Jurassic Park: The 5 Worst Dinosaurs To Get Eaten By (And 5 You'd Want As Pets)
For decades, the Jurassic Park franchise has delighted viewers by putting dinosaurs into a contemporary setting alongside humans. Naturally, the result of humans experimenting with and trying to exploit dinosaurs is that dinosaurs eat many people. However, the films also acknowledge the diversity of dinosaurs, including those that are friendly or domesticable.
Following the release of Jurassic Park Rebirth, the range of predatory and friendly dinosaurs has expanded further. Viewers can use our guide to find out which predator dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park movies they wouldn’t want to run into and which they could keep as pets.
Predator: Dilophosaurus
Jurassic Park (1993)
One of the most notorious dinosaurs to encounter in the wild is the Dilophosaurus, which made its debut in the original Jurassic Park. In the film, a juvenile Dilophosaurus stalks Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) upon breaking free from its enclosure. As a juvenile, the dinosaur is relatively small, and colorful frills frame its face, leading Nedry to believe the unique creature isn’t so bad. That is, until it spits poisonous venom in his face, temporarily blinding him before devouring him. In real life, there’s no evidence that Dilophosaurus could eject venom. Still, the added detail in Jurassic Park makes it the most terrifying dinosaur to be attacked by, as it blinds and paralyzes its prey with venom before consuming it.
Pet: Compsognathus
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Compsognathus dinosaurs debuted in The Lost World: Jurassic Park and resemble miniature T. Rexes. These dinosaurs stand about two feet tall and are thin and long, with green coloring and hands and hind legs similar to those of a T. Rex. While carnivorous, their size means they primarily consume a diet of lizards and insects. However, in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the Compsognathus dinosaurs attack in packs to take down larger prey, including Dieter Stark (Peter Stormare). As long as one doesn’t get multiples, though, a sole Compsognathus would be a relatively harmless pet dinosaur.
Predator: Indoraptor
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
The Indoraptor is a genetically engineered dinosaur in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, created from combining the DNA of an Indominus Rex and Velociraptor. In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the Indoraptor exhibits incredibly high levels of intelligence, including hiding, stalking, and feigning sleep. Its stealthy, cunning ways make it particularly dangerous and unpredictable. It’s one of the few dinosaurs in the franchise that seems truly driven by sadism rather than survival. Coming face-to-face with an Indoraptor promises to be one of the most painful, prolonged deaths, given the dinosaur's sadistic, aggressive nature.
Pet: Velociraptor
Jurassic World (2015)
Typically, one does not want to encounter a Velociraptor from the Jurassic Park franchise, as these dinosaurs are intelligent, fast, and deadly. However, Jurassic World suggests these dinosaurs can be semi-domesticated. In the movie, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) raised the Velociraptor Blue from birth and trained her so she came to see him as her pack leader. Although she shifted her allegiance between him and other dinosaurs, she ultimately protected him and later returned to him in Jurassic World Dominion, accompanied by her baby, Beta. If one can train and domesticate a Velociraptor, it could serve as a good, protective pet; however, it might be best to keep it as an outdoor pet for safety reasons.
Predator: Giganotosaurus
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
There’s nothing worse than being eaten by a dinosaur so enormous that it paralyzes its prey with fear. The Giganotosaurus appears in Jurassic World Dominion and is the largest terrestrial carnivorous dinosaur in the franchise. It's essentially a T. Rex, but significantly larger, weighing an estimated 30,000 pounds. The giant dinosaur blocks out the sun and shakes the Earth as it walks, continuously stalking the characters in Jurassic World Dominion and fighting other dinosaurs to establish its dominance. While one’s death would be relatively painless as they’d be eaten in one swift gulp, the thought of seeing 30,000 pounds of dinosaur coming toward you is nothing short of a nightmare.
Pet: Aquilops
Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)
Jurassic World Rebirth features an Aquilops dinosaur as a pet. The film follows a young girl named Isabela (Audrina Miranda) as she discovers a tiny Aquilops and adopts it as a pet, naming it Dolores. Aquilops are very small herbivorous ceratopsians, less than two feet in length and three pounds in weight. They are entirely harmless and adorable in Jurassic World Rebirth. Dolores exhibits signs of curiosity and protective instincts, melting viewers' hearts with her distinctive features, including her small, horned nose and striped tail. Few dinosaurs would make a better, safer pet.
Predator: Distortus Rex in
Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)
Of all the mutated dinosaurs in Jurassic World Rebirth, few are as terrifying as the Distortus Rex. The Distortus Rex is a mutated Tyrannosaurus rex, twice the size of a typical T. Rex, with six limbs, including two enormous, gorilla-like arms in addition to its two smaller arms. It has a bulge in its head like a beluga whale and walks hunched over with a hardly discernible neck. In Jurassic World Rebirth, it appears less like a dinosaur and more like a creature from a horror movie. These dinosaurs would first paralyze their prey with terror over their appearance before crushing it with their gorilla-like arms and tearing it to shreds with their teeth.
Pet: Gallimimus
Jurassic Park (1993)
Gallimimus dinosaurs first appear in Jurassic Park, as viewers witness flocks of the omnivores fleeing a T. Rex attack. They are small, bird-like dinosaurs with toothless mouths and long, thin bodies. Their behaviors and fluid movements are similar to those of flightless birds, making the packs of Gallimimus akin to a pack of ostriches. The animals in the Jurassic Park films are harmless, often fleeing predators and keeping busy by scavenging for bugs and herbs with their packs. They were even part of Jurassic World’s petting zoo area. Harmless and frequently in need of shelter from predators, Gallimimus dinosaurs would make great pets.
Predator: Scorpios Rex
Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020)
The genetically modified Scorpios Rex serves as the primary antagonist in Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous Season 3. Although it finally reveals itself in the third season, it began stalking the gang as early as the first season, serving as an unseen villain for an extended period. Its appearance is that of a mutated Velociraptor with red eyes, dark slit pupils, and long, almost humanoid arms with clawed hands. The dinosaur's behavior is even scarier than its appearance, as it’s known to be aggressive, unpredictable, and prone to rampages. It's the kind of dinosaur that will give one false hope of safety before shooting them with poisonous quills and killing them indiscriminately before eating.
Pet: Lystrosaurus
Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
The Lystrosaurus is a small but heavily built herbivore that appears briefly in Jurassic World Dominion. In the film, a Lystrosaurus named Leonard was sold on the black market and forced into fighting other dinosaurs. While the Lystrosaurus has powerful tusk-like canines, it only utilizes them in defense. Otherwise, the dinosaur is docile and harmless. The average Lystrosaurus is just three feet long and walks on four short, squat legs. It’s sort of like the dinosaur version of a pug with its short, thick build and laid-back attitude. When in a safer environment than Jurassic World Dominion, the Lystrosaurus make for harmless, adorable pets.
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