosaur was seen in the Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom movie trailer – let’s just say it had a failed attempt at turning a human into a hearty meal thanks to the might T-Rex. But how ferocious were the teeth on this real dino during its time on Earth? Carnotaurus teeth were maybe not as distintict as the horns on its head but were still menacing. With long, slender sharp teeth – the upper jaw had 32 – 16 chompers on either side while the bottom jaw had 30 in total, 15 on each side. Enough to catch and kill its prey and scare an audience on the big screen!

 

13. Tyrannosaurus Rex

The T-Rex is known for being a beast in the wild and in the movies! While the Tyrannosaurus rex was not the largest dinosaur or even the largest carnivorous dinosaur it did have something that aided in its survival…large teeth! The T-Rex had some chompers that measured in at 12 inches long! While he has scared audiences in the Jurrassic Park and World movies – he likely scared other dinosaurs during his reign on Earth. Also, unlike other dinosaurs the T-Rex’s serrated teeth were used for different jobs – the front for gripping, the side teeth for tearing flesh and its back teeth were utilized to chomp and dice large pieces of meat before pushing it back into the throat to swallow down. Talk about specialized jobs! It is no wonder he is at the top of the list of terrifying dinosaurs!