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There are over 700 different species of dinosaurs. Some dinosaurs are slower while others are faster and the same can be said about size. However, most people don’t know which dinosaur is the slowest, smallest, biggest, or even fastest of them all. So, which dinosaur is the fastest out of them all?
So, what makes these dinosaurs the fastest and exactly what type of dinosaur are they? Read on in this article to find out more about each of these ten dinosaurs and how fast they really are.
There are ten dinosaurs that are considered the fastest. Some may be smaller while others are bigger. Each dinosaur has its own unique makeup that makes them the species that they are. Below are some of the dinosaurs that are considered the fastest and a detailed description about the type and characteristics of each that make them unique.
There are ten dinosaurs that are deemed the fastest among the 700. These ten dinosaurs and their speeds are:
With a carnivorous diet, these dinosaurs are known for their agility and speed. They are smaller to medium-sized dinosaur that is almost bird-like making them roughly weigh up to around 100 pounds. Being the smallest of the Dromaeosauridae family, the Velociraptor is considered the fastest dinosaur.
Because the Velociraptor is known by most for their appearance in movies and shows, such as Jurassic World, they are thought to be the most intelligent predator. Due to their size and the use of their brain, they were able to dominate any territory that they may have resided in.
Since they are smaller and more bird-like than their on-screen counterparts, velociraptors were feathered and had hinged ankles, swivel-jointed wrists, wishbones, and forward-facing toes. However, this dinosaur was earth-bound and unable to fly, regardless of the presence of its feathers. Its feathers were thought to be leftover from their flying ancestors and were thought that without flight was instead used to attract mates, shield nests, or even used to help them navigate while running.
Having a good sense of smell, these creatures were effective hunters. With their muscular legs and long shins, these dinosaurs were able to take longer strides reaching speeds of 24 miles per hour. With long tails, they were able to use theirtail length to aid in speed allowing them to execute fast turns and changes in movements.
Being fierce predators, the Velociraptor had bones in their wrists, or talons, that helped with hunting prey that included reptiles, amphibians, insects, mammals, and other smaller dinosaurs. Using their claws to pierce and catch their prey, they usually would finish the job with their serrated teeth. Since they were not known to hunt in packs, they likely had dietary changes throughout their growth.
Albertosaurus was a large, carnivorous dinosaur that had a big head, small fore-limbs and was carried on two strong legs making it resemble a smaller, lighter version of a Tyrannosaurus rex or T-rex. With their two-fingered hands and sharp teeth, they were at the top of the food chain within their local territories.
With eyes that were faced forward, this dinosaur had good depth perception along with a keen sense of smell. They were hunters of duck-billed dinosaurs and other prey often hunting in packs. Although they were hunters, the Albertosaurus was also a scavenger feeding on carcasses when they were not able to hunt.
They typically would be able to reach speeds of 8.3 miles per hour while walking. However, they could run at speeds up to 19 miles per hour, perhaps even faster in their younger versions.
With their name meaning meat-eating bull, the Carnotaurus was one of the fiercest predators in South America. Being less than eight meters long, this dinosaur was half the size of a T-Rex with a horn over each of its eyes.
Besides the appearance being devilish, these dinosaurs had a strong bite and a very strong tail that was composed of tailbones that tilted up and crossed over each other. Although their jaws and teeth were not suitable for catching smaller prey, they were able to deliver wounds to weaken bigger prey; however, their diet mostly was smaller prey but they would feed on larger animals or dinosaurs as well.
These dinosaurs would reach top speeds of 30 to 35 miles per hour. This was mostly due to the locomotor muscle located in their tails.
Weighing just six and a half pounds, the Compsognathus was the smallest dinosaur. Because this dinosaur was so small, its diet consisted of smaller non-dinosaur reptiles such as a lizard or even small fish or hatchlings. Since they could hunt in packs, these dinosaurs were able to bring down larger dinosaurs. Although they were not usually social, this social behavior to hunt in packs was not unusual and was an adaptation for the small, vulnerable dinosaurs.
Like most smaller dinosaurs, the Compsognathus relied on its speed and agility to run down prey that it snatched up with its three-fingered hands. Because this dinosaur needed a good sense of balance, especially during high speeds, they had long tails that were like a counterweight in the proportion of their body size.
The Compsognathus, with their slender bodies, were able to reach speeds up to 40 miles per hour. As a great comparison for their speed, Compsognathus could run faster than an ostrich allowing it to run 100 meters in a little over six seconds.
Weighing as much as a black bear, the Gallimimus dinosaur ran in packs. Like an ostrich, they had long legs, short arms, and a long neck with a small head at the end and a toothless beak. With hollow bones, this dinosaur moved much like a modern chicken. Their diet could be thought to contain plants, fruit, seeds, small insects, and perhaps other dinosaur eggs.
