Ranking the 30 Best Dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park Franchise

When you love dinosaurs, all you want to do is celebrate those extinct kings of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Good thing this month is the 30th anniversary of the release of Jurassic Park (now streaming on Peacock!), director Steven Spielberg's magnum opus adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel of the same name. A modern classic, Jurassic Park still holds up as one of the best CGI movies ever, and also as one of Spielberg's most perfect films. It's success spawned two franchise cinematic trilogies stuffed full of every species of dinosaur, and even some invented ones.

While every dinosaur in the franchise is welcome, how they are used in any given film varies. And since there are three decades of Jurassic films to celebrate, SYFY WIRE decided to rank our very favorite dinosaurs that appear in the franchise. Come join us for a wild stampede down memory lane as we lay some appreciation on the menagerie that has gone on to change cinematic history.

RELATED: 10 Iconic Dino-Moments to Celebrate 30 Years of Jurassic Park

What are the best dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park franchise? Let's rank 'em!

30. Gallimimus

Many Gallimimus running toward the camera in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

A herd of running Gallimimus are introduced in a thrilling scene in Jurassic Park. They provide a sense of scale and stakes for Dr. Grant (Sam Neill) and the kids as they get swept up into the fray. A classic scene that remains memorable to this day.

29. Dreadnoughtus

Several Dreadnoughtus wander in Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) Photo: Jurassic World: Dominion [2021 - 2022] - Dreadnoughtus Screen Time/M. REX Screen Time YouTube

Introduced in Jurassic World Dominion, these massive creatures are an elegant way to start the movie and give audiences a shorthand for what it was like to walk amongst giants 230 million years ago.

28. Allosaurus

Allosaurs were introduced in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and returned for a repeat appearance in Jurassic World Dominion. These guys are so fierce and compact they get used in underground dino cage matches around the world.

27. Stygimoloch

A Stygimoloch appears in Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom (2018) Photo: Stygimoloch Breakout Scene | Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom (2018) Movie Clip HD 4K/Filmey Box YouTube

Another dino first introduced in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and brought back in Jurassic World Dominion, this bruiser literally bursts through a wall so we gotta applaud their persistence as a species.

26. Stegosaurus

A Stegosaurus appears in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

Steggies are first introduced to the franchise in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. They then appear in every sequel release all the way through Jurassic World Dominion. With their bony tails used to impale their attackers, Stegosauruses are not only iconic in look and silhouette, but they do not play around when it comes to defending themselves.

25. Parasaurolophus

A Parasaurolophus appears in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

Another herding species, Parasaurolophus are featured in every single Jurassic Park and Jurassic World film, which is actually a rare distinction. Only four dinosaur species can claim that honor, and they often get used to show panic in scenes where they're chased or herded, like in Jurassic World Dominion.

24. Pachycephalosaurus

A Pachycephalosaurus appears in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

Introduced in The Lost World: Jurassic Park with a return appearance in Jurassic World, these squat dinos have a bony head protector which makes them formidable in a fight where they can head butt their aggressors. We like their bravery and self-preservation tendencies especially when they're corralled in The Lost World.

23. Iguanodon

A classic species with its unique markings, Inguanodons are an old school species favorited by dino heads. But their first and only appearance in the franchise is in Jurassic World Dominion.

22. Dimorphodons

A Dimorphodon appears in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park - Every Dinosaur In The Jurassic Franchise/Everything Jurassic Park YouTube

Those teeth! Dimorphodons first appear in Jurassic World and then return to cause more chaos in Jurassic World Dominion. These winged hellions are a menacing threat with their nasty bite and winged mobility.

21. Dimetrodon

Immediately known for the red fin on their spines, Dimetrodons are introduced in Jurassic World Dominion as the terrifying species hiding in the caves below the Biosyn complex. Hiding in the shadows, they pop out when Dr. Grant and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) wave their torches and get one hell of a jump scare.

20. Carnotaurus

A Carnotaurus roars in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

A big bad player in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World Dominion, Carnotaurus looks like a bull with its toro-style horns and low to the ground swagger. The brawlers are nasty and always looking for a fight. Respect.

19. Ankylosaurus

An Ankylosaurus appears in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

If you watched Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, then you might call this species "Bumpy," as the kids do in that animated spin-off series. Known for their spinal array of spines, they have a great set of natural armor to protect themselves against much bigger species. They first appeared in Jurassic Park III and then continued to show up in every sequel up through Jurassic World Dominion. 

18. Quetzalcoatlus

A Quetzalcoatlus attacks a plane in Jurassic World Dominion (2022) Photo: The Quetzalcoatlus Attacks Kayla Watts’ Plane in 4K HDR | Jurassic World Dominion/Jurassic World YouTube

This flying species has a very bird-like profile and a territorial disposition. Introduced in Jurassic World Dominion, it takes down the plane that Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) use to try and sneak into Biosyn. It's a thrilling scene and a mighty takedown of machinery by the dino.

17. Apatosaurus

A Apatosaurus hologram appears in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

A gentle giant, the Apatosaurus appears in all three Jurassic World films. A herbivore, these sweet creatures just try to keep to themselves as they graze, but humanity and predators do not make it easy for them.

16. Atrociraptor

The next level of pack dinos, the Atrociraptors get to wreak havoc on Malta as they chase Owen and Claire through the whole city at the behest of their Biosyn trainers. They fill in the "baddie" space the velociraptors left behind when they became hero dinos in the new trilogy. It's a great sequence with some great gnashing and bashing.

15. Compsognathus

A Procompsognathus roars in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

These little critters are the size of small turkeys and have the nickname of Compies. Introduced in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the tiny guys seem harmless until they collect as a pack around their intended prey and then it's too late. A chilling predator, they appear in four of the sequels, across both trilogies.

RELATED: Jurassic Park III's Talking Velociraptor Scene Should've Been More Than Just a Dream

14. Baryonyx

A Baryonyx roars in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

Introduced in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Baryonyx makes us think of alligators on steroids. They have similar mouths lined with teeth but their more agile than their gator cousins. They're used in a great way for scares in both Kingdom and Jurassic World Dominion.

13. Spinosaurus

A Spinosaurus attacks in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

Spinosaurus gets their one and only appearance as a "Big Bad" dino in Jurassic Park III. Agile, mean and very determined, it's a worthy nemesis for humans in the closing film of the Jurassic Park trilogy.

12. Pyroraptors

A Pyroraptor appears in Jurassic World Dominion (2022) Photo: Jurassic World: Dominion [2022] - Pyroraptor Screen Time/M. Rex Screen Time YouTube

Another one and done dino featured in Jurassic World Dominion, the Pyroraptor appears on the ice to stalk Owen and Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise) once their plane crashes. The whole sequence was bonkers, and we loved it.

11. Pteranodon

A Pteranodon appears in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

The classic flying dino, Pteranodons show up in a classic scene in The Lost World: Jurassic Park that was actually a scene from Crichton's Jurassic Park book. Always a threatening menace from the skies, they continue to get featured in every single sequel up through Dominion where they're shown nesting in skyscrapers.

10. Indoraptor

An Indoraptor appears in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

A fictional dino created in the labs by mixing T. rex and velociraptor DNA, the Indoraptor is presented in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as the unhinged creation of man's folly with dinosaurs. A terrifying monster that stalks the characters in Benjamin Lockwood's estate, he also goes up against Blue the velociraptor in a worthy battle.

9. Triceratops

Credit: Universal Studios

An OG dino from Jurassic Park, it's featured in the classic scene where the park rangers find it sick and Dr. Sattler checks its poo for contaminants. A specimen then turns up in every single film installment up through the very end.

8. Brachiosaurus

Photo: Universal/Getty Images

The Brachiosaurus gets our love for capturing all of our awe as the first dino spotted in the wild on Isla Nublar in Jurassic Park. Beautiful and graceful, it brings the characters to tears and remains a cinematic all-time moments for those of us who saw it on the screen way back in 1993.

RELATED: Why Jurassic Park Might Be The Most Rewatchable Movie Ever

7. Therizinosaurus

A Therizinosaurus appears in Jurassic World Dominion (2022) Photo: Jurassic World Dominion (2022) - The Blind Dinosaur Scene | Movieclips YouTube

Another new species used for utmost scares in Jurassic World Dominion, a Therizinosaurus stalks Claire after she lands in the forest via parachute, post ejection from Kayla's plane. With its milky eyes and and fur/feathers, it's got a primordial look to it that's both fascinating and frightening. It's a great foil for Claire in the sequence.

6. Giganotosaurus

A Giganotosaurus creeps in Jurassic World Dominion (2022) Photo: Jurassic World Dominion (2022) - Gigantosaurus Attack Scene | Movieclips YouTube

Another Jurassic World Dominion-only star, Giganotosaurus is the dino that gets the honor of trying to eat the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World characters at the same time.  A massive unit, this guy gets to have several great scenes that leave the cast sweating.

5. Dilophosaurus

A Dilophosaurus appears in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park - Every Dinosaur In The Jurassic Franchise/Everything Jurassic Park YouTube

The rascals that finally give Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) his just desserts in Jurassic Park. Or more like, they make him their dessert as they surround him before he escapes Isla Nublar. Even though paleontologists are pretty sure they never had those frills in real life, you can't help but appreciate a showy dino with a keen sense of revenge. They bookend the whole franchise by just appearing in the first and last films, but they wipe out the real villains with style.

4. Mosasaurus

A Mosasaurus feeds in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

The mighty predator of the water, Mosasaurus gets his own stadium in Jurassic World, and continues to be the dino of the deep all the way through Dominion. Its scale is amazing and the way it takes out the Indominus rex with a bone-chilling crunch remains a franchise favorite.

3. Indominus rex

An Indominus Rex roars in the Jurassic Park film series. Photo: Every Dinosaur In 'Jurassic Park' Series Explained | WIRED YouTube

Another dino DNA abomination, Indominus rex is created by Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong) in Jurassic World. He's that crazy cousin no one wants at the party, and just gets extra mad about it. Stalking humans and T-rexes alike, the big guy gets out into the wild and makes a whole lotta mess until it takes a T. rex, a Velociraptor, and a Mosasaurus to bring him down.

2. Velociraptor

(from left) Velociraptors Beta and Blue in Jurassic World Dominion, co-written and directed by Colin Trevorrow. Photo: Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment

Introduced in Jurassic Park as the next scariest dinos after the T. rex, Velociraptors gave kids nightmares for years. They appear in every single Jurassic film, but they get reframed as trainable in Jurassic World when Owen is able to click train and gain the trust of Blue. From then on, Blue becomes a dino hero and even has her own baby, Beta, introduced in Jurassic World Dominion.

1. Tyrannosaurus

Jurassic Park (1993) Photo: Universal Pictures

The big guy and all-around MVP of the whole Jurassic franchise. Absolutely terrifying as the "Big Bad" in Jurassic Park, once you hear its roar, you can never un-hear it. Indeed, the T. rex has been involved in every climactic battle in the franchise, which figured out how to never undercut its menace even when bigger and seemingly badder species came into the picture. We tip our safari hat to you, T. rex. May you forever reign.

Track all of these dinosaurs and more on Peacock where Jurassic Park is now streaming alongside The Lost World, Jurassic Park III, and Jurassic World.