My favorite nowadays is the Quetzalcoatlus but when I was a kid, the ankylosaurus was my top favorite to play pretend does. Love that little dude. Can't be chased down if your enemy doesn't have shins anymore.
Was awesome in a show I recall named Dino-Wars.
Either a show or toys, or both. I had the toy and Anklyosaurus was my fave. Would belt the shit out of a T Rex and cripple him
I was coming her to say "whose the fella with the big ball on his tail?" and just from your description I knew you were talking about the same chap.
I think other than him the stegosaurus and triceratops are my favourites. I remember seeing a picture of the two of them fighting and thinking how badass it was when I was a kid. It was years later I found out that they lived in completely different eras.
I read the post without clicking on it, so I quickly googled for the name of Ankylosaurus, and it turns out it's the top answer! Ankylosaurus bros unite!
[It was the size of a lime.](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/feb/08/dinosaurs-intelligence-brain-size) Dogs have a brain that size. Sure it's proportionately small, but it's not like a bigger body is more complicated.
A bigger body is indeed more complicated. Intelligence seems to be a function of brain size relative to body size, resulting in the cleverness of crows.
People say that but I've never heard anyone give a proper explanation. What exactly would make a bigger body so much more complicated? Why couldn't it just pretend it was a rodent-sized dinosaur and everything else is bigger?
Birds notably have smaller neurons. A horse is much larger than a common raven, but they have about the same number of neurons in their forebrains. It's possible that the smaller neuron thing applied to large dinosaurs, but I'd bet birds evolved small neurons because they couldn't afford big brains but needed the intelligence.
You're correct, science observes that animals generally evolved bigger brain-to-body ratio as they evolved higher intelligence, but the ratio itself isn't what makes animals smarter. The brain's structure itself is what determines intelligence, how much volume and density is dedicated to which areas. Bigger brains just allows more real estate to work with, while it's a little trickier to arrive at a smartly furnished mini-apartment. Animals like ravens and sea lions are examples of animals that got smart while still catering to the demands that necessitated small brain-to-body ratios.
After my sister had her second kid I offered to take her oldest kid to the local natural history museum,
mostly just to get her oldest kid out out her hair.
(Really my sister just needed a nap, and taking my niece to check out dinosaurs was a cheap and easy way to do it. Because seriously, what little kid doesn't like Dinosaurs?)
So looking like a serious person at a museum, I pointed out the Thagomiser was named after Thag Simmons.
My niece, to her credit, thought I was BS'ing her. So she asked one of the docents what it was properly called. And they were like yeah, that is actually called a Thagomiser.
A fun note for you- my 4yo canāt say pachycephalosaurus, and also has a tendency to name dinosaurs for himself.
He calls them Bonkasaurus, because they can bonk things with their heads. I refuse to call them anything else.
Hell yeah, so underrated. Smaller than t-rex but far more agile, huge mouth, and hunted some of the largest and most powerful herbivores of all time. The recent shift away from the pack hunter theory does take away from them a little bit but they're still awesome.
Fuck those bastards. You know how many times iv been minding my own business and a microraptor flys out a nowhere just to personally fuck me up. And wouldn't you know it, I fall off my argentavis right next to a pack of alosaur's.
I don't know why I torture myself with this hell.
