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What is a Carnotaurus? 5 Fun Facts About This Fast Dinosaur

If you have seen Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, then you have sat on the edge of your seat watching Owen, Claire, and Franklin be attacked in the gyrosphere by this terrifying dinosaur, just hoping that the glass will hold the teeth back so they don’t get devoured! Until T-Rex saves the day by swooping in and killing the mighty Carnotaurs, allowing the humans time to get away.

The humans probably would have been a tasty treat for the Carnotaurus! Although paleontologists have only found one, almost complete skeleton, that skeleton has taught us a lot about this fast dinosaur! Here are some fun facts about the Carnotaurus that we have learned from studying the fossils we have.


Carnotaurus Was A Carnivore
Carnotaurus had super sharp teeth and long, strong legs allowing them to easily catch and devour their prey. They probably had a weak bite, due to their small jaw, but that was ok! They would have used the horns on their heads like a club or hatchet to hurt or kill their prey like the Pachycephalosaurus before having their snack. (If you want to learn more about Pachycephalosaurus, check out this blog HERE!)

Capri Carnotaurus – A super friendly character from The Dinoverse, who’s always ready with a high-five, a hug, or a wave!

The Fastest Dinosaur Alive
You wouldn’t have wanted to challenge this dinosaur to a race! The carnotaurus had long, large, and very strong lower legs, allowing it to run super fast. Scientists believe that this dino was very likely one of the fastest theropods in its 2000lb class!

If You’re Happy And You Know It…
Yup. All those T-Rex jokes? We really should be making them about the carnotaurus! The Tyrannosaurus had tiny arms, for sure, but T-Rex could use them, and their fingers and claws. The Carnotaurus? Not so much. In fact, the carnotaurus didn’t even have claws, and their fingers were fused together! This meant that not only could they not use them to grab or tear animals, but they also couldn’t even move them independently. Pretty useless back then, but if you want to see some adorable art and stickers of them, check them out here!


Skin And Bones!
Paleontologists have found an almost complete skeleton of Carnotaurus in South America, but not only that they have also found fossilized Carnotaurus skin in Argentina! This is a pretty rare find for a carnivore! This has given them some really cool information about the Carnotaurus; that it was scaly and more reptilian, like the one we saw in Jurassic Park. This is surprising for scientists because most Theropods of the late cretaceous period seem to have feathers. Even baby T-Rex may have had tiny feathers.

The skeleton of Carnotaurus on display at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. Photo by Nicholas Carter

What’s In A Name?
The Carnotaurus was named the “Meat Eating Bull” by Argentinian Paeleontologist Jose Bonaparte in 1985. Dr. Bonaparte was the paleontologist to find the Carnotaurus skeleton, among many other dinosaur fossils.

José Bonaparte (1928-2020). Picture Credit: Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Bernardino Rivadavia

The Carnotaurus was a powerful and fast carnivore, and quite a terrifying dinosaur, even if its tiny, little arms were a bit useless. I’m really glad that movies like Jurassic Park are featuring new and exciting dinosaurs. It gives us a chance to get to know them better! This dinosaur from the late cretaceous age with its horned head and scaly skin is definitely a dinosaur worth studying!

Do you have any great Carnotaurus jokes? Here at The Dinoverse we LOVE dinosaur jokes (especially Tatum!). send us an email or tag us with your best joke on Instagram! We would love to hear them! And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter! You will hear about fun dino stuff, and even get a dinosaur treat on your birthday from Vester the Velociraptor!

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Dinosaur Party

If you read last week’s blog about Internet Ninjaneer Lisa’s Dino Lab birthday party, you’ll already know that dinosaur parties are our favourite kind of parties here at the Dinoverse! I mean, any party that involves dinosaurs is the best kind of party, don’t you think? You can incorporate dinosaur ideas into any party really, whether it’s a kids dinosaur birthday party, an adults New Year’s Eve party, or just to set a fun theme for a summer get together!

There are lots of really cool decorations on the internet you can shop for to use to bring dinosaurs to your party. You can shop Etsy for tons of cute dinosaur balloons, both shaped like dinosaurs, or dinosaurs printed on regular balloons. You can also decorate with a dinosaur banner, dinosaur garland, and different hanging decor. These options can really level up your dinosaur birthday party decorations!

Every dinosaur party needs cake! No matter if you are having adorable dino cupcakes, or a Jurassic sized cake, dinosaur cake and cupcake toppers are an easy way to decorate for your dinosaur party! For more complex decorations, you can use chocolate moulds to make chocolate dinosaurs or fossils to decorate with. Dinosaur sprinkles are pretty fun decorations too!

