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Is The Atrociraptor A Real Dinosaur? Red In Dominion Explained

This article contains spoilers for Jurassic World Dominion.

Jurassic World Dominion introduced viewers to a new dinosaur never seen before on the big screen, the Atrociraptor (a name that means "savage robber"). The Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchises have always been known for their deep cuts into paleontology. For every famous dinosaur, such as the Tyrannosaurus rex, there is a less well-known one such as Baryonyx. Jurassic World Dominion features more new dinosaur species, notably Atrociraptor.

The Atrociraptors are introduced as pack hunters, strikingly similar to the Velociraptors. There's a degree of irony in their role in Jurassic World Dominion, given they have been trained to hunt specific targets mercilessly. The irony is their targeting Owen and Claire as Owen was the man who proved raptors could be trained in the first place. Pleasingly, Atrociraptor is a genuine species of dinosaur, although in reality, surprisingly little is known about it.

Related: Jurassic World Dominion Ending Explained (In Detail)

Fossils of Atrociraptor - or, to give the dinosaur its proper name, Atrociraptor marshalli, with the latter referencing the man who discovered it - were first discovered in Alberta, Canada, back in 1995. Only one specimen has been identified to date, from parts of the upper and lower jaws, teeth, and numerous skull fragments. All this means paleontologists are still studying the dinosaur, figuring out what it was really like.

Scientists believe dinosaurs were feathered, which naturally means Atrociraptor - like most dinosaurs - probably looked very different from Jurassic World Dominion's version. The film reproduces the Atrociraptor's distinctive skull shape fairly accurately, and occasionally focuses in on its unusual isodont teeth - teeth that have the same overall shape and form but are of different sizes, ideal for tearing through meat at speed. Most viewers will notice the striking similarities between Jurassic World Dominion's Atrociraptor and the Velociraptor, with the long, retractable claw on its foot that it uses to hunt. There are four Atrociraptors in Jurassic World Dominion, named for the color of their stripes; Ghost, Tiger, Red, and Panthera. Paleontologists have, however, increasingly suggested Atrociraptor is not as closely related to the Velociraptor as the movie implies, and there's debate over whether it was a pack hunter at all.

There will, of course, be intense debate over whether or not it's possible to train dinosaurs such as Velociraptor and Atrociraptor. Surprisingly, many paleontologists have suggested it was possible, pointing to the fact humans have successfully domesticated animals of a similar intelligence level. This is easier with pack animals, where an alpha leads the rest of the group, meaning Owen's training of Velociraptors is theoretically possible. If Atrociraptor was a pack hunter, then Jurassic World Dominion's portrayal may well be feasible as well; if it was not, and instead hunted in isolation, then the film is a little less accurate. Still, given the lack of information about Atrociraptor, it makes sense for Jurassic World Dominion to make it behave like another dinosaur viewers are more familiar with.

Jurassic World Dominion introduced a number of new creatures, including the long-clawed dinosaur Therizinosaurus - which audiences can be forgiven for thinking was made up, given it features Freddy Kreuger claws. But there are no hybrid dinosaurs in Jurassic World Dominion (although there are, of course, hybrid locusts). It simply features dinosaurs that are less well known, Atrociraptor being a perfect example.

More: Jurassic World Dominion Cast & Character Guide

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