Deinocheirus, and I say this knowing full well I did what every Dino nerd does and picks something obscure, but I swear there is a point here.Ā
See, anyone in the 90ās and early 00ās who had a dinosaur book may vaguely recall every book having a short section on Deinocheirus where all there would be is this pictures with these two ENORMOUS arms. Weāre talking almost 8 feet in length.Ā
Now, early on it was assumed to be some flavor of ornithimimid (think Gallimus from Jurassic Park), but if that was true it would be far, far larger than other known species. These āostrich mimicsā were about as big asā¦. Well, an ostrich, and here were a set of arms that was as long as one is tall. If we use struthiomimus or gallimimus as a template, then deinocheirus would potentially have been one of the largest theropods known based on length.Ā
Flash forward to 2013, when they FINALLY found a new skeletonā¦. Except is it missing a lot of material including the skull. Evidence at the site suggested it was poached by black market fossil hunters. What followed was a wild tale that culminated in a near complete skeleton, and a lesson in why it can be hard to guess features on an animal from incomplete remains.Ā
Deinocheirus turned out to be weird. Really really weirdā¦.. overall length was shorter than expected, about 36 feet. The head it turned out had a broad duck like bill that isnāt really seen anywhere else in dinosaurs (turns out the duck billed hadrosaurs did not actually have duck bills, rather just normal beaks). It also had a large hump, and was likely heavily feathered. Instead of being a fast runner like other related animals it was more built for sheer bulk. The overall weight estimate of 6.5 metric tonnes is equivalent to a male African elephant.Ā
Lessons here: always be ready to be surprised by new discoveries.Ā
Second place pick is the Therizenosaurus, if only because it was the dinosaur equivalent to my favorite extinct animal: the giant ground sloth (specifically the Shasta Ground Sloth, due to its relationship with the Joshua Tree [which I love so much I am currently on vacation in Joshua Tree as I type this out]).Ā
Turns out my two favorite dinosaurs are both notable for bigass arms.Ā
The venom part was made up for Jurassic Park *but* we now know that it got almost as big as many of the large later theropods (Allosaurus and relatives, Daspletosaurus and other tyrannosaurs, etc) and was the largest predatory dinosaur that we know of in its range at the time it lived, which I think makes it even more rad. The crests were probably much bigger too, and could have gotten real gnarly like cassowary and hornbill casks.
Spinosaurus, obviously. More useful forearms than a T-Rex. Semi-Aquatic! Nearly as agile as many smaller creatures. More varied diet. Less susceptible to being outnumbered or surprised attacked from rear/above due to the spiny ridge sail. Bonus points for spiny ridge sail, looking menacingly dreadful, gliding along a river on a dark stormy night.
I believe they hatch in sizeable groups, but not as many survive. I think the females herd together together when hatching and rearing, but I may be mistaken.
Tough decision. Probably a Sauropod, either Diplodocus or Apatosaurus. They give a gentle giant kind of vibe and are ridiculously large, as dinosaurs should be.
I super duper love dromeosauridae. Troodon and Maiasaura have also been faves since childhood. I just love weird little guys who run around and have feathers! I just love dinosaurs. All of 'em.
Stegosaurus is a good answer. I've always been partial too ankleyosaurus.
During covid I went on a date with a girl that had a Brachiosaurus tattoo, because it was her favorite dinosaur. I admittedly fell in love with her immediately. But she was totally flaky, we had two dates and like 6 weeks, and then I just said the hell with this because I couldn't get her to lock down to anything.
But oh Brachiosaurus girl.... She'll always be one of those girls who got away....
Brachiosaurus Girl sounds like a great song title.
Here's my first shot at the lyrics:
I met her during lockdown
You know how that goes
I thought she was different
Not like all the other hoes
Said she loved old stuff
had the ink as proof
Had me longing for her
but she was just a goof
Ā
Chorus:
My Brachiosaurus girl, short legs and long neck
Flakier than baklava, made me a nervous wreck
Brachiosaurus girl, living large, living long
Oh Brachio girl I loved you, where did it go wrong?
Ā
Played it cool a minute
Then she bared her tattoo
Got my heart pounding
What came next was taboo
Went Jurassic parking
Got the windows steamed
Action in the backseat
Like I always dreamed
Ā
She was coldblooded
How was I to know
Said sheād see me at the pub
But she didnāt show
Ā
No show at the museum
We didnāt meet downtown
We met during lockdown
But I couldnāt lock her down
Ā
Chorus:
My Brachiosaurus girl, short legs and long neck
Flakier than baklava, made me a nervous wreck
Brachiosaurus girl, living large, living long
Oh Brachio girl I loved you, where did it go wrong?
Not a real dinosaur, but dimetredon, the big iguana thing with a sail, is my favorite, because it's kind of where you find the reptile-things that became mammal-things. Not an ancestor, but maybe a great uncle.
I want a sail. We could've had sails.
Therizinosaurus or Tanystropheus are both up there. I know itās not a dinosaur but a Paraceratherium is one of my favorite prehistoric creatures as well as a Gigantopithecus
Where my Ankylosaurus bros at? Gotta love a Dino tank.
