Gallimimus Facts for Kids

A Picture of Gallimimus Bullatus
  • Species Type: Gallimimus Bullatus
  • Type of Dinosaur: Theropod
  • Period: Late Cretaceous
  • Diet: Plants and Meat (omnivore)
  • Life Span: Unknown
  • Length: Up to 20 feet
  • Weight: Up to 970 pounds

18 Gallimimus Facts for Kids

  1. The Gallimimus was discovered in 1964 by Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia.
  2. The Gallimimus got its scientific name Gallimimus bullatus in 1972, from Halszka Osmólska, Rinchen Barsbold and Ewa Roniewicz.
  3. The name Gallimimus means: “Chicken Mimic”.
  4. The name Gallimimus is pronounced: “gal-uh-MY-mus”.
  5. The Gallimimus was part of a group of dinosaurs known as Theropods.
  6. They lived in the Late Cretaceous Period about 70 million years ago.
  7. Paleontologists estimate the average length of a Gallimimus was 20 feet.
  8. Paleontologists estimate the average weight of a Gallimimus was 970 pounds.
  9. Gallimimus is the largest known Ornithomimidae theropod dinosaur.
  10. The Gallimimus didn’t have any teeth, instead it had a beak.
  11. Paleontologists think Gallimimus was an omnivore, eating live prey and plants. However, some think Gallimimus might have been purely a carnivore.
  12. The Gallimimus had arms that could bend and large claws that would of been useful at catching small prey.
  13. Fossilized remains of the Gallimimus have only been discovered in Mongolia, Asia.
  14. Paleontologists believe Gallimimus had feathers like its Ornithomimus relatives.
  15. Paleontologist Richard A. Thulborn estimated the Gallimimus had a top running speed of 34 miles per hour.
  16. The Gallimimus used its speed to evade and escape predators.
  17. The Gallimimus was featured in the 1993 movie Jurassic Park, a move adaption of Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel Jurassic Park.
  18. In the movie Jurassic Park, the Gallimimus was shown in a herd. There is no actual evidence proving that Gallimimus gathered in herds.

Additional Resources on Gallimimus

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