Let’s travel back in time and talk about some of the most dangerous animals to roam the planet. It’s a real blessing that these guys have ceased to exist otherwise human existence would have been impossible. This particular list discusses ten of the most dangerous dinosaurs. The good part is that they are never coming back to life again, although a first-hand experience on their way of life would have been interesting; dangerous, but really interesting. I hope this list proves to be educative. Enjoy the read!
10. SINOSAUROPTERYX
The name means Chinese Reptilian Wing. This was the first dinosaur not included in the Avialae evidenced to have wings. They had furry coats of feathers. They had long tails and short arms and were close relatives of the Compsognathus. Both belong to the family of Compsognathidae. They lived in the northeastern part of China during the Cretaceous period and were the first dinosaurs to be discovered from the Yixian Formation. Many aspects of their biology are illustrated with the help of well-preserved fossils.
9. LIOPLEURODON
The name means smooth-sided teeth and they were marine carnivorous reptiles. They belong to the family of Pilosauroidea. They lived during the middle Jurassic Period and could grow to the enormous length of 25 meters. Their fossils were mostly found in England and France and one of the species is known to have existed somewhere in Russia. They had four strong limbs which indicate them to be really powerful swimmers. A study shows that this body structure would provide excellent acceleration if not top speed.
8. ANKYLOSAURUS
Ankylosaurus means fused lizard. They belong to the family of Ankylosauridae and are classified as Reptilia. They could grow in length till about nine meters and weighed in over 6,000 kilograms. The fossils suggest that they were alive during the Cretaceous Period in the western part of North America. A complete skeleton of these species have not yet been discovered so the illustrations could be inaccurate but it gives an idea at least. This dinosaur was heavily armored which would help in defense and attack at the same time.
7. SARCOSUCHUS
Sarcosuchus means ‘flesh crocodile’. They happen to be very distant relatives of crocodiles are said to have lived around 112 million years ago. These are perhaps the biggest crocodiles to have ever lived with their fossils found in Africa. They are classified as Reptilia and belong to the family of Pholidosauridae. They are believed to have been as long as a city bus which is well over 12 meters and they weighed in on over 8 tones. The mere skull was the size of a fully grown male human; one bite and you disappear.
6. ALLOSAURUS
These guys lived during the late Jurassic Period around 155 million years ago. The name means ‘different lizard’. They are classified as Reptiles and belong to the family of Allosauridae. It is said to have had a large skull with several very sharp teeth and averaged around 9 meters in length. Some studies suggest that they could reach the length of 12 meters. They had a heavy tail suggesting greater balance. They have been estimated to weigh in at around 2.3 metric tons. Imagine if these creatures were alive, or if they come alive.
5. TROODON
These happen to be small dinosaur resembling a bird and are said to have lived during the Late Cretaceous period. Their fossils were first discovered in 1855 in North America. More species were discovered in Texas, New Mexico and Wyoming. The name means ‘wounding tooth’. They are classified as Reptilia and belong to the family of Troodontidae. They are said to have been around 2.5 meters in length on average and could weight over 50 kilograms; like I said, they were small. But the smaller they get the more deadly they get as well; at least in most cases.
4. KRONOSAURUS
The name means ‘Lizard of Kronos’. They were named after the Greek leader called Cronus. These dinosaurs had a short neck. They are classified as Sauropsida and belong to the family of Pliosauridae. They reached the length of 13 meters but would usually average around 9 or 10 meters. They were equipped with large teeth exceeding the length of seven centimeters. The largest of its teeth reached a length of 30 centimeters. Their fossils were discovered from Australia.
3. AMPHICOELIAS FRAGILLIMUS
The name literally means bioconcave. These particular dinosaurs were longest known vertebrates with lengths averaging at around 40 to 60 meters. They weighed in on 122 metric tons. They were classified as Reptilia and belonged to the family of Diplodocoidea. Their fossil remains were lost at some point which is why extensive studies could not be carried out on these guys although Jurassic Park gives a pretty nice idea as to what they might have looked like.
2. VELOCIRAPTOR
I am sure you remember these guys from the famous movie called ‘Jurassic Park’ and that movie gives a great insight into how big of nuisance they could prove to be. The name means ‘swift seizer’ and they are said to have lived over 75 to 71 million years ago. They were part of the late Cretaceous Period. Their fossils were found in China and Mongolia. They are classified as Reptilia and belong to the family of Dromaeosauridae. They could weigh up to 15 kilograms and would grow in length up to 2 meters. Though they might seem potentially harmless considering their size and weight, but they would usually attack in herds, and that’s where the problem starts; besides, they are really fast.
1. TYRANNOSAURUS REX
I am sure you guys expected the T Rex to make it to the top. The name means ‘Tyrant Lizard’. The fossils suggest that these guys used to live in Western North America some 67 million years ago. They are classified as Reptilia and belong to the family of Tyrannosauridae. They could grow over 12 meters in length and would usually weigh in over 6 metric tons. They had small arms and long tails. I am sure you can picture these guys really well considering we have seen them in the Jurassic Park series.