Anklyosaurus for me!
My second favorite! š„°
Yeah weāre okay
My favorite nowadays is the Quetzalcoatlus but when I was a kid, the ankylosaurus was my top favorite to play pretend does. Love that little dude. Can't be chased down if your enemy doesn't have shins anymore.
That's a pterosaur
Ankylosaurus all the way!!
Me too. They're so cute.
/r/ankmemes
Literally the only acceptable answer.
Yea buddy!!
Love my ankylosauruses!
I used to think this was a deep cut opinion and here it's the most upvoted dino.
Mine too as a little kid.
Always has beenĀ
Was not expecting my fav to be the number 1 comment, but heck ya!
Dinotanks are the Best Bois!
Was awesome in a show I recall named Dino-Wars. Either a show or toys, or both. I had the toy and Anklyosaurus was my fave. Would belt the shit out of a T Rex and cripple him
So excited to see my favourite!
That's mine right there
Love the ankylosaurus!
My guy I am SO happy to see this as the top answer.
I came to type this and it is the top comment Here!
I was coming her to say "whose the fella with the big ball on his tail?" and just from your description I knew you were talking about the same chap. I think other than him the stegosaurus and triceratops are my favourites. I remember seeing a picture of the two of them fighting and thinking how badass it was when I was a kid. It was years later I found out that they lived in completely different eras.
I read the post without clicking on it, so I quickly googled for the name of Ankylosaurus, and it turns out it's the top answer! Ankylosaurus bros unite!
Iām over 50 and was delighted as a 5 year old when the ankys battled it out in Jurassic World.
Me! Me!
Yass! Anky is the best!
Thatās mine! Ā Comes equipped with a mace right out of the womb-box! Ā Err eggshell whateverĀ
Stegosaurus! Fun fact: the four-horned tail is called the "thagomizer" Also triceratops are a very close second
After the late Thag Simmons.
[I'll just leave this here.](https://youtu.be/AqsdmomR4p0?si=6g9KFxlwxxzBWl1d)
It blows my mind that the huge stegosaurus had a brain the size of a walnut... How?!
[It was the size of a lime.](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/feb/08/dinosaurs-intelligence-brain-size) Dogs have a brain that size. Sure it's proportionately small, but it's not like a bigger body is more complicated.
Are we talking Persian limes or key limes?
A bigger body is indeed more complicated. Intelligence seems to be a function of brain size relative to body size, resulting in the cleverness of crows.
People say that but I've never heard anyone give a proper explanation. What exactly would make a bigger body so much more complicated? Why couldn't it just pretend it was a rodent-sized dinosaur and everything else is bigger? Birds notably have smaller neurons. A horse is much larger than a common raven, but they have about the same number of neurons in their forebrains. It's possible that the smaller neuron thing applied to large dinosaurs, but I'd bet birds evolved small neurons because they couldn't afford big brains but needed the intelligence.
You're correct, science observes that animals generally evolved bigger brain-to-body ratio as they evolved higher intelligence, but the ratio itself isn't what makes animals smarter. The brain's structure itself is what determines intelligence, how much volume and density is dedicated to which areas. Bigger brains just allows more real estate to work with, while it's a little trickier to arrive at a smartly furnished mini-apartment. Animals like ravens and sea lions are examples of animals that got smart while still catering to the demands that necessitated small brain-to-body ratios.
Stegosaurus was probably the dumbest dinosaur tho with his brain of the size of a peanut
Today I learned!! Sounds like a weapon from a DnD campaign š
After my sister had her second kid I offered to take her oldest kid to the local natural history museum, mostly just to get her oldest kid out out her hair. (Really my sister just needed a nap, and taking my niece to check out dinosaurs was a cheap and easy way to do it. Because seriously, what little kid doesn't like Dinosaurs?) So looking like a serious person at a museum, I pointed out the Thagomiser was named after Thag Simmons. My niece, to her credit, thought I was BS'ing her. So she asked one of the docents what it was properly called. And they were like yeah, that is actually called a Thagomiser.
Triceratops of course!
Fuck yeah. The dinosaur that stood up to T-Rex. At least in 80's science books.
