‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Unleashes a New Hybrid Dinosaur

If you thought the Jurassic Park franchise was done, think again. On July 2, 2025, the past and the future collide with predictably disastrous results on the big screen again in Jurassic World Rebirth. The film boasts a titanic budget, fitting, since it will actually feature a Titanosaurus. And that’s not all. Have you ever seen a dinosaur with six arms? Brace yourself.

A Colossal Moneymaker

Jurassic Park has made dinosaur-sized profits. Now totaling over $6.5 billion in global box office revenue, the saga remains one of Hollywood’s most valuable franchises. The next chapter, Jurassic World Rebirth, hits theaters July 2, 2025. It’s expected to be a box office hit. Here’s how the previous films have performed:

• Jurassic Park (1993) – $1.1 billion

• The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) – $618 million

• Jurassic Park III (2001) – $368 million

• Jurassic World (2015) – $1.67 billion

• Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) – $1.3 billion

• Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) – $1 billion

Plot and Setting

Jurassic World Rebirth takes place five years after the events of Dominion. The planet’s environment has become hostile to dinosaurs, driving the remaining species to survive only in isolated equatorial zones. The plot follows Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), who leads a covert team on a mission to extract DNA from the three largest surviving prehistoric species — one from the land, one from the sea, and one from the air. Their goal? Develop a powerful new drug. Their challenge? A remote island crawling with failed hybrid experiments and one apex predator: the horrific, six-limbed Distortus rex.

Dinosaurs in Jurassic World Rebirth

Here’s a complete guide to all the confirmed dinosaurs in the upcoming film, from familiar favorites to jaw-dropping newcomers.

Titanosaurus

Debuting in the franchise, this massive herbivore from the Late Cretaceous (around 70 million years ago) could grow up to 120 feet long and weigh 150 tons. In their heyday, they roamed every continent on Earth. They likely incubated their eggs by burying them to keep them warm. There is limited fossil evidence for this genus. The movie adds sail-like fins along its neck and tail, as well as a whip-like tail, features not supported by scientific evidence.

Velociraptor

Back with a vengeance, these agile carnivores are depicted as roughly 6.5 feet long, whereas the actual animals were only about the size of a Thanksgiving turkey! They had large brains in proportion to their body size, suggesting above-average intelligence. In the films, this is shown by their ability to open doors, coordinate attacks, and, as Chris Pratt’s character demonstrated, respond to voice commands. Fossil evidence shows that some Velociraptors had feathers—an interesting feature that is oddly absent from the films.

Quetzalcoatlus

With a wingspan of up to 36 feet, Quetzalcoatlus is considered the largest flying creature ever known. Experts estimate it could have flown at speeds of up to 80 mph and covered 400 miles in a day’s time. Rather than feathers, its body was covered with fuzz or proto-feathers. It was a carnivore, preying on small vertebrates much like a modern stork. If you ever find yourself in Jurassic Park…don’t mess with any giant eggs. That’s all we’re saying.

Dilophosaurus

Missing since its brief but memorable debut, this venom-spitting predator is back with frills and flair. Although depicted in the movie as the size of a large dog, in reality, Dilophosaurus was about 20 feet long and weighed up to 880 pounds, about the size of a brown bear. It had a pair of crests on its head, but Hollywood took artistic license by adding fictional neck frills for dramatic effect. It also didn’t spit venom. However, both of these additions significantly enhance the jump scares this movie monster delivers to audiences.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

T. rex had 8-inch-long teeth.

Everyone’s favorite, T. rex, is back with different coloring and physical features. Measuring about 40 feet long and weighing up to 5 tons, it lived in the late Cretaceous period, about 68-66 million years ago. Scientists think it had a high metabolic rate, which made it energetic for hunting. With 8-inch-long teeth, you can imagine what happened when it caught up to its prey.

Spinosaurus

Since previous films, the Spinosaurus has been redesigned with a more crocodilian snout and improved dorsal sails. In real life, they were larger than the T. rex, growing up to 59 feet long and weighing nearly 10 tons. These were semi-aquatic creatures living in the swamps of what is today North Africa, dining mainly on fish and small dinosaurs.

Mosasaur

The mosasaur returns in this film but has a new look, possibly signaling a switch to a different genus: the Tylosaurus. The Tylosaurus lived in the late Cretaceous period in North America and Europe. It could grow to more than 45 feet long and prey on a wide array of marine animals, even other dinosaurs. Still, at that massive size, it couldn’t compete with the modern blue whale, which can reach up to 100 feet long and weigh up to 200 tons. We can be glad that’s not a carnivorous species!

Distortus Rex

The film’s central antagonist is entirely fictional and has no basis in paleontology. It’s a six-limbed mutant that looks as if a mad scientist combined DNA from T. rex, the Star Wars Rancor, and Alien’s Xenomorph. