Random Dinosaur Generator
Tap Generate to get a random dinosaur with the period it lived in and the places its fossils have turned up.
124 to pick from. Tap Spin.
Picked
124 to pick from. Tap Spin.
Options
Recent picks
How it works
- Tap Generate for a random prehistoric animal.
- Read its period and fossil locations.
- Tap again or share the pick with your dino fan.
Every pick starts from your browser's cryptographic random number generator, so each option has the same chance unless you set a weight. The pool behind this tool holds 124 options. How the randomness works.
Ways to use it
Bedtime stories
A parent lets the generator pick tonight's dinosaur star and invents a story around it. Tomorrow night, tap again for a sequel.
Dino day at school
Each student draws their random dinosaur and pins it on a class timeline.
Map practice
Find the country where the fossils were found and mark it with a sticker.
Museum trip prep
Kids learn three random dinosaurs before the visit and hunt for them in the halls. Bonus points for reading the fossil sign out loud.
Birthday party game
Generate a dinosaur and the kids stomp and roar the way they think it moved.
Questions people ask
Were pterosaurs and plesiosaurs dinosaurs?
No. Pterosaurs flew and plesiosaurs swam, but both were separate groups of prehistoric reptiles. The tool marks them so you know the difference.
What are the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous?
They are the three periods of the Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs lived. The Triassic came first, then the Jurassic, then the Cretaceous.
Are birds related to dinosaurs?
Yes. Scientists consider birds the living descendants of small feathered theropod dinosaurs. Feathers, hollow bones and wishbones are some of the shared features.
Why are fossils found on so many continents?
The continents were joined or closer together during much of the dinosaur age and have drifted apart since. Fossils travel with the rock they are buried in.