Your top 5 favorite dinosaurs

[Cloud the Dinosaur King]

1. Spinosaurus

2. Dakotaraptor

3. Diabloceratops

4. Allosaurus

5. Dinheirosaurus

[BlueKrono]

1. Spinosaurus

2. Dakotaraptor

3. Diabloceratops

4. Allosaurus

5. Dinheirosaurus

In regards to your #2. choice - I think we determined in a different thread that Dakotaraptor is the most popular dinosaur that no one's ever made a figure of yet.

[Sim]

In regards to your #2. choice - I think we determined in a different thread that Dakotaraptor is the most popular dinosaur that no one's ever made a figure of yet.

I wouldn't necessarily think the most popular, but the most famous.  A search in this thread shows the only time Dakotaraptor's been chosen has been in Cloud the Dinosaur King's post.

[BlueKrono]

In regards to your #2. choice - I think we determined in a different thread that Dakotaraptor is the most popular dinosaur that no one's ever made a figure of yet.

I wouldn't necessarily think the most popular, but the most famous.  A search in this thread shows the only time Dakotaraptor's been chosen has been in Cloud the Dinosaur King's post.

Is there a difference between the two? To me (at least in terms of dinosaurs) both signify recognition by people in general. What dinosaur is famous but not popular, or vice versa?

[Sim]

I think there is a difference.  I understand "famous" to mean widely known, and "popular" to mean widely liked.  Even if being famous or popular might lead a dinosaur to being both of those things, I wouldn't assume being one means it must also be the other.  Especially since the only thoughts and preferences I know are my own, and what I see others express.

I also think the difference between famous and popular can become more noticeable when you start ranking dinosaurs, such as "most popular" or "most famous".  Dakotaraptor might actually be the most popular dinosaur without a figure, but that other thread was about the most widely known dinosaur without a figure.  So even if Dakotaraptor might be the most widely known dinosaur without a figure, I wouldn't conclude it would therefore be the most popular without a figure.


Keeping in mind I can only speak based on my own preferences and what I think based on what I've seen others express...

- I imagine Brontosaurus is one of the most famous dinosaurs, but I'm not sure it's quite as popular now.  When I've spoken with people in person about Brontosaurus recently, they hadn't heard it had been separated from Apatosaurus and thought it was still an incorrect name for Apatosaurus.  Additionally, unlike Apatosaurus no skull is known for Brontosaurus, and Apatosaurus is also larger than Bontosaurus - perhaps these are things that don't help Brontosaurus become more popular now that it's separated from Apatosaurus again.

- Dakotaraptor might be famous, but it's only known from fragmentary remains and its skull isn't known.  I'm not sure it's among the most popular dinosaurs.  Perhaps its head not being known might make Dakotaraptor less popular than it would be otherwise.  Personally, dromaeosaurids are my favourite group of dinosaurs, but I can't say I like Dakotaraptor when its head isn't known.

- Massospondylus, Gallimimus and Stegoceras all seem to be widely known but not very popular.  It seems a bit unfortunate since they all appear to be known from quite complete fossil remains and they all lack a good modern toy representation.

- As for a dinosaur that's popular but not famous, Kulindadromeus maybe?

[Derek.McManus]

Gwangi all the way for me!

[CrypticPrism]

1. Allosaurus
2.Zuchengtyrannus
3. Sinornithosaurus
4.tsintsaosaurus
5. Camarasaurus

And here's a bonus 5.
6. Orlotitan
7.Alamosaurus
8.marshosaurus
9. Rugops
10. Velociraptor

Wow, I'm an obscurity nut.

[BlueKrono]

Not as much as some folks on here. I've never heard of Kulindadromeus, for instance.

[Reptilia]

I know it's boring, but mine are all theropods: Allosaurus, Baryonyx, Dilophosaurus, Spinosaurus and Velociraptor.

[Sim]

I know it's boring, but mine are all theropods: Allosaurus, Baryonyx, Dilophosaurus, Spinosaurus and Velociraptor.

I don't think it's boring.  I think people might sometimes consider theropods to be all very closely related and similar, just because 'they're all theropods', but in reality theropods are an extremely diverse group of dinosaurs.  I think sometimes, such as for the purposes of making toy figures, it would be better to group dinosaurs together if they are very similar/closely related (e.g. they form a family/superfamily) rather than by, in my opinion, much less meaningful groups like "theropods" that don't give a good idea of the level of diversity they contain.

One example of what I mean is, I get the impression on this forum it sometimes seems to be thought that ornithopods don't get enough figures, while theropods get more than enough figures.  Some ornithopods are actually some of the best-represented groups of closely related dinosaurs among figures though, having a number of nice figures of different species available, e.g. hadrosaurs.  And, some types of theropods are among the most neglected types of dinosaurs when it comes to figures.  Troodontids for example, they almost never get made into a figure and when one is made it's almost always Troodon.  Also, while hadrosaur figures tend to be very nice and have a high level of accuracy, troodontid figures tend to be the opposite.  I'm not saying ornithopods or hadrosaurs shouldn't get more nice figures, I think they should.  But I also think theropod representation in figures isn't as good or adequate as has sometimes been suggested, and that it can be oversimplified.  This is an example of why sometimes I think it's better to consider groups of animals which are similar/closely related, rather than large groups that contain very different animals.

That said, groups of closely related animals can also contain great diversity.  In which case then it could be better to think about differences between species rather than differences between groups.  In the end, different people can have different reasons for what they like.  I think your top 5 favourites are an interesting line-up.

[Halichoeres]

I know it's boring, but mine are all theropods: Allosaurus, Baryonyx, Dilophosaurus, Spinosaurus and Velociraptor.

I don't think it's boring.  I think people might sometimes consider theropods to be all very closely related and similar, just because 'they're all theropods', but in reality theropods are an extremely diverse group of dinosaurs.  I think sometimes, such as for the purposes of making toy figures, it would be better to group dinosaurs together if they are very similar/closely related (e.g. they form a family/superfamily) rather than by, in my opinion, much less meaningful groups like "theropods" that don't give a good idea of the level of diversity they contain.

One example of what I mean is, I get the impression on this forum it sometimes seems to be thought that ornithopods don't get enough figures, while theropods get more than enough figures.  Some ornithopods are actually some of the best-represented groups of closely related dinosaurs among figures though, having a number of nice figures of different species available, e.g. hadrosaurs.  And, some types of theropods are among the most neglected types of dinosaurs when it comes to figures.  Troodontids for example, they almost never get made into a figure and when one is made it's almost always Troodon.  Also, while hadrosaur figures tend to be very nice and have a high level of accuracy, troodontid figures tend to be the opposite.  I'm not saying ornithopods or hadrosaurs shouldn't get more nice figures, I think they should.  But I also think theropod representation in figures isn't as good or adequate as has sometimes been suggested, and that it can be oversimplified.  This is an example of why sometimes I think it's better to consider groups of animals which are similar/closely related, rather than large groups that contain very different animals.

That said, groups of closely related animals can also contain great diversity.  In which case then it could be better to think about differences between species rather than differences between groups.  In the end, different people can have different reasons for what they like.  I think your top 5 favourites are an interesting line-up.

You've got a point that coverage among theropods is heterogeneous. There are no alvarezsaurids, very few troodontids, very few archaic birds like enantiornithines, but a gigantic surfeit of tyrannosaurids.  Setting aside that dinosaurs as a whole are much better represented than probably all other groups when it comes to prehistoric toys, I'll share an example from my collection, which contains no more than 2 versions of any proper dinosaur, but contains at least one version of nearly every dinosaur made in plastic. I own 116 theropods, but 34 ornithopods. Add in ceratopsians and it's still only 72. All ornithischians together are 103.

103 vs. 116 is actually roughly commensurate with the total diversity of both groups (which, if the new dinosaur topology for dinosaurs is true, are by definition the same age, being sisters). But both have subgroups that are wildly overrepresented even as others are completely ignored. Almost half of all known Mesozoic dinosaurs are theropods, mostly coelurosaurians, but a lot of them are things that would probably not interest many theropod collectors, like the 80 or so enantiornithines and ornithurines. Similarly, a lot of ornithischians are small bipedal things that to most would just be, "I dunno, Hypsilophodon?" I personally would like more theropods, but not more T rexes, and more ornithopods, but not more Parasaurolophuses, more ceratopsians, but not more Styracosauruses, etc.

[PaleoMatt]

1. Rockhopper Penguin
2. Humboldt Penguin
3. Dracoraptor
4. Troodon
5. Edmontosaurus anectens

[Zhuchengotyrant]

1.Suchomimus.      Easily!!!!!!
2.Yutyrannus
3.Zhuchengtyrannus
4.Sinoceratops
5.Utahraptor

[John]

Top 5 favorite dinosaurs?
Kentucky Fried Chicken five piece!

[Dobber]

1. Tyrannosaurus Rex
2. Deinonychus
3. Utahraptor
4. Dakotaraptor
5. Allosaurus

Chris

[Sim]

I last posted my top favourite dinosaurs in this thread over 4 years ago.  At the time I only had four top favourite dinosaurs and wasn't sure if I would have a fifth, but now I have five!  They are:

1. Velociraptor mongoliensis

2. Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis

3. Saurornithoides mongoliensis

4. Baryonyx walkeri

5. Stegosaurus stenops

The five above have been my favourites for a long time now.  I decided to post in this thread again to update my favourites and because I had thoughts about what is said in the quote below.

- Massospondylus, Gallimimus and Stegoceras all seem to be widely known but not very popular.  It seems a bit unfortunate since they all appear to be known from quite complete fossil remains and they all lack a good modern toy representation.

- As for a dinosaur that's popular but not famous, Kulindadromeus maybe?

I now think Gallimimus is quite popular.  When going through this thread again the other day, I noticed someone here said Gallimimus was one of their favourites, and a person who I spoke to offline told me their favourite dinosaur is Gallimimus.  Gallimimus was also one of the most desired species to be made by Safari on this forum.  I haven't ever heard anyone say Massospondylus is one of their favourites, but it was another of the most desired species to be made by Safari.  Stegoceras though doesn't seem popular.  I think only @Halichoeres has expressed interest in this one.  Anchiceratops is another dinosaur that seems to be widely known but not very popular.  But perhaps the most obvious one is Compsognathus.  It's famous thanks to appearing in Jurassic Park franchise films but I haven't seen anyone say it's one of their favourites except for @Patrx, and I haven't seen much desire for it expressed on this forum.

As for dinosaurs that are popular but not famous, I still think Kulindadromeus might be an example of this.  It was another of the most desired species to be made by Safari on this forum, but I still don't think it's famous.

[Gwangi]

Oh man...just five? Can't we have a top 50?  Well my favorite group would also have to be theropods due in part to their extant forms. Among my favorites from various groups are...

Tyrannosaurus
Camarasaurus
Einiosaurus
Stegosaurus
Shantungosaurus

Are we resurrecting this thread again? Last time I answered this question it was 2013! My favorites seem to change on a monthly basis so lets see what's changed in 8 years. My long list is pretty consistent, so everything on my list in 2013 is still there, but this is a top 5 right now so my favorites are...

Deinocheirus
Liliensternus
Ankylosaurus
Dryosaurus
Pachyrhinosaurus

[Stegotyranno420]

I often change my list a lot and it gets very confusing, so the slashes indicate a dinosaur that holds a similar place, USUALLY(but not always) genetic or niche(as in apex predator niche) similarity:

  Spinosaurus Aegypticus/Tyrannosaurus Rex
Torvosaurus tanneri/Megalosaurus bucklandii
Giganotosaurus carolini/Carcharodontosaurus  Saharicus
Lilliensternus lilliensterni/Dilophosaurus wetherlii
Saurophaganax Maximus /Rajasaurus Narmadensis

Stegosaurus ungulatus/Dacentrurus armatus
Amphicoelcias(Maarupunisaurus) fragmillus/Argentinosaurus Huinculensis
Supersaurus/General Diplodocines
Triceratops/ General Triceratopsines
General Brachiosaurids and kin

[laticauda]

I love this!  The first two are easy (not just going with the flow) but they are favorites from childhood. 

1. Allosaurus:  Childhood favorite
2. Stegosaurus (stenops) Basically a tie with Allosaurus
3. Utahceratops: A new favorite
4. Minmi: another new favorite
5. Acrocanthosaurus: Just awesome.

Not left out, but just couldn't get to the top five:
6. Styracosaurus
7. Utahraptor
8. Astrodon
9. Gastonia
10. Kentrosaurus
11. Mirigia
12. Diplodocus

I think the only change would be number 5.  I think I will put Dracopelta there instead of Acrocanthosaurus. 

[Bread]

Never posted on this thread but here:
1. Yutyrannus
2. Parasaurolophus
3. Tyrannosaurus
4. Shantungosaurus
5. Corythosaurus

Honorable mention(s):
-Borealopelta, mainly because of how.  interesting the specimen is.
-Ouranosaurus

Edit: Fixed the spelling of Borealopelta