Random Dinosaur Generator
Random dinosaurs from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous.
Random Dinosaur Generator
The Random Dinosaur Generator picks random dinosaurs from three periods of the Mesozoic era, plus the famous flying and swimming reptiles that lived alongside them. Get a T. rex, a Stegosaurus, a Therizinosaurus or a tiny Microraptor with one click.
Periods
- Triassic (252–201 million years ago) – the first dinosaurs, such as Eoraptor, Herrerasaurus, Coelophysis and the long-necked Plateosaurus.
- Jurassic (201–145 Mya) – the age of giant sauropods like Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus, plus Allosaurus, Stegosaurus and the feathered Archaeopteryx.
- Cretaceous (145–66 Mya) – Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Spinosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Parasaurolophus and the enormous Argentinosaurus.
- Flying & marine reptiles – Pteranodon, Quetzalcoatlus, Mosasaurus, Plesiosaurus and Liopleurodon. Not dinosaurs in the scientific sense, but they're always part of the fun.
Ideas
Dino of the day for kids. Roll a dinosaur each morning and look up its size, diet and what its name means – many names are Greek or Latin descriptions, like Triceratops ("three-horned face").
Drawing prompts. Dinosaurs are perfect for practising scales, feathers and dynamic poses. Try drawing your random dinosaur in its habitat.
Classroom activities. Assign each student a random dinosaur to research, or sort a random list by period, diet or size.
Games and toys. Use it to decide which dinosaur to play next in a dino game, or to pick a theme for a dinosaur birthday party.
Writing. Drop a random prehistoric creature into a time-travel story and see what happens.
How to use
Pick a period or keep All, choose how many dinosaurs you want and press Generate. Starts with filters by first letter and No repeats keeps the list unique. Copy or download the results – it all runs in your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are pterosaurs and plesiosaurs dinosaurs?
Technically no – pterosaurs like Pteranodon and marine reptiles like Mosasaurus are separate groups of prehistoric reptiles. They're in their own Flying & marine reptiles group so you can include or skip them.
How many dinosaurs are in the list?
About 70, from the early Triassic Eoraptor to the last giants of the Cretaceous like Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops.
Is Brontosaurus a real dinosaur?
Yes. It was long considered the same as Apatosaurus, but a 2015 study argued it deserves its own genus, so both are in the list.
What does Mya mean?
Million years ago. The Triassic ran from about 252 to 201 Mya, the Jurassic from 201 to 145 Mya and the Cretaceous from 145 to 66 Mya, when an asteroid impact ended the age of dinosaurs.