The full breakdown
Jurassic Park’s dinosaurs certainly aren’t entirely scientifically accurate, but just how close are the dinosaurs to what scientists believed they looked like? Let’s go through each dinosaur in the 1993 film and compare it to their real-life companion to find out.
So you want to create living dinosaurs using preserved DNA and frog genes to fill in the gaps... Well, they won’t be 100% accurate, but how do the 1993 Jurassic Park dinosaurs compare to the latest science? Let’s find out now...animated!
Jurassic Park’s Brachiosaurus has its signature head hump with added nostrils, an S-shaped thirty-foot neck, and trunk-shaped legs. The real Brachiosaurus had a thicker neck, a longer body, and more unique feet. Their head-hump was less steep, and their nostrils were closer to their mouth. It’s also possible – like many dinosaurs – they had more colourful patterns. They also couldn’t chew like a big cow, nor would they rear on their hind legs. Although, Jurassic Park’s Brac was actually modelled off the similar Giraffatitan, whose proportions were closer to the film version.
JP’s Dilophosaurus has a green colouring with dark markings and two crests on top of his head. It has a lizard-like frill and spits venom – two attributes that were made up for the movie. The real Dilophosaurus was much larger, their snouts were more tapered, their head crests sat lower, and they potentially had some feathering. Also – like all dinosaurs – they lacked the ability to pronate their wrists. Nevertheless, they would still be a formidable foe for Nedry.
The film’s Gallimimus is orange-ish beige with artful stripes and bugged-out eyes. The adolescents have additional white markings. The real Gallimimus had smaller hands, prominent feathering, and a more angular face.
The live-action Parasaurolophus features greenish colouring, a broad-beaked mouth, and its long head crest. The real dinosaur was quite chunkier, with more hoof-like front feet, a longer beak – and they possibly used their head crest for communication.
The onscreen Triceratops is reddish-brown, has a spiked frill, three head-horns, and elephant-like feet – plus, their poop piles are...disturbingly enormous. The real dino had slender appendages, an elongated head, large cheek horns, a higher eye placement, and distinct hexagonal scaling. Also, their frill could’ve housed more unique patterns.
The live-action Tyrannosaurus has an earthy colouring, tiny arms, a ridged skull, and extremely poor eyesight. The real creature had a full-bodied figure, tinier arms, possible feathering, added lips, and impeccable eyesight.
The in-film Velociraptors have a blended brown colouring, long hands, enlarged sickle claws, and cat-like eyes. An adorable Raptor hatchling is also seen. Real Velociraptors were much smaller, fully feathered, with bird-like legs, arms and facial features, and potentially lacked the slit pupils. They were definitely “clever girls”, but most odds couldn’t turn a door handle.
Although, the movie Raptors are actually based on the larger Deinonychus, which had a more blunt snout. While real-life “Raptors” may look more like turkeys, they were very much still deadly animals.
Written by the Tell It Animated team. Prefer to watch? The full animated version is on YouTube.
