Jurassic World 4 introduces a "New Jurassic Era", featuring entirely new dinosaurs and the absence of any returning characters. Among the potential new dinosaurs, Patagotitan Mayorum stands out as the largest land animal ever discovered. The inclusion of lesser-known dinosaurs like Suzhousaurus and Kosmoceratops brings diversity and excitement to the franchise.
As excitement for Jurassic World 4 grows, the series presents a vast opportunity for the expansion of its dinosaur roster for the "New Jurassic Era."
The series' latest entry seems to be promoting a "New Stegosaurus Era", featuring no returning characters from either trilogy. While the "New Stegosaurus Era" isn't a term in paleontology, the series has never been shy to mix and match pre-human creatures from eons apart in the fossil record, putting the Stegosaurus from the Jurassic period in enclosures next to T. Rex from the Late Cretaceous period. The idea of a new dynasty for the science fiction franchise to enter opens up the possibilities for new dinosaurs even further.
Quite possibly one of the most famous dinosaurs to have never been included in the entire Jurassic Park franchise, Patagotitan Mayorum was a gargantuan beast. Discovered in present-day Argentina alongside a host of many other Titanosaurs, or extremely large dinosaurs, Patagotitan was the single largest land animal to ever exist, weighing in at a colossal 70 metric tons. With an elongated neck that brought its total length to over 120 feet, Patagotitan would tower over even the mighty Brachiosaurus in one of the first film's most iconic shots.
The upcoming Jurassic World 4 could revolutionize the bio-historical portrayal of dinosaurs, as Suzhousaurus, a dinosaur discovered in China, deviates from traditional depictions by featuring a single, distinctive cut appearance not found in previous films.
One of the most well-known dinosaurs that appeared in the first Jurassic Park was the beloved Triceratops, a three-horned herbivore with a powerful armored head. However, Jurassic World 4 could introduce the lesser-known cousin, Kosmoceratops, an enigmatic herbivore with an ornate skull and powerful horns. While Kosmoceratops shares similarities with the Triceratops, its skull is incredibly ornate, with intricate downward-pointing horns and blade-like nasal projection, setting it apart from its relative.
Despite being a cold-blooded reptile, Plesiosaurus was a creature adapted for cold environments, living in Antarctica during a time in which the iced-over continent was more of a tundra. Meaning "frozen crested lizard", Plesiosaurus is notable for its unique comb-shaped crest, which was likely more ornamental than practical in nature. A Plesiosaurus was almost featured in the animated series, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, but was replaced at the last minute by an Ankylosaurus named Bumpy. Plesiosaurus deserves another chance, and could be a great way to introduce an interesting new cold environment to Jurassic World 4.
5 Dunkleosteus was a species of marine reptile that roamed the oceans of the Late Devonian period. Most famously, the creature is known for its association with the cryptid the Loch Ness Monster, whose description resembles a Dunkleosteus, complete with four flippers and a flexible, snake-like neck. The animal had only ever appeared in the background of Jurassic World in a holographic display, but could make for an exciting coastal encounter for the cast of the new movie to contend with.
While pre-historic animals like Plesiosaurus and Pteranodon fit in easily among a roster of dinosaurs, Dunkleosteus is arguably more of a stretch to include in a Jurassic Park movie due to its advanced taxonomic classification. Despite this, it's impossible to deny the terror that a giant man-eating fish with armor plating on its face and razor sharp teeth could inspire.
Stephen Speilberg caught some flak from paleontologists in the original Jurassic Park for his depiction of Late Cretaceous period Gigantoraptor, who were much larger than their biological namesakes actually were in reality. Around the size of a polar bear, Utahraptor was the largest and most threatening dromaeosaurid (the same type of bipedal pack hunters as Velociraptor) to-date, named after the U.S. state in which it was discovered. Never before included in the franchise, a correctly-designated Utahraptor would go a long way to repairing Jurassic Park's reputation with actual dinosaur-studying scientists.
Gigantoraptor was one of the largest Oviraptorosaurs, a group of dinosaurs characterized by their feathers and tendency to steal the eggs of other species. The largest of these thieves, Gigantoraptor was over 25 feet long and weighed up to two tons. Though concept and storyboard art for an enclosure featuring the animals was drafted for Jurassic World 4, it never got the chance to appear in the film. With its intimidating size, Gigantoraptor would make for an excellent exhibit in Jurassic World 4.One of the most memorable scenes of the first Jurassic World was the final act being punctuated with the vile Indominus Rex being eaten in one bite by the mighty Mosasaurus, a massive aquatic reptile. As jaw-dropping as the scene was, the Mosasaurus doesn't exactly make for a fair fight against human opponents. Enter Liopleurodon: a smaller, but still hefty pliosaurid that could make for a terrifying waterborne predator for the Jurassic World 4's protagonists to face. With an incredibly fast swimming speed and excellent sense of smell, Liopleurodon's inclusion would make a big splash.
One of the few dinosaurs from the original Jurassic Park trilogy to remain absent from any Jurassic World film, Spinosaurus is an infamous carnivore. Its controversial defeat of T. Rex in Jurassic Park III sparked heated debate, establishing it as a villain within the Jurassic Park fandom. Its long-awaited return in the Jurassic World franchise promised to bring the franchise back with a significant impact, drawing attention to the possibility of a rematch after 23 years.