History Main / TropesaurusIndex

* TheCretaceousIsAlwaysDoomed: When the Cretaceous period is featured in a work, it will always be immediately before the famous meteorite hits the Earth and sets off the mass extinction. Can also refer to other historical events like how arriving in Europe in 1939 always seems to mean getting caught in the start of World War 2.

* DinkyDilophosaur: Dilophosaurus, a fairly big meat-eater, is often weirdly small in dinosaur fiction.

For UsefulNotes/{{dinosaurs}}, dinosaur-related, and other prehistoric tropes and UsefulNotes. Despite the name, this index also covers non-dinosaurian prehistoric/extinct life. See also AvianTropes, for the dinosaurs' descendants aka the last living dinosaurs.

For UsefulNotes/{{dinosaurs}}, dinosaur-related, and other prehistoric tropes and UsefulNotes. Despite the name, this index also covers non-dinosaurian prehistoric/extinct life. See also AvianTropes, for the dinosaurs' descendants.

[[quoteright:345:[[Magazine/NationalGeographic https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tropesaurusindex_6321.jpg]]]][[caption-width-right:345:This is not a ''Velociraptor''.[[note]]It's a ''[[UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeOtherSmallTheropods Masiakasaurus]]'', which is from a different [[AnachronismStew time]] and [[MisplacedWildlife continent]], was likely featherless, and not closely related to ''Velociraptor''.[[/note]]]]

* PrehistoricMonster: Extinct creatures are depicted as scary, ruthless, dumb, and violent brutes rather than looking and behaving like natural present-day animals.

* ScienceMarchesOn: An extremely common trope when coping with prehistoric life, heavily influencing the popular portrayals of the extinct beings.

* AquaticHadrosaurs: The outdated depiction of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrosauridae hadrosaur]] dinosaurs as semi-aquatic creatures.
* AquaticSauropods: The outdated depiction of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauropoda sauropod]] dinosaurs as primarily water-dwelling animals.

* DoofyDodo: Dodos (not prehistoric but extinct few centuries ago) are often portrayed as goofy and harmless.

* HeadButtingPachy: The portrayal of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachycephalosauria Pachycephalosaur]] dinosaurs headbutting things.

* RaptorAttack: Unrealistic or inaccurate portrayals of dromeosaurid dinosaurs.
* SavageSpinosaurs: Spinosaurids, expecially ''Spinosaurus'' and ''Baryonyx'', depicted as fearsome predators.

* SocialOrnithopod: The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithopoda Ornithopod]] dinosaurs (including the hadrosaurs) are usually shown to be social animals that either live in herds, groups and/or are placid in nature.

* TemperCeratops: The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratopsia Ceratopsian]] dinosaurs are described as being akin to bulls and rhinos; temperamental and aggressive by herbivore standards.
* TerrifyingTyrannosaur: Tyrannosaurs portrayed terrifying and imposing.
* TerrorDactyl: Portrayals of pterosaurs as monstrous, often with traits of bats or dragons.
* ToughArmoredDinosaur: The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyreophora Thyreophoran]] dinosaurs (stegosaurs and ankylosaurs) portrayed as warlike and resilient.

* BigCreepyCrawlies: While not exclusively about prehistory, giant arthropods were common in the Carboniferous.

* FrazettaMan: Prehistoric "humans" portrayed as vicious, stupid, hairy and generally little more than somewhat upright apes.
* HandsomeHeroicCaveman: Prehistoric cavemen with NubileSavage appearance that usually are TheHero in their stories.

* PantheraAwesome: ''Smilodon'' or "saber-toothed cats" portrayed as a simple ancient version of modern big cats. Predatory dinosaurs are also often given color schemes based on those of big cats.

* SnowySabertooths: Saber-toothed cats inaccurately portrayed as inhabiting cold, snowy environments year-round.

** UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex: Specifically about this dinosaur.
* UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLife: Informations about prehistoric animals with a time-scale and a "translation guide" for better learn the scientific names.
** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeDinosaurs: About the history of researches regarding non-bird dinosaurs (or other mesozoic reptiles).
*** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeLargeTheropods: About Tyrannosaurus things.
*** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeBirdlikeTheropods: About birdlike dinosaurs.

*** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeSauropods: About the biggest dinosaurs ever.

*** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeStegosaurs: About the dinosaurs with plates and spikes.
*** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeAnkylosaurs: About dinosaurs with complex body armors.
*** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeCeratopsids: About the horned guys of the dinosaur world.

*** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeHadrosaurs: About the so-called "duck-billed dinosaurs".

** UsefulNotes/PrehistoricLifeNonDinosaurianReptiles: About non-dino prehistoric reptiles (including mammal-ancestors).

** UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursSaurischianDinosaurs: ''Brontosaurus'', ''Tyrannosaurus'' and their relatives (extinct birds included).
** UsefulNotes/StockDinosaursOrnithischianDinosaurs: ''Stegosaurus'', ''Triceratops'' and their relatives.