After seeing Jurassic World 3, one wonders about two star dinosaurs of the film, the Giganotosaurus and the Atrociraptor. Did these saurians really exist or were they invented for the needs of the feature film?
After being the superstar of the Jurassic Park saga, the Tyrannosaurus had to give way to even bigger and even more vicious creatures in the Jurassic World trilogy.
In the first opus released in 2015, the highlight of the show was the fangs of a genetically modified dino, recreated from the DNA of Tyrannosaurus and Raptor: the Indominus Rex.
Another saurian whose genes have been manipulated in the laboratory then appeared in Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom: the Indoraptor.
In the third opus, The World After, the public wondered if a new, even bigger dinosaur was going to come out of a test tube to bite into our heroes.
This time, director Colin Trevorrow didn’t have to invent a predator. He went to look for his new stars in the dinosaurs that really existed.
THE GIGANOTOSAURUS
The Giganotosaurus, announced in Fallen Kingdom via the many dinosaur DNA samples for sale, is indeed present in The World After.
This late Cretaceous theropod is the largest known terrestrial carnivore. This massive super-predator is aptly named: “Giant Lizard of the South”. Larger than a T-Rex, it weighs almost 14 tonnes for 13 meters in height and can run up to 50 km/h.
In the movies, the T-Rex and the Giganotosaurus move at this speed but according to some scientific studies, these carnivorous giants were not able to move very fast because of their weight. In reality, they certainly could not exceed 20 km/h.
The Giganotosaurus makes its entry into The World After!
However, in The World After, this huge killer with a sharp spine is the biggest threat in all of Biosyn Valley, even to the Tyrannosaurus! With his camouflage-colored dress, his height and his weight, he is unstoppable and destroys everything in his path.
Giganotosaurus was discovered in 1993 by Rubén Carolini, an amateur paleontologist. This discovery was officially recorded by paleontologist Rodolfo Coria in 1995.
THE ATROCIRAPTOR
Another species of predator makes an appearance in Jurassic World 3, the Atrociraptor. These Cretaceous carnivores that go in packs of 4, have a name meaning “wild thieves”.
They measure nearly 1 meter 80 and weigh barely 15 kg. Cunning, clever and wicked, they are trained to kill by smell, or according to the victim designated by a laser click. Their speed has been altered and they are the result of research by Owen Grady and Barry Sembene at Jurassic World.
Ghost, Striped, Tiger and Red were named after the colors of their stripes. Programmed to kill, they never let go of their prey…even if it’s Owen Grady and Claire Dearing.
This specimen, from the Dromaeosaurid family, which one would think was totally invented for the purposes of the plot, nevertheless really existed. It was discovered in 2004 by Philip John Currie and Daniel J. Varrichio in Canada.
Unlike those in the feature film, the real Atrociraptors, like all medium-sized Dromaeosaurids, sported plumage or down on part of their body.
Jurassic World 3 therefore takes many liberties with scientific reality to make these critters even more frightening and fearsome.
Barry and Owen attempt to trap an Atrociraptor