With their smaller size, these dinosaurs were thought to use their speed to evade other creatures and larger dinosaurs and not for hunting. Their speeds could reach as high as 60 miles per hour and could outrun even one of the biggest dinosaurs, the T- rex.
With a body as long as a human, the Hypsilophodon was a small to medium-sized dinosaur. This dinosaur had short arms that, much like a human, had five fingers on each hand; however, they only were quipped with longer feet that held four toes. This characteristic allowed them to be able to grasp and made this dinosaur able to climb trees and rocks to find shelter.
This dinosaur only weighed 130 pounds and had self-sharpening cheek teeth that adapted for grinding plants. Since these creatures were herbivores, their speeds were used to evade predators by reaching a speed of 25 miles per hour.
Being kept within a huge herd, this herbivore was long-legged often resembling an ostrich. Since they like being in large herds, Struthiomimus can co-exist within herds containing other herbivores such as the Triceratops. With a small slender head on a long neck, the Struthiomimus had no teeth; however, with long arms and hands, the dinosaur had hands that resembled those of a sloth. This feature leads to the assumption that it was an omnivore.
Their shin was longer than its thigh making it an ideal feature for running. While reaching speeds between 31 and 50 miles per hour, running away from predators was its main defense, although lashing out with its claws when trapped was also a possibility.
Covered with feathers and having a small toothless beak, the Ornithomimus had an omnivorous diet. Since they had long sloth-like hands, they were able to grasp branches and tree limbs during feeding. With a tiny head, their brain was above-average in size. This helped maintain the balance needed for high speeds as well as enhanced smell, sight, and hearing.
Hitting speeds of between 30 and 43 miles per hour, they had a huge advantage when it came to dealing with predators. Having thisspeed allowed them to evade even the fiercest of predators such as the tyrannosaurs and several raptors.
The Deltadromeus, whose name translates to “Delta Runner”, was seen to have raced across the coastlines and floodplains of prehistoric Egypt. Being a predator, the Deltadromeus was warm-blooded and likely used its claws to lash out at prey. Using claws and teeth, they would tear into the hide and flesh of other dinosaurs or small animals like an axe until they killed their victims from exhaustion, blood loss, shock, or a combination of everything.
Since they had a body designed for running, these creatures would reach high speeds of 20 miles per hour allowing them to outrun other carnivores such as the Spinosaurus. The Deltadromeus would also use its wit, power, and speed to not only outrun larger predators but also to help capture its prey.
With fossils being found in Canada, the Parasaurolophus dinosaur obtained its name due to the bony crest on top of its head. This dinosaur, considered a duck-billed dinosaur, grew to an astonishing height of about forty feet long and weighed about two tons.
The Parasaurolophus was able to create a low-frequency sound by pushing air through the crest, which grew to six-foot-long, atop its head that held canals that made it sound like a woodwind instrument. They used these sounds produced from the crest as a way of communication.
This four-ton creature would typically be found spending most of their day browsing or foraging for vegetation on all four legs. However, when being pursued by predators, they would break out into a brisk two-legged trot reaching speeds of 25 miles per hour.
The Parasaurolophus was generally a herd animal and often used its crest as a type of identification for other herd members far away.
Sometimes being the fastest isn’t the only neat feature in the dinosaur kingdom. These dinosaurs are some of the most dangerous dinosaurs there are.
One of the deadliest dinosaurs in the dinosaur world is the Spinosaurus Aegyptiacus. This dinosaur was among the first swimmers and would hunt prey in the water using its webbed feet.
The Majungasaurus Crenatissimus dinosaur does not get the title of the most dangerous dinosaur because of its size or sharp claws. This dinosaur kills its prey by chomping down with powerful jaws, holding it until its prey dies.
Ankylosaurus Magniventris was an herbivore that had a club-like tail that was used to fend off predators. This dinosaur was one of many herbivores that had defense mechanisms.
Triceratopswas another dangerous herbivore that used horns above their eyes to stab any attackers. However, whether the triceratops charged other animals or dinosaurs with their sharp horns is still a mystery.
Out of all the different types and species of dinosaurs, many dinosaurs are considered fast. However, some hold the title of being one of the fastest dinosaurs out there. These dinosaurs have very distinguishing characteristics that make them some of the fastest in the dinosaur world.
These can range from leg length to having a slender body type. Sometimes some other qualities or traits make them faster than bigger predators that are due in part to their long tails and lighter, bird-like bodies.
All in all, the dinosaurs often use their speeds that, for some, can reach as high as 60 miles per hour to both capture prey and outrun larger carnivores. One dinosaur that uses its speed as both a defense and a hunting tool is the velociraptor, which can reach speeds of 40 miles per hour. While this dinosaur used its speed for mostly hunting, the herbivore dinosaurs would use their speeds to evade larger predators.
All dinosaurs are unique and contain many traits that make them who they are. Knowing and understanding a dinosaur can be a great way to help broaden one's knowledge about how they were and how their adaptations lead to the rise of more modern-day animals such as the ostrich.