Of course you’ll need entertainment at your dinosaur party! There are lots of different dinosaur crafts you can make with the kids like dinosaur eggs (check out this blog for how to make them!). Playing dinosaur games is a lot of fun at a party too (read about our favourites here), and of course a dinosaur pinata is always a hit at a dinosaur party (see what I did there?). You can buy a pinata or make one yourself at home out of a balloon and lots of newspaper and glue; the internet is full of cool tutorials!

Last, but certainly not least, the dinosaur goodie bags! There are a plethora of dinosaur party favors out there. Dinosaur stickers are the perfect addition to any treat bag, as well as these vegan, chocolate dinosaur eggs from @spencerofalltrades. They even have tiny dinos inside! You can get dinosaur lollipops, little plastic dinos, dinosaur shaped crayons or wine glass charms. Everyone at your party will be really excited when they get to excavate their personal collection of dinosaur themed party bag to see the neat gifts you have filled it with!

A dinosaur party is definitely the theme I love best. Kara, Lead Illustrator for The Dinoverse, had a dinosaur themed wedding, so clearly dinosaurs aren’t just for kids birthday parties! All of us at The Dinoverse love to party Jurassic Style, and would love to see your dinosaur party photos! Send us an email or tag us with your pictures on Instagram! We would love to hear all about your dinosaur party! And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter! You will hear about fun dino stuff, and even get a dinosaur treat on your birthday from Vester the Velociraptor!

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Dinosaur Wall Decals

Dinosaur wall decals are a quick and fun way to add dinosaur art to any room. Decorate your walls with a T-Rex bursting out, or create a friendly scene of a Brachiosaurus grazing amongst some flowers and leaves. Dinosaur wall stickers are easily available, simple to use, and can make your room decor come to life!

There are so many available options for dinosaur wall decals; both for kids decor and adults. For the baby nursery, you can get a sweet sticker that you can use as a mural. These ones often come in watercolor designs, and are made up of cute dinosaurs, roaming free amongst flowers. Add in a dinosaur egg or two and you have the perfect dinosaur nursery!

For the growing palaeontologist, a more realistic dinosaur wall decal might be the thing to decorate with! A high quality jungle scene, or a stegosaurus amongst the trees is a fun idea! A kids bedroom is the perfect place for a large dinosaur mural; perfect for a growing imagination! Dinosaur wall decals are also a perfect way to decorate a playroom. They appeal to just about every kid, so it’s a great way to add a little magic to their space.

Older kids can enjoy Dinosaur wall decals too! A more realistic dinosaur, bursting out of the wall is a great art option for a teen! Or maybe the entire herd, about to come alive right in their bedroom. A fun sticker mural of dinosaur art can include other pieces of prehistoric items too, like plants and flowers.

Of course adults can get in on the dinosaur wall decal fun too! A more grown up dinosaur wall decal such as a skeleton or silhouette can make a nice addition to a living room or bedroom. Really, dinosaurs add a wonderful atmosphere to any room!

Dinosaur wall decals are available in many different options. You can get high quality vinyl stickers, fabric decor or even a cute growth chart for the kids room or nursery. Dinosaur wall decals are quick to use and add a beautiful decorative design to any room!

If you are looking for something a little smaller than a full wall mural, check out our Art Prints! They are made from original art and are perfect for framing! And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter, to get info, sales, and just generally fun dinosaur stuff, right to your inbox!

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Dinosaur Movies For Kids

Kids love dinosaur movies. Honestly, big kids love movies about dinosaurs too, but it’s generally when you are younger that you first learn to love the dinosaur world. A kid’s imagination is prime for great things like a T-Rex having a fight with a brontosaurus, or a Troodon as a train conductor. It all seems perfectly realistic. Dinosaur movies can also have a big impact on a kid’s life. Our Lead Illustrator, Kara, remembers quite fondly the experience of going to see the highly rated Jurassic Park with her dad. It was scary, but still the best! It’s this memory that started her love of Dinosaurs, and eventually specialising in Dinosaur art! Dinosaur movies for kids have been made for many years. Now that we have services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, there is no shortage of new dino movies to take us on a journey back in time. These dinosaur movies are among our favourites. Obviously any movie with a dinosaur is a good one, but these ones in particular are the movies that rated the prime spot in our movie collection.

The Land Before Time (1988):
This dinosaur kids movie is overall our staff’s top pick. No matter who I talked to, everyone loves this movie. Not only is it beautifully animated, but it’s a lovely story. It’s a wonderful story about friends who make an important journey, meeting new friends along the way. There are many sequels, but the first one is definitely the best rated. You can usually find this dino movie on Amazon Prime.

