Summary

  • The Jurassic Park franchise features a variety of powerful dinosaurs, including Dreadnoughtus, Pachycephalosaurus, and Dimorophodon.
  • Triceratops and Apatosaurus may not be the strongest, but their size and defensive abilities make them formidable forces.
  • The Giganotosaurus is the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World.

The Jurassic Park franchise now has six movies under its belt, providing audiences with a litany of choices when figuring out the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World and beyond. The Jurassic Park film series started off with a bang, seeing Michael Crichton's spell-binding novel adapted to the screen with out-of-this-world special effects and a sense of wonder that would ensnare both kids and adults. The plot was simple, yet fantastical, as John Hammond (David Attenborough) opened a theme park full of cloned dinosaurs that had far-reaching consequences when his creations broke loose.

The Jurassic Park franchise expanded with the new Jurassic World trilogy, and with it the concept of powerful hybrid dinosaurs, such as the Indominus Rex. While some were wary of this plot thread, it brought new species to the franchise and quickly had viewers debating which was the strongest dinosaur. While the series is also defined by its outstanding human ensemble cast, the dinosaurs are the main event in Jurassic Park, and their depictions throughout have maintained an elevated status as modern feats in film and CGI technology since the franchise began.

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20 Dreadnoughtus

Peaceful But Extremely Powerful

Pod of Dreadnoughtus in Jurassic World: Dominion

Though not the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World, Dreadnoughtus are still formidable. Dreadnoughtus are depicted in Jurassic World: Dominion, roaming the world in their majestic herds during the film's opening sequence. The species makes its very first appearance in this third Jurassic World film, which is surprising given its status as one of the largest dinosaurs to ever exist.

Though Dreadnoughtus are relatively peaceful, they are incredibly powerful as a result of their size. Their stature lends great strength to their massive legs and necks, which could easily smash entire buildings if given the opportunity.

19 Pachycephalosaurus

Characterized By Its Domed Head Made Of Bone

Two Pachycephalosaurus' butting heads in a field in Jurassic World: Evolution

The Pachycephalosaurus isn't the most powerful dinosaur in Jurassic Park, but it is the dinosaur that viewers first see in The Lost World, the sequel that's heavily paralleled in Jurassic World: Dominion. This creature isn’t a carnivore, but this certainly does not mean that it isn't just as powerful or scary as certain other species in the franchise.

The Pachycephalosaurus is characterized by its domed head made of bone, which is used to combat predators (and others of the same species during mating season). They shouldn't be underestimated, as their headbutting defenses prove lethal against other dinosaurs, so it's a wonder what they'd do to a human. They might be small, but they are very strong.

18 Dimorophodon

A Terrifying Force When In Clusters

A Dimorphodon soaring through the air in Jurassic World

Meat-eating dinosaurs that stalk the land are scary enough, but those that can fly are even worse. The Dimorphodon isn't technically the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World, but when in a cluster they become a terrifying force. To be strictly technical, Dimorophodons are pterosaurs, but there's no time for semantics when an angry group of them is on the hunt. A real terror from above, it is their strength in numbers that makes them a real threat as the aviary breakout sequence in Jurassic World so clearly showed, because they laid havoc to anything in their wake.

17 Triceratops

A Stronger, Larger, & Scarier Rhino

Triceratops are among the most recognizable dinosaurs. They are herbivores that have a lot of power and were introduced early on in the Jurassic Park franchise. This dinosaur has large horns to keep it safe from predators. The Triceratops have a large frill that could reach around three feet long. This, combined with those two large horns and a small beak, makes this animal intimidating to look at. They are powerful in the way that a rhino is powerful but with even more strength and size to them.

16 Apatosaurus

Their Long Tails Are Powerful Weapons

Apatosaurus in the snow in Jurassic World Dominion

Apatosaurus is one of the most powerful dinosaurs in Jurassic Park because of its huge size. These animals were gentle and tended to move in herds, which also gave them an element of strength and power. While they could still be attacked by a large carnivore, their ability to use their long, strong tails to defend themselves makes them a force to be reckoned with. Much like the Triceratops, they were more than capable of fighting off their share of hungry predators. They might not be as heavily armed, but their size and strength made them absolute units.

15 Dilophosaurus

A Dinosaur With Venomous Defense Mechanisms

This dinosaur isn’t as big as some other giants, but the Dilophosaurus is frightening in its own way and stands as one of the most powerful dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. The Dilophosaurus is close to the size of a large dog, and it can even seem harmless at first. However, it can also be rather deadly. Viewers will remember that the Dilophosaurus spits a tar-like venom on Dennis Nedry before moving in for the kill in the original Jurassic Park. With its venomous defense mechanisms, the Dilophosaurus could hold its own against carnivorous predators.

14 Pteranodon

Large With Almost Sword-Like Beaks

A Pteranodon by the river looking at the camera while in the aviary on Isla Sorna in Jurassic Park III

Pteranodon are flying dinosaurs that team up with Dimorphodons, which also escape from the aviary to cause havoc in Jurassic World. For this reason, they're often high on the list of the strongest dinosaurs in Jurassic World. They also make a famous franchise appearance in the sequence inside the original aviary on Isla Sorna in the third Jurassic Park movie. They're not only large, with large and almost sword-like beaks, but they're both agile and very aggressive. They go straight for humans when they see them, and they've been the cause of some brutal moments in the franchise.

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13 Allosaurus

A Meat-Eating Therapod That Hunts In Packs

If anything, the Allosaurus certainly looks like the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World. Like the Velociraptors, the Allosaurus is a meat-eating therapod that hunts in packs, though they are only seen by their lonesome in the movies and don't really see much action, so to speak. Nevertheless, they're a frightening dinosaur who would be just as deadly up close as their more well-known relatives are. In the Jurassic Park movies, even in their junior form, they're shown to be even larger than Velociraptors, with an intimidating set of claws and teeth.

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12 Ankylosaurus

Referred To As A "Living Tank"

Jurassic Park's Ankylosaurus in the woods

Referred to in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as a "living tank", the Ankylosaurus fights closely for the spot of the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World and is the most heavily armored dinosaur seen in the franchise. With a thick, scaly, top side and a powerful tail that includes a club on the end of it, the Ankylosaurus uses this weapon to devastating effect. With all the power and defensive plating, it may seem like a shoo-in for the most powerful dinosaur, but its underside is still relatively unprotected, meaning they're in big trouble if it can be successfully flipped over.

11 Pyroraptor

The Pyrorapter Is Remarkably Fast & A Terrific Swimmer

Jurassic World Dominion's Pyroraptor, a Feathered Dinosaur

The Pyroraptor appears in Jurassic World: Dominion in an attempt to produce a more scientifically accurate dinosaur. Though it's not the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World, it could be the most historically accurate, as the feathered dinosaur adheres to more recent scientific descriptions of what dinosaurs might have looked like, though its abilities are far more fictional than its design. In Dominion, the Pyroraptor proves to be remarkably fast and, against all odds, a terrific swimmer. The beast confronts Owen and Kayla after their crash landing, quickly demonstrating how easily it could kill either one of them.

10 Carnotaurus

A Miniature T-Rex With Sharp Teeth

A Carnotaurus prepares to attack with the exploding volcano behind it on Isla Nublar in Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom

While the name makes it sound like the Carnotaurus would be the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World, it does fall short in a few ways. The Carnotaurus is another meat-eating dinosaur and resembles a small Tyrannosaurus Rex. Though nowhere near as large or powerful, its plentiful sharp teeth and wide bite make it more than a concern for any human. The formidable horns on either side of its head are also intimidating, and it's shown holding its own against much heavier dinosaurs in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, even if it's mostly bullied around by the bigger T. Rex.

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9 Spinosaurus

Some Scientists Believe The Spinosaurus Was Semi-Aquatic

The Spinosaurus standing over the corpse of the T-Rex in Jurassic Park III

Spinosaurus was featured in Jurassic Park III, and while that movie isn’t regarded as one of the best in the franchise, the Spinosaurus itself is as scary as they come and one of the most powerful dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Clearly, the third installment wanted to branch out a little, introducing a central dinosaur menace that wasn’t the T. Rex. The Spinosaurus is bigger, for one thing, and has a large, intimidating spine on its back. It's also a carnivore, and scientists debate whether the creature was semi-aquatic, meaning it could wreak havoc on land and sea.

8 Indoraptor

It High Level Of Intelligence Is Its Most Dangerous Quality

A smaller and more weaponizable version of the Indominus Rex, the Indoraptor is meant to be a creature designed to scare people above anything else, and its high level of intelligence may be its most dangerous quality. While it could be considered one of the strongest dinosaurs in Jurassic World, several things about it don't make sense and its bloodlust seems to override all of its logic and problem-solving skills. In the end, it gets itself cornered and taken out by a smaller Velociraptor that had just recovered from a serious gunshot wound.

7 Indominus Rex

The Genetically-Created Dinosaur Has Heat-Sensing Vision & Can Camouflage

Indominus Rex attacked an armed man in Jurassic World

Like the Indoraptor, the Indominus Rex is one of the Jurassic World franchise's entirely fictional breeds of dinosaur, having been genetically engineered by scientists in the films to create an entirely new species. The Indominus Rex is the primary antagonist of the first Jurassic World film, making it the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World.

The marketers and scientists at Jurassic World were looking to make the attractions scarier with even smarter, deadlier dinosaurs, so the Indominus Rex was created. It has capabilities beyond its historical counterparts, like a camouflaging ability, heat-sensing vision, and opposable thumbs, making it an optimal predator.

6 Velociraptors

Smart, Fast, Deadly, & Work Together In Packs

The Velociraptors are the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park that audiences have attached to the most, and the sequel films proved that Velociraptors could've been the strongest dinosaurs in Jurassic World. Velociraptors have played important and interesting roles; they are smart, deadly, fast, and work together in packs. In Jurassic Park: The Lost World, it’s made abundantly clear that Velociraptors can be much worse to come across than some bigger carnivores. While the versions created for the movies are really more based on the Deinonychus (given their much bigger size), the Jurassic Park world calls them Velociraptors.

5 Atrociraptors

Engineered To Kill Whoever Their Master Wants

Atrociraptor looks menacing in Jurassic World Dominion

Continuing the Jurassic World trilogy's precedent for creating new species of dinosaurs, the Atrociraptors make their debut in Dominion and could be considered one of the most powerful dinosaurs in the franchise. Fully living up to their name, Atrociraptors are genetically engineered to kill whichever target their master sets their sights on, serving Soyona Santos during the Malta sequence of the film.

The Atrociraptors are truly the most dangerous breed of raptor in the Jurassic Park franchise, with increased speed, skill, strength, and intelligence, as well as a built-in mechanism that allows their master to select their next quarry.

4 Therizinosaurus

Uses Its Smell & Hearing To Track Its Prey

Therizinosaurus in Jurassic World Dominion

The Therizinosaurus is responsible for one of the most harrowing scenes in Dominion, as it tracks Claire Dearing through a forest and nearly cements itself as the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World. The dinosaur is blind, using its senses of smell and hearing to track its prey, impaling on its long, sharp claws. The Therizinosaurus is truly a force to be reckoned with, capable of killing most other animals with a mere jab of its claws. When teaming up with the T. Rex, it even proves capable of killing the mighty Giganotosaurus in the final act of the film.

3 Mosasaurus

The Real Mosasaurus Is Believed To Have Been 50 Feet Long

Perhaps best known for devouring Zara Young and a Pteranodon in one brutal gulp, this water-dwelling dinosaur was first shown in Jurassic World and comes close to being the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World. This ocean beast is so huge that it eats sharks as snacks and effortlessly took down the Indominus Rex in one incredible lunge. The Mosasaurus is proof that the oceans during the time of dinosaurs would have been even scarier than land. The real-life Mosasaurus is thought to have been nearly 50 feet long and equipped with powerful jaws filled with teeth.

2 Tyrannosaurus Rex

The Strongest Bite Force Among All Terrestrial Animals

The Tyrannosaurus Rex is truly the most iconic dinosaur in the Jurassic Park franchise and fights for the top spot as the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World. There is no other dinosaur that can compare to the excitement and fear of seeing that T-Rex in the first movie. While other dinosaurs might be able to beat the Tyrannosaurus in terms of size (however unlikely considering the T-Rex was known to have the strongest bite force among all terrestrial animals), it has the most iconic scenes in the Jurassic Park franchise.

1 Giganotosaurus

Asserts Dominance Over The T-Rex & The Therizinosaurus

Giganotosaurus as shown in Jurassic World Dominion

As the main antagonist of Jurassic World: Dominion, the Giganotosaurus lives up to its name, wreaking havoc on the Biosyn reserve during the course of the film, and is the strongest dinosaur in Jurassic World. The beast is portrayed as incredibly powerful, able to defeat most other predators that attempt to challenge its domain over the park. The Giganotosaurus even manages to assert dominance over the T. Rex and the Therizinosaurus living in the same reserve, becoming the apex predator of the Jurassic Park universe.

Jurassic Park
PG-13
Adventure
Sci-Fi

Huge advancements in scientific technology have enabled a mogul to create an island full of living dinosaurs. John Hammond has invited four individuals, along with his two grandchildren, to join him at Jurassic Park. But will everything go according to plan? A park employee attempts to steal dinosaur embryos, critical security systems are shut down and it now becomes a race for survival with dinosaurs roaming freely over the island.

Director
Steven Spielberg
Release Date
June 11, 1993
Writers
Michael Crichton , David Koepp
Cast
Sam Neill , Laura Dern , Jeff Goldblum , Richard Attenborough , Bob Peck , Martin Ferrero
Runtime
127 minutes
Budget
$63 million