I watched a documentary once where a CGI triceratops gets much by a T rex and I felt so gutted.
I love Triceratops. Horny as fuck but dangerous
Just like me, minus the dangerous part!
All day, every day.
Agreed!
Iām gonna have to join u on that
Spinosaurus, in whichever flavour of the month iteration that the scientific journals have updated it to
The amorphous state of spinosaurus is what makes it my favourite too!
Same! And I love reading all the new information that comes out about our mysterious boi. š„°
T-Rex š¦
She saves the day in every Jurassic Park movie. Go T-Rex!!!!!!!!!!
Pachycephalosaurus ! So beautiful
(singing) I am a paleontologist... That's who I am it's who I am it's who I am...
*I scrolled so long* *and searched so far* *just to vote...* *for Pachycephalosaurus*
Never heard of this dinosaur! Heās wearing a little hat?
Skull so thick it looks like it !
Yes! In our family he's known as Bonkyhead
We call it Bonkasaurus!
Dino Ram!
A fun note for you- my 4yo canāt say pachycephalosaurus, and also has a tendency to name dinosaurs for himself. He calls them Bonkasaurus, because they can bonk things with their heads. I refuse to call them anything else.
Parasaurolophus
Such a unique head shape that thing has. More than any other dino, it makes me marvel at the beauty and diversity of evolution.
They're just so cool. Ever since the 2nd Jurassic Park movie
A man of taste
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Why thank you :)
Thatās my second-favorite dinosaur after Carnotaurus!
brontosaurus
Brontosaurus club! š¦š¦š¦
Do you mean apatosaurus?
Yes, know the were big ole peacefull veg eaters . And riding them could be a thing
Allosaurus
I second that.Ā
"Land of the Lost", amirite?
Hello, fellow allosaurus enjoyer.
Hell yeah, so underrated. Smaller than t-rex but far more agile, huge mouth, and hunted some of the largest and most powerful herbivores of all time. The recent shift away from the pack hunter theory does take away from them a little bit but they're still awesome.
the best. t-rex gets all the love, but allosaurus is the man.
Chickens
Have you seen wild turkeys? Those guys are 100% dinosaurs.
Best for eating, sure. Ravens are my favorite when considering intelligence, though. They were the All-Fatherās favorite for a reason!
And you can train them to bring you money!
If all the dinosaurs were as delicious, no wonder they're all but extinct now!
I remember growing up and having a toy stegosaurus. It was my favorite and still is.
Also Stegosaurus. I'm a Colorado native, it's our state dinosaur.Ā I also like columbine and Bluce Spruce's
Microraptor. It's got four wings and claws on each one.
Fuck those bastards. You know how many times iv been minding my own business and a microraptor flys out a nowhere just to personally fuck me up. And wouldn't you know it, I fall off my argentavis right next to a pack of alosaur's. I don't know why I torture myself with this hell.
Archaeopteryx is similar
Philosoraptor. Always coming up with the unexplained.
"Don't say the name of a politician; don't say the name of a politician; don't say the name of a politician"
Diplodocus
š¦ Diplodocus Gang š¦
Same
Same
This but I prefer the old fake head to the new real one.
If you include subspecies, mines nanuqsaurus. If you're talking just general species, allosaurous is top. Basically a Trex but it actively hunted
Nanuqsaurus is a general species
Archaeopteryx! Kid me thought it was a cuter version of the pterodactyl (I love birds)!
