10 scariest and most dangerous dinosaurs in the world

Studying information about dinosaurs, it becomes uncomfortable – these huge animals are not fiction of science fiction writers, these are real creatures that existed 201 million years ago on Earth. The superorder dinosaurs is numerous, it contains both small and very harmless species, and real monsters. The most terrible and dangerous dinosaurs in the world are large and strong individuals armed with sharp claws and teeth.

10 irritator

The predatory irritator lived on the territory of modern Brazil about 110 million years ago. The length of the individual from the nose to the tip of the tail is 7-8 m, height in height is 2,5 m, which does not allow us to classify the species as the largest, but does not mean at all that it was harmless. According to the skull of the irritator, it was possible to establish that the jaws were similar to crocodiles. This allowed him to easily get fish out of the water – the main part of the diet, and also successfully feast on small herbivorous dinosaurs. A monster from the Cretaceous period moved quickly on two legs, dexterity and agility fully compensated for its small size.

Interesting: kind of irritator – one of those that are mentioned in Arthur Conan Doyle’s book “The Lost World”.

9. Velociraptor

Velociraptors in appearance are difficult to rank among the most terrible representatives of the dinosaur family, because they were very small in size – about 60 cm in height and no more than 2 meters in length to the tip of a long tail. However, their character and behavior do not at all fit with the first impression – velociraptors were extremely vicious and aggressive. They preyed mainly on small herbivores, in which they were helped by cunning tactics. Predators pounced on the victim, clinging to the neck and head with their clawed hind legs, and tore the arteries, which inflicted mortal wounds.

A huge curved claw on the hind limbs helped the hunter to cut through the flesh of a fallen rival without much difficulty.

8. Dilophosaurus

The predatory lizard Dilophosaurus is not only one of the most dangerous dinosaurs, but also the star of the popular movie Jurassic Park. Everyone who watched it accurately remembered the terrifying monsters with a mouth full of sharp teeth and two bright crests on their heads. The length of the largest specimen, the remains of which scientists managed to obtain, is 7 meters, weight is about 400 kg. Representatives of this species, although they moved on their hind legs, the forelimbs also had strong ones. They used them to inflict mortal wounds. An unusual feature of the species is the ability to crouch and rest, taking a pose similar to that of modern birds.

7. Megalosaurus

The bipedal megalosaurus became the first dinosaur whose remains were found by man. Until now, it has not been possible to determine exactly how it looked, since not a single complete skeleton has been found. In length, representatives of the species reached 9 meters, they had a long and movable neck, short front and powerful hind limbs. Megalosaurus teeth are especially terrifying – they are long and large, with tips curved inward to hold prey. The carnivorous thousand-kilogram predator moved quickly, which allowed him to hunt effectively.

6. Carcharodontosaurus

Carcharodontosaurus is a real monster even by the standards of dinosaurs. Individuals of this species lived on the territory of modern Africa and reached enormous sizes – 16 m in length and about 4 in height, which makes them one of the largest predatory reptiles. A whole skull has not been found to this day, there are only separate parts of it, but their power is impressive – some teeth reach 20 cm in length. It is assumed that they hunted large herbivorous titanosaurs, the length of which reached 40 meters. This fact perfectly demonstrates the strength and power of carcharodontosaurus.

5. Spinosaurus

The name “Spinosaurus” literally translates from Latin as “spiked lizard”. Ideas about the appearance of a prehistoric monster changed several times due to lack of materials. To date, it is believed that the animal moved on 2 limbs, most likely led an aquatic lifestyle and had a trapezoidal sail on its back. This is a large species of dinosaurs, representatives in length reached 16 meters and had a mass of 7-10 tons.

A specific sail is a structural feature of the spine – it was formed by huge processes of the dorsal and caudal vertebrae. The jaws of Spinosaurus are narrow and long, with large, sharp teeth. Tenacious claws also played an important role in prey hunting. The structure of the jaw of this monster is very specific, so scientists suggest that he hunted only those individuals that he could swallow whole, including aquatic ones.

4. Giganotosaurus

Giganotosaurus is described from a skeleton found in 1995 in present-day Argentina. Body length – 12-13 meters, weight about 7-8 tons. This species is one of the five largest theropods (the largest is Spinosaurus, Giganotosaurus is in second place). The prey of the predatory dinosaur were large herbivorous individuals, for hunting it developed a fairly high speed (up to 50 km per hour) and had a developed system of crests on the skull, which increased its strength in battle. In appearance, Giganotosaurs resemble the well-known tyrannosaurs.

Interesting fact: it is the giganotosaurus that is represented as the main monster in the film Journey to the Center of the Earth.

3. Ceratosaurus

A representative of the Jurassic period, Ceratosaurus is a predatory genus, with powerful hind limbs and a body length of 7-8 meters. A distinctive feature is a relief horn on the nasal bones and two solid protrusions above the eyes. Along the entire line of the back, the representatives of the species had osteoderms – ossified protrusions. Such monsters lived near water bodies and mainly hunted aquatic animals, however, they did not disdain the meat of terrestrial individuals.

The skull of Ceratosaurus was large in relation to the size of the body, and although it cannot be called the strongest in structure. The jaws were strong and filled with large sharp teeth. A memorable and intimidating appearance made the dinosaur a real celebrity – he often appears in modern films and books.

2. Carnotaurus

Carnotaurus is one of the few large species whose appearance and anatomy could be reliably established from a complete skeleton. The lizard with an 8-mm body moved on powerful hind legs, and its forelimbs were reduced to the maximum – reduced to non-functional sizes. This is not the largest dinosaur, he did not have huge teeth, but this does not make him harmless.

On the contrary, a large number of small and sharp teeth easily cut prey, and a relatively weak skull had developed kinetics – the joints between the bones were movable, so individuals could swallow large pieces of meat and even some animals whole. Carnotaurs attacked quickly and accurately, thanks to which they could control large territories.

1. Theresinosaurus

Theresinosaurs lived in the Cretaceous period, this is a unique species, the appearance of which is impossible to completely restore due to the lack of complete skeletons. Known Facts:

• weight about 6 tons;
• length 9-12 meters;
• long forelimbs (2,5-3 meters);
• hind limbs with 4 supporting claws;
• the presence on each front paw of 3 giant claws (about 1 meter in length each).

It is not known for certain what the Terezinosaurus ate, scientists classify it as a predominantly herbivore. But the purpose of the frightening claws remains a mystery, one of the hypotheses is a weapon in fights with carnivorous individuals. Such adaptations on long limbs clearly gave therezinosaurs a significant advantage in combat. Representatives of the species are included in the Guinness Book of Records as the strangest dinosaurs.