Also Read: Triassic Dinosaurs , Cretaceous Dinosaurs
Read 280+ Jurassic Dinosaurs from the Early Jurassic (201.3 to 174.7 million years ago) to the Late Jurassic (161.5 to 145.0 million years ago).
Each entry shows the exact time span, diet, and estimated size.
Click any name to open that species page, where you can read a full description, fossil history, size estimates / Comparisons, and source references.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Roughly about†‬3.5†‬meters long for the
holotype individual,†‬though fully grown adults were likely larger.Time Period: Kimmeridgian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Yunnanosaurus huangi
estimated at about†‬7â€
‬meters long,†‬Yunnanosaurus youngi estimated at
about†‬13†‬meters
long.Time Period: Y.†‬huangi is
known from the
Hettangian/Sinemurian of the Jurassic,†‬while Y.†‬youngi
is
Aalenian/Bajocian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Carnivore.Size: Skull about†‬54†‬centimetres long.Time Period: Hettangian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Uncertain due to lack of remains,†‬but
comparison to Lesothosaurus would suggest a length of about†‬1†‬meter.Time Period: Hettangian/Sinemurian of the Jurassic�
Diet: Insectivoreâ€?Size: Holotype about†‬13.5†‬centimetres long.â€
‬Second specimen†(‬formerly Epidendrosaurusâ€)
‬about†‬16.2â€
‬centimetres long.†‬Both specimens are of juveniles,†‬true adult size
is still unknown.Time Period: Most probably Mid to Late Jurassicâ€
(‬refer to main textâ€)‬.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Unavailable.Time Period: Mid Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Up to about†‬27.5†‬meters long†(‬based upon
ROM†‬3670â€).Time Period: Late Kimmeridgian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Uncertain but very roughly estimated to be up
to†‬30†‬meters long.Time Period: Late Jurassic.
Diet: Uncertain.Size: Uncertain but holotype roughly estimated to
have been about†‬14†‬centimetres long.Time Period: Late†‬Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Roughly 19 to 20 meters long.Time Period: Toarcian to Bajocian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Uncertain but roughly estimated to be aroundâ€
‬15†‬meters long.Time Period: Bathonian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore�Size: Uncertain due to lack of remains,†‬but
estimated at around†‬60†‬centimetres long.Time Period: Hettangian to Sinemurian of the
Jurassic.
Diet: Carnivore.Size: Estimated bertween†‬5†‬and†‬6†‬meters
long,†‬Skull†‬0.6†‬meters long.Time Period: Kimmeridgian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: 15†‬meters long.Time Period: Callovian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Estimated†‬90†‬centimetres long.Time Period: Late Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: 1.2†‬meters long.Time Period: Oxfordian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Approximately†‬9†‬meters.Time Period: Callovian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Total body size uncertain due to lack of
remains.Time Period: Kimmeridgian/Tithonian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Carnivore.Size: Uncertain due to lack of remains,†‬however
when originally described by Rauhut and compared to Acrocanthosaurus,â€
‬was estimated to be somewhere between†‬8.5†‬and†‬10†‬meters in
length.Time Period: Kimmeridgian/Tithonian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Carnivore.Size: Estimated about†‬4†‬to†‬5†‬meters long for
holotype individual. Possible adult size estimated at about 8 meters long.Time Period: Callovian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Roughly estimated to be about†‬15†‬meters
long.Time Period: Callovian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Roughly about†‬4†‬meters long.Time Period: Sinemurian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Uncertain because only known from a few
vertebrae,†‬but estimated at about†‬20†‬meters long.Time Period: Tithonian of the Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Skull 18 centimetres long. Total length estimated about ‬2.5†‬meters long.Time Period: Usually credited as early Jurassic.
Diet: Herbivore.Size: Roughly estimated to be about†‬1†‬meter long.Time Period: Hettangian of the Jurassic.
Every Species Mentions its Epoch and Age, For example: Allosaurus – Time Period: Kimmeridgian age of the Late Jurassic.
The Jurassic Period was the middle part of the Mesozoic Era, lasting from about 201 to 145 million years ago.
During this time, the Earth was warm and wet, with no polar ice caps.
Thick forests of conifers, ferns, and cycads covered the land, creating perfect homes for many animals.
- Jurassic (201.3 – 145.0 Mya)
- Early Jurassic (201.3 – 174.7 Mya)
- Hettangian (201.3 – 199.5 Mya)
- Sinemurian (199.5 – 192.9 Mya)
- Pliensbachian (192.9 – 184.4 Mya)
- Toarcian (184.4 – 174.7 Mya)
- Middle Jurassic (174.7 – 161.5 Mya)
- Aalenian (174.7 – 170.9 Mya)
- Bajocian (170.9 – 168.2 Mya)
- Bathonian (168.2 – 165.3 Mya)
- Callovian (165.3 – 161.5 Mya)
- Late Jurassic (161.5 – 145.0 Mya)
- Oxfordian (161.5 – 154.8 Mya)
- Kimmeridgian (154.8 – 149.2 Mya)
- Tithonian (149.2 – 145.0 Mya)
For Detailed Time Period Refer to Time Period Page.
Dinosaur Diversity in the Jurassic Period
Dinosaurs of the Jurassic included many famous giants and a variety of specialists. Sauropods (long-necked herbivores) dominated the landscape by their sheer size. For example, Brachiosaurus reached about 16 m tall and 26 m long (weighing tens of tonnes), and Diplodocus grew around 24–26 m long.
These immense sauropods likely deterred predators by size alone. The carnosaur Allosaurus was the apex predator of its time, at about 8–9 m long.
It hunted in Late Jurassic North America (the Morrison Formation) and is thought to have preyed on sauropods, stegosaurs, and other herbivores.
The plated stegosaur Stegosaurus (Late Jurassic, 155–145 Mya) was a common armored herbivore, protecting itself with tail spikes and back plates. Early ornithopods like Camptosaurus and other herbivores also grazed the forests
By the Late Jurassic, the first true birds appeared (e.g. Archaeopteryx), having evolved from small coelurosaurian theropods. The oldest known bird fossil dates to this time.
Flying pterosaurs ruled the skies, and small early mammals scurried in the underbrush, but dinosaurs remained the most prominent land animals.
In short, Jurassic ecosystems were ruled by dinosaurs: enormous sauropods and stegosaurs as primary herbivores, large theropods like Allosaurus as top predators, and increasingly complex faunal communities. This “golden age of dinosaurs” lasted roughly 180 million years.
End of Jurassic
The Jurassic ended around 145 million years ago without a single massive extinction event. Instead, the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition was relatively gradual.
Many Jurassic genera gave way to new Cretaceous forms, but dinosaur lineages as a whole continued. In other words, dinosaurs did not die out at Jurassic’s end – they persisted and further diversified in the Cretaceous.
Environmental changes and continued continental breakup led to shifts in dinosaur faunas, but no cataclysm like the later asteroid impact occurred here.
FAQ’s
Which dinosaurs dominated the Jurassic?
The Jurassic was dominated by giant sauropods (long-necked herbivores) and large theropod predators. Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus were among the largest herbivores, while Allosaurus was a dominant carnivore. Other major groups included stegosaurs (like Stegosaurus) and early ornithopods.
