Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Jurassic World Dominion.
2022's Jurassic World Dominion introduces eleven new dinosaur species to the long-running action-adventure franchise. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, Jurassic World Dominion not only concludes the Jurassic World trilogy, but also ends the six-film saga that began with Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park back in 1993. Notably, Jurassic World Dominion's locusts become the unexpected villain in the sixth installment in the saga. Combined with Jurassic World 3's all-new dinosaurs, the movie's story ties directly to the twist ending of the preceding installment.
Set four years after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic World Dominion sees humanity being forced to co-exist with dinosaurs that have proliferated since they were brought to the mainland and set free into the wild. Dominion also brings back several Jurassic Park legacy heroes, who meet Jurassic World's lead couple, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard). Of course, the franchise's fan-favorite dinosaurs also return, such as the T-Rex, Blue the Velociraptor, and the Mosasaurus.
Jurassic World Dominion also introduces a host of new and previously unseen dinosaurs, both in the main story and in Dominion's prologue set 65 million years ago in the Cretaceous Era. As if Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's ending didn't unleash enough dinosaurs on the world, Jurassic World Dominion is adding to the mayhem with a few more. Here are all of the new dinosaurs in Jurassic World Dominion.
Dreadnoughtus
The Dreadnoughtus is a massive new sauropod similar to the Brachiosaurus, and at 65 tons, it is considered the heaviest dinosaur to ever exist. The bones of the Dreadnoughtus were only discovered in real life in 2005 and the massive herbivore made its Jurassic World debut in Dominion's prologue, which is where many of the new dinosaurs are introduced into the Jurassic Park/World timeline. Encountered by Alan, Ellie, and Ramsay, a Dreadnoughtus bathes in the lake at the sanctuary, where it is the largest species to be housed. Later, during the forest fire, two Dreadnoughtus get evacuated to the emergency containment zone, standing out among various other dinosaurs. At 30-feet tall, it would be easy to spot any Dreadnoughtus, whether they are still out in the wild or in the abandoned sanctuary.
Quetzalcoatlus
The flying Pteranodons are first introduced in Jurassic Park III and return in the first two Jurassic World movies, memorably assisting in the grizzly death of Zara - but they can't stand up to the larger Quetzalcoatlus. The winged beast is an even larger flying dinosaur, which the Pteranodons treat as an alpha. In Jurassic World Dominion, several Quetzalcoatlus attack Kayla's cargo plane, forcing it to crash-land, and disabling Biosyn's Aerial Deterrent System for keeping Pterosaurs safely within their airspace. The Jurassic World Dominion ending sees a flock of several Quetzalcoatlus, Pteranodons, other Pterosaurs, and some birds flying away, signaling a peaceful coexistence. There's also a nest of Quetzalcoatlus visible at the top of One World Trade Center in New York.
Oviraptor
Although the Oviraptor was scrapped from Jurassic World Dominion, there is a deleted scene in which the Oviraptor fights a Lystrosaurus in the black market for exotic pets. That said, the Oviraptor appears in the prologue as well, which is why many were surprised to see that the Oviraptor didn't make it to the final cut of the movie. Frustratingly shrouded in shadow, the Oviraptor is a feathered dinosaur that's similar to the Velociraptor but smaller in size. It's one of the first dinosaurs with feathers in the Jurassic franchise, which is more scientifically accurate, and it's known for feeding on dinosaur eggs.
Lystrosaurus
The Lystrosaurus is a herbivore whose name literally translates to "shovel lizard." Unlike the Oviraptor, the Lystrosaurus actually has a short scene in Jurassic World Dominion in which it is being sold in the black market in Valetta, Malta. In the real world, the extensive presence of Lystrosaurus fossils throughout the world is used as evidence for the theory of continental drift, which states that modern landmasses were once joined as the supercontinent of Pangaea.
Nasutoceratops
First featured in the short film Battle at Big Rock, the horned Nasutoceratops is similar to the Triceratops and the Sinoteratops, but with shorter horns extending from below the bony armored plate on its head. Several Nasutoceratops are seen wading across the river in the prologue. In the movie, Nasutoceratops roam the wilds of Calgary and Colorado, showcasing Jurassic World Dominion's filming locations. Claire, Franklin, and Zia also steal a juvenile Nasutoceratops from poachers, who get knocked down by a charging herd of adult Nasutoceratops that get spooked.
Moros intrepidus
Seen picking at the teeth of the new Jurassic World Dominion apex predator, the tiny Moros intrepidus is a feathered dinosaur that resembles a very small T-Rex. While the Moros intrepidus' bones were discovered in 2013, it was only confirmed as a new species in 2019. This makes the Moros intrepidus the fastest case of a new, real-life dinosaur discovery being included in a Jurassic movie.
Iguanodon
The Iguanadon is another large herbivore that debuts in Jurassic World Dominion, and it is sighted briefly in the film's Cretaceous prologue before the reveal of the new apex predator's battle opponent, Jurassic Park's feathered T-Rex. Some of the adorable herbivores can be seen escaping from the forest fire. Many of the Iguanadon are likely to still be in the wild as well as in the abandoned sanctuary.
Atrociraptors
Also known as "designer dinosaurs," Atrociraptors were likely bred from modified Velociraptor DNA. This makes them more brutal versions of the infamous Velociraptors. Also bred to have multiple color schemes - combined variations of orange, white, red, brown, and black - the Atrociraptors chased Claire, Owen, and Barry throughout the city in Jurassic World Dominion.
Pyroraptor
The striking, red-feathered, semi-aquatic Pyroraptor can move quickly through the water thanks to its webbed feet, and it is first encountered by Owen and Kayla at the frozen lake where it lives. Owen and Kayla manage to get away from the Pyroraptor and make their way to the dam. Although the Pyroraptor isn't shown escaping the forest fire, it could still be alive somewhere.
Therizinosaurus
The long-clawed dinosaur in Jurassic World Dominion is called Therizinosaurus, which is first seen stalking Claire after the plane crash. Despite its frightful appearance and iconic claws, the Therizinosaurus is actually a herbivore in real life. During the climax of Jurassic World Dominion, the Therizinosaurus and the T-Rex known as Rexy fight the Giganotosaurus together. In the end, Rexy rams the distracted Giganotosaurus onto the Therizinosaurus claws, putting an end to the threat. The Therizinosaurus also notably loses a left claw during the fight, but it's likely to still be alive.
Giganotosaurus
Before the skip ahead to the modern-day attack on the drive-in cinema, Jurassic World Dominion also introduces a huge new apex predator in the Giganotosaurus. Standing at 14 feet and weighing about 6 to 8 tons, the Giganotosaurus certainly lives up to its name. When Biosyn calls the dinosaurs to the center of the facility using chips implanted in their minds, the Giganotosaurus encounters Rexy, setting up Jurassic World Dominion's final dinosaur fight. Alone, Rexy is no match for the Giganotosaurus. However, when Therizinosaurus comes along to join the fight, Giganotosaurus is no match for the two, who kill and dethrone the Giganotosaurus as the compound's apex predator.
Which Dinosaurs Returned In Jurassic World Dominion?
Several of the dinosaurs which showed up in Dominion have already played roles in previous Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies. So, while many of Jurassic World 3's prehistoric beasts are new to the franchise, audiences will certainly recognize quite a few of the dinosaurs featured in the movie. Here are those dinosaurs:
- Allosaurus
- Ankylosaurus
- Atrociraptor
- Compsognathus
- Tyrannosaurus rex
- Velociraptor
- Mosasaur
- Parasaurolophus
- Gallimimus
Which Humans Returned For Jurassic World?
Jurassic World 3's all-new dinosaurs aren't the only notable stars, as the movie's human cast also boasts many returning favorites, continuing the stories of the Jurassic World characters. This includes Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon), Franklin Webb (Justice Smith), Dr. Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda), and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard). But in keeping with the plan to provide a proper ending to the franchise, the movie also features the highly anticipated returns of four Jurassic Park actors: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and BD Wong, who are reprising their respective roles as Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, Dr. Ian Malcolm, and Dr. Henry Wu. Plus, the movie also recast Jurassic Park's Dr. Lewis Dodgson, who was portrayed by Cameron Thor. Now, the character is played by Campbell Scott.
Did Jurassic World Dominion Have Hybrid Dinosaurs?
The Jurassic World movies introduced the concept of hybrid dinosaurs such as the Indominus Rex, the Indoraptor, and the Scorpios Rex, who were the villains of the first two Jurassic World movies and of Netflix's Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. However, Jurassic World Dominion has no hybrid creatures. Instead, the film focuses on the numerous species of dinosaurs that really existed (and do exist in the movie's universe). Along with seeing familiar dinos, Jurassic World Dominion spotlights all-new prehistoric beasts, including a couple that were only relatively recently discovered by real-world paleontologists.
Why Jurassic World Dominion Was Mostly Not About Dinosaurs
Jurassic World Dominion's new dinosaurs are surprisingly not the primary focus of the plot, which is instead centered around the ethical implications and possibilities of radical new biotechnologies, particularly through Biosyn's giant locusts. In fact, Biosyn's use of genetically-modified giant locusts to monopolize the global agricultural market mirrors how modern food companies use invasive genetically-modified crops to do the same. On the other hand, the reveal that Jurassic World Dominion's Maisie is a clone shows how this type of technology can be put to good use. Apart from being immune to the genetic disease that killed Charlotte, Maisie also contains DNA which becomes crucial to eradicating the giant locust menace. In short, Jurassic World Dominion doesn't focus on dinosaurs because it instead reveals the larger implications of cloning technology, which is what started the Jurassic Park franchise in the first place. Although this is an arguably fitting way to finish the series, Jurassic World 3's all-new dinosaurs are mostly relegated to the background.
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