Warning: Spoilers for Jurassic World Dominion
Despite appearances, Jurassic World Dominion’s Dimetrodon was not actually a dinosaur, though it certainly did exist in real life. The Dimetrodon was the four-legged predator that Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant encountered in the mines when they were trying to escape from the BioSyn compound. The creature can be easily recognized by the large sail on his back.
Dimetrodons have been utilized in Jurassic Park video games, but never before had one appeared in the flesh in one of the films. After getting a statue in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the Dimetrodon made its Jurassic Park live-action debut in Dominion alongside a handful of new dinosaurs. The fight to stop BioSyn’s dangerous experiments and rescue Maisie Lockwood introduced several new species to the movie franchise, including the Pyroraptor, Therizinosaurus, Dreadnoughtus, Atrociraptor, the Lystrosaurus, and more. Some were peaceful, while others proved to be obstacles for the main characters to overcome. Among the strange sights they crossed paths with along the way was the menacing Dimetrodon.
The Dimetrodon is arguably one of the most interesting creatures featured in Jurassic World Dominion, largely because this particular animal is a pelycosaur – not a dinosaur. Pelycosaurs differed from dinosaurs in that these early reptiles shared mammal-like qualities that dinosaurs didn’t have. The pelycosaurs also predated them by several million years and were usually smaller. They roamed the land between the Carboniferous and Permian periods. It was only after they all died out that the dinosaurs came into existence, which was in the Triassic period. But during their time in the planet’s history, they were the most common land animals on Earth. Other pelycosaurs aside from the Dimetrodon were the Cotylorhynchus, Edaphosaurus, and the Sphenacodon.
There were hundreds of different kinds of pelycosaurs, but none are as well-known as Jurassic World Dominion's Dimetrodon. Discovered in 1877, Dimetrodons are confirmed to have lived in the southwestern portion of the United States. This carnivorous creature was the apex predator of its ecosystem, which was typically a swampy area. As noted above, its most distinguishing characteristic is the sail that extended across its entire back. Its exact purpose has been debated by paleontologists for years, with some arguing that it helped regulate its body temperature.
Though the Dimetrodon’s status as a pelycosaur makes it stand out from the other creatures in Jurassic World Dominion, its imposing features and resemblance to the dinosaurs allowed it to fit in seamlessly. Its inclusion also makes plenty of sense, considering that Dr. Henry Wu didn’t genetically engineer creatures exclusive to one era. As a carnivore who represents a completely different and much more distant period in the planet’s long history, the Dimetrodon is a fascinating and unique addition to the Jurassic Park universe.