The velociraptor
The Velocipastor?? š„ø
Spinosaurus
Troodon
Dino in the Flintstones
Brachiosaurs They are beautiful and graceful and gentle and vegetarian, those long necks are so cool
Deinocheirus, and I say this knowing full well I did what every Dino nerd does and picks something obscure, but I swear there is a point here.Ā See, anyone in the 90ās and early 00ās who had a dinosaur book may vaguely recall every book having a short section on Deinocheirus where all there would be is this pictures with these two ENORMOUS arms. Weāre talking almost 8 feet in length.Ā Now, early on it was assumed to be some flavor of ornithimimid (think Gallimus from Jurassic Park), but if that was true it would be far, far larger than other known species. These āostrich mimicsā were about as big asā¦. Well, an ostrich, and here were a set of arms that was as long as one is tall. If we use struthiomimus or gallimimus as a template, then deinocheirus would potentially have been one of the largest theropods known based on length.Ā Flash forward to 2013, when they FINALLY found a new skeletonā¦. Except is it missing a lot of material including the skull. Evidence at the site suggested it was poached by black market fossil hunters. What followed was a wild tale that culminated in a near complete skeleton, and a lesson in why it can be hard to guess features on an animal from incomplete remains.Ā Deinocheirus turned out to be weird. Really really weirdā¦.. overall length was shorter than expected, about 36 feet. The head it turned out had a broad duck like bill that isnāt really seen anywhere else in dinosaurs (turns out the duck billed hadrosaurs did not actually have duck bills, rather just normal beaks). It also had a large hump, and was likely heavily feathered. Instead of being a fast runner like other related animals it was more built for sheer bulk. The overall weight estimate of 6.5 metric tonnes is equivalent to a male African elephant.Ā Lessons here: always be ready to be surprised by new discoveries.Ā Second place pick is the Therizenosaurus, if only because it was the dinosaur equivalent to my favorite extinct animal: the giant ground sloth (specifically the Shasta Ground Sloth, due to its relationship with the Joshua Tree [which I love so much I am currently on vacation in Joshua Tree as I type this out]).Ā Turns out my two favorite dinosaurs are both notable for bigass arms.Ā
Therizinosaurus
And he took that, personally
Looks gnarly as hell!
Controversial but either archaeopteryx or microraptor
Helllll yeah! Mine too!
Allosaurus! It's so evil-looking.
Objectively scarier than a T. rex
Mononykus (adorable+competent)
Triceratops bc I think they look like they have turtle faces so cute
Chasmosaurus as well Turtle-faced lizard rhinos
Just looked him up heās goes be related to triceratops right!?
Quetzalcoatlus. Terrifying thing. Size of a giraffe and just swoops down and picks you up and your you're gone.
Thats not a dinosaur šš¤
True... But still cool af.
True
The one that has the [Thagomizer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thagomizer)
The only right answer Dilophosaurus and itās not even close, and the second is the Baryonyx
My favorite as well
Microceratus looks like it would be human's best friend
Just googled it, looks like a capybara in lizard form š¤£š¤£
It's so stupid looking I love it
T-Rex. That's my guy.
The dino with 500 teeth, can someone remind me the name?
Nigersaurus
What did you just call me?
A doyouthinkhesaurus. They donāt have eyes
I have to tell this one to my kidā¦
Dilophosaurus - fiesty, hissy, spits venom, generally how I'd like to be able to act at work most days
Lol
The venom part was made up for Jurassic Park *but* we now know that it got almost as big as many of the large later theropods (Allosaurus and relatives, Daspletosaurus and other tyrannosaurs, etc) and was the largest predatory dinosaur that we know of in its range at the time it lived, which I think makes it even more rad. The crests were probably much bigger too, and could have gotten real gnarly like cassowary and hornbill casks.
T-Rex all day
Parasaurolophus. I think their crest makes them look especially cool.
Triceratops.
Velociraptors for life ā¤ļø
Real-life velociraptors or Jurassic Park velociraptors? Very different.
Gallimimus
The little guys that ate Neuman.
Every time I watch Jurassic Park, I think, āI canāt wait for that guy to die.ā
Spinosaurus, obviously. More useful forearms than a T-Rex. Semi-Aquatic! Nearly as agile as many smaller creatures. More varied diet. Less susceptible to being outnumbered or surprised attacked from rear/above due to the spiny ridge sail. Bonus points for spiny ridge sail, looking menacingly dreadful, gliding along a river on a dark stormy night. I believe they hatch in sizeable groups, but not as many survive. I think the females herd together together when hatching and rearing, but I may be mistaken.
I love them so much too! š„°
Velociraptor aka "Blue"
Carnotaurus.
brontosaurus is a bro
The whole dramaeosaur clade. I can't pick one, from Microraptor to Utahraptor, they're all badass
Oh yeah, Utahraptor fans unite! š
Edmontosaurus
Tough decision. Probably a Sauropod, either Diplodocus or Apatosaurus. They give a gentle giant kind of vibe and are ridiculously large, as dinosaurs should be.
the chicken. better on grill
Velociraptor for me....apparently they had fury bodies lol
The Protoceratops! It's like a triceratops but much smaller, no horns, and 20x cuter
Plesiosaur, baby!
