The Long-Lost Dinosaur Hybrids of ‘Jurassic Park’

  • by Jason Radner
  • 3 Years ago
  • 1

Before the hybrid Indominus Rex terrorized theme park attendees and the Indoraptor rampaged around a mansion in Jurassic World and its subsequent follow-up, and even before recent concept art leaks, the Jurassic Park universe had an entirely separate set of genetically modified dinosaur mutants.

Introduced in 1998 by toy company Kenner, the Jurassic Park: Chaos Effect lineup of toys featured a large assortment of various DNA hybrids. Several of them were quite creative. Here’s our breakdown of what I consider to be the top ten in the series.

10. Ankyloranodon

A mix between an ankylosaurs and a pteranodon, the airborne Ankyloranodon features a bone-crushing club at the end of its tail. While it is purported to be one of InGen’s most intelligent creations, it’s also one of the least deadly. Unlike other hybrids, this one only hunts when hungry, and like pteranodons its diet mostly consists of fish despite its ferocious appearance.

9. Amargospinus

The Amargospinus is the result of amargasaurus and spinosaurus DNA being spliced together. Weighing 18 tons, this colossal carnivore has a neck long enough to reach the top levels of many buildings where, rest assured, it will find a meal. The sheer insanity of such a genetic gamble is admirable.

8. Tyrannonops

What do you get when you combine a Tyrannosaurs Rex with a Lycaenops? Simple, the Tyrannonops. Somewhat resembling a sabre-toothed cat, the Tyrannonops is one of the more unique designs to come out of the Chaos Genetic Labs. Its jaws are as powerful as a pit bull’s and ten times as deadly.

7. Velocirapteryx

One thing you have to respect the Velocirapteryx for is that it was one of the first dinosaur toys to ever feature feathers, which are anatomically accurate for velociraptors despite usually being portrayed without them in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World films. Of course, one reason the Velocirapteryx design was able to buck the trend of featherless skin was because it is a combination between the Velociraptor and feathered Archaeopteryx.

6. Paradeinonychus

The generally passive Parasaurolophus takes on a whole new persona when mixed with the deadly Deinonychus. The end result? Paradeinonychus. As if Deinonychus wasn’t terrifying enough on its own, now it can dive and stay underwater for long periods of time thanks to its Parasaurolophus DNA. Did I mention it hunts in packs? Well, it hunts in packs. Good luck with that.

5. Pachysaurolophus

Another Parasaurolophus spin-off, this time mixed with the hard-headed Pachycephalosaurus. This one is called a Pachysaurolophus. One reason it’s so special is because it mixes two herbivores together. Finally, something without any meat-eating tendencies. Unfortunately, the folks over at Kenner must’ve determined that a solely herbivore hybrid would be too boring to sell well, so the toy never actually made it onto shelves.

4. Tanaconda

The Tanaconda was one of Kenner’s more popular hybrid toys. It was re-released with several different skins and repaints and is still found at many garage sales to this day for good reason. It was just plain cool. It was essentially a snake with legs for crying out loud! Combining Anaconda genes with those of the Tanystropheus, the Tanaconda is even venomous! (And no, neither of the animals its based on are venomous). The toy featured a rubbery neck with flexible wiring inside that allowed it to be put in several fun poses.

3. Deinonycanis

Deinonycanis is awesome because it crosses dinosaurs with mammals by infusing a Deinonychus with a Dire Wolf. That innovation alone earns it a place high on this list.

2. Compstegnathus

You wouldn’t think a Compsognathus and Stegosaurus hybrid would amount to much, but boy would you be wrong. The Compstegnathus was one of the sleekest dinosaurs to ever waltz out of a genetic lab. Partly because it was also mixed with African Tree Frog DNA, so it features a long sticky tongue capable of wrapping around the neck of its victims and dragging the prey towards its piranha-like teeth.

1. Ultimasaurus

The Ultimasaurus truly earns its name. It’s the mother of all genetic mixtures, combining Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Ankylosaurus, and Stegosaurus. Its design proved so popular that it enjoyed several variations before being retired in favor of the Indominus Rex. But even the Indominus Rex can’t hold a candle to this bad boy, which looks more like a demon than a dinosaur.

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