We’re Back! A Dinosaur Story (1993):
If you want an animated dinosaur movie filled with big names, this is the dino movie for you! Produced by Steven Spielberg, it’s filled with the voices of people like John Goodman and Martin Short. Some really smart dinosaurs come to help two lonely kids in New York City, and adventures ensue. Also, trouble. It’s a lot of good hearted fun that both kids and parents will love. You can try Amazon Prime or Apple TV for this one.

The Good Dinosaur (2015):
Pixar is well known for its top rated animated kids movies, and this dinosaur movie is no different. Journey back in time to join a young dinosaur and his human friend as they trek to find Arlo the dinosaur’s parents. It’s heartwarming and fun, and since it’s Pixar, you are likely to find it on Disney Plus.

Jurassic Park:
Of course no dinosaur movie list would be complete without this one! I’m sure just about every dinosaur lover has seen at least one version; either the original 1993 version, based on the book by Michael Crichton, or the 2015 reboot of the franchise, Jurassic World. Although it might be a little too intense for younger kids, the older kids will love it! All your favorite dinosaurs will be there. And can you imagine? A theme park, full of dinosaurs? What could be more amazing? Well, as the cliche goes, “I’ve seen the end of this movie, and it doesn’t end well…” Still, the journey through this prime rated park is probably one of the best times you’ll have in a dinosaur movie! (Also, if you are a Jurassic fan, check out our Rexy and Blue stickers! I believe they actually are really good friends!)

Before I pop myself a big bowl of popcorn and head to my couch for dinosaur movie night, here are our list of honourable mentions! You might want to check these dinosaur movies for kids out too!

Honourable Mentions:
Dinosaur Train: The Movie (2021)
Walking With Dinosaurs (2013)
Bob the Builder: The Big Dino Dig (2011)
Dinosaur (2000)

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Dinosaur Stickers

Dinosaur stickers are a fun way to add extra fun and inspiration to your space. They can be traded, collected, and you can use them to add a personal touch to your devices. Both my phone and my laptop are covered with T-Rex, stegosaurus and other dinosaurs. You can turn your favourite dino art into stickers. Dinosaur stickers also make a great gift for both kids and adults. I have a teacher friend who will exclusively give out dino stickers to the kids in her class as rewards. Her students know they have done really well when they see a dinosaur sticker on their homework! Here are some of our favourite dino stickers, created by some of our favourite dinosaur art creators!

@thedinoverse

The Dinoverse carries some of the best dinosaur stickers available. They are cute, fun little dino friends, usually with their favourite flowers or gems. A really nice thing about these dinosaur stickers, is when you purchase them you have two delivery options; you can have them packaged up, perfect for gift giving, or sent to your home like stationery, which is more friendly to the environment.

@thedinoverse

If you are looking for a pack of dinosaur stickers, Gummydragon has got you covered! These adorable dinosaurs are also fruit – fruitasaurs. Food as inspiration for dinosaurs and dinosaur art. How fun is that? You can also buy her dino sticker characters as stuffies! Check out the full collection of fruitasarus. The Banana Brachiosaurus is my favourite. Gummydragon also has lovely rainbow dino stickers too!

@gummydragon

For a dino skull or skeleton type sticker, check out this holographic dinosaur sticker from Animsaurus. A little more flashy, this dinosaur sticker can give your phone a fun Jurassic touch! Animsaurus also offers a variety of other neat dinosaurs in sticker form, and they sell in a neat pack!

@animsaurus

I love puns, so this dinosaur sticker from Rabbitasaur is one of my favourites. T-Rex – nope – Tree-Rex! Perfect as a gift in a card for Christmas, although it’s so great you can enjoy it all year. Rabbitasaur’s other dino stickers and art are just as cute and fun.

@rabbitasaur

Speaking of Christmas, if you want a great gift, dinosaur stickers and dinosaur cards are perfect. You can find dino stickers with matching cards in the Dinoverse shop! They are just the Jurassic way to say, “I’m thinking of you!” Check out the birthday dinosaurs she has available also! With their bright balloons, they are just dino-mite!

@thedinoverse

Dinosaur stickers are a great way to add a little dino fun into your day. Decorate your phone with some dinosaur art, give a sticker as a gift, or grab an entire collection to add a personal touch to your laptop! Do you have a favourite dinosaur sticker? Tag us on facebook and instagram! We would love to see your Jurassic art!

@thedinoverse