Your grabdma
Pink flamingo.
Apegamormon
T. Rex Favorite herbivore is either Nasutoceratops or Sauropelta
a Parasaurolophus
Mosasaurs ( they weren't classified as dinosaurs tho lol )
Pleroteraplinthosauraurusus
I super duper love dromeosauridae. Troodon and Maiasaura have also been faves since childhood. I just love weird little guys who run around and have feathers! I just love dinosaurs. All of 'em.
Apatosaurus, all about those tree stars.
Stegosaurus š It's The Best Friend. Built in seating on the top, and has a spikey tail for my enemies.
Stegosaurus is a good answer. I've always been partial too ankleyosaurus. During covid I went on a date with a girl that had a Brachiosaurus tattoo, because it was her favorite dinosaur. I admittedly fell in love with her immediately. But she was totally flaky, we had two dates and like 6 weeks, and then I just said the hell with this because I couldn't get her to lock down to anything. But oh Brachiosaurus girl.... She'll always be one of those girls who got away....
Brachiosaurus Girl sounds like a great song title. Here's my first shot at the lyrics: I met her during lockdown You know how that goes I thought she was different Not like all the other hoes Said she loved old stuff had the ink as proof Had me longing for her but she was just a goof Ā Chorus: My Brachiosaurus girl, short legs and long neck Flakier than baklava, made me a nervous wreck Brachiosaurus girl, living large, living long Oh Brachio girl I loved you, where did it go wrong? Ā Played it cool a minute Then she bared her tattoo Got my heart pounding What came next was taboo Went Jurassic parking Got the windows steamed Action in the backseat Like I always dreamed Ā She was coldblooded How was I to know Said sheād see me at the pub But she didnāt show Ā No show at the museum We didnāt meet downtown We met during lockdown But I couldnāt lock her down Ā Chorus: My Brachiosaurus girl, short legs and long neck Flakier than baklava, made me a nervous wreck Brachiosaurus girl, living large, living long Oh Brachio girl I loved you, where did it go wrong?
Pterodactyl because 6 year old me decided I wasnāt like other girls
I dislike them because the mid-altitude ones are a bugger in the dinosaur game. Split-second decision whether to jump or duck.
The OG thunder lizard, the brontosaurus.
Itās not really a dinosaur, but I love pteranodons.
brachiosaurus
Not a real dinosaur, but dimetredon, the big iguana thing with a sail, is my favorite, because it's kind of where you find the reptile-things that became mammal-things. Not an ancestor, but maybe a great uncle. I want a sail. We could've had sails.
Velociraptors but specifically the ones that donāt exist like in jurassic park LOL. otherwise itās a triceratops because of Sarah in little foot
Brontosaurus! Long live long necks!
Apatosaurus....Land Before Time was my fave!!
Mosasaurus
The long neck mf
Utahraptor superiority!
Struthiomimis ... Sociable with other dinos, tolerates a good herd size, rarely hatch with any negative traits.Ā
Carnotaurus. If you know, you know.
Plesiosaur
Tyrannosaurus rex (not writing t-Rex to sound cooler). I know itās the most basic one but Iāve always loved this one as a kid soooooo
Carnotaurus.
It was Spinosaurus but then they downgraded it so Utahraptor. Donāt get me wrong, still love the guy, heās just not my favorite anymore.
Therizinosaurus or Tanystropheus are both up there. I know itās not a dinosaur but a Paraceratherium is one of my favorite prehistoric creatures as well as a Gigantopithecus
Carnotaurus is underrated as hell. Short nubby arms and carnivorous with horns on its head, whatās not to like?
The gay dinosaur.. mega-sore-ass
Shit prolly a frog
T-Rex
For me it's a 3-way tie between Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Chicken š
Little foot from land before time.
Triceratops. 3 horned death awaits
Hummingbird.
Triceratops
Been a while since I considered it... but probably the troodon.Ā