The 21 Most Iconic Dinosaur Species of All Time

From towering long-necks to armored tanks and razor-clawed hunters, this lineup spans the full spectrum of prehistoric icons. Which one ruled the ancient world?

1. 1
   Tyrannosaurus rex

   The 'King of the Dinosaurs' with a bone-crushing bite, the default mental image of a dinosaur.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Triceratops

   A three-horned Late Cretaceous herbivore famous as T. rex's classic on-page and on-screen rival.
   974pts
3. 3
   Diplodocus

   One of the longest known dinosaurs, a slender Jurassic sauropod with a whip-like tail.
   750pts
4. 4
   Iguanodon

   One of the first dinosaurs ever scientifically named in 1825, known for its distinctive thumb spike.
   642pts
5. 5
   Stegosaurus

   Instantly identifiable by its double row of back plates and spiked tail used for defense.
   642pts
6. 6
   Spinosaurus

   A sail-backed, semi-aquatic river predator possibly larger than T. rex, made famous in Jurassic Park III.
   576pts
7. 7
   Therizinosaurus

   A bizarre herbivorous theropod famous for enormous scythe-like claws up to 3 feet long.
   576pts
8. 8
   Oviraptor

   A crested, toothless theropod originally mislabeled an 'egg thief' before fossils proved it was brooding its own nest.
   500pts
9. 9
   Deinonychus

   An agile, sickle-clawed predator whose 1960s discovery reshaped scientific views of dinosaurs as active and bird-like.
   500pts
10. 10
    Brachiosaurus

    A towering Jurassic long-neck with front legs longer than its rear, a giant browsing herbivore.
    409pts
11. 11
    Giganotosaurus

    A South American super-predator rivaling T. rex in size, popularized as the apex threat in Jurassic World Dominion.
    409pts
12. 12
    Velociraptor

    A small, sickle-clawed pack hunter whose pop-culture image looms far larger than its actual turkey-sized real self.
    300pts
13. 13
    Dilophosaurus

    An early Jurassic predator with twin head crests, made pop-culture famous by Jurassic Park.
    300pts
14. 14
    Apatosaurus

    A massive whip-tailed sauropod, also known as Brontosaurus, whose long-neck silhouette has symbolized 'dinosaur' since the 1800s.
    300pts
15. 15
    Carnotaurus

    A horned, thick-skulled predator nicknamed the 'cheetah of the Cretaceous' for its unusually fast running speed.
    300pts
16. 16
    Compsognathus

    A chicken-sized Jurassic theropod, one of the smallest known dinosaurs and an early example of dinosaur-bird links.
    300pts
17. 17
    Parasaurolophus

    A duck-billed herbivore with a long curved head crest believed to have worked like a trumpet for calls.
    167pts
18. 18
    Pachycephalosaurus

    A dome-headed herbivore thought to headbutt or flank-butt rivals, nicknamed the 'bonehead.'
    167pts
19. 19
    Ankylosaurus

    A tank-like armored herbivore with a heavy bone club tail capable of shattering a predator's leg.
    167pts
20. 20
    Utahraptor

    The largest known raptor, a heavily-clawed pack hunter that inspired the oversized velociraptors of Jurassic Park.
    167pts
21. 21
    Allosaurus

    A dominant Jurassic apex predator, one of the most complete and widely studied theropod fossils ever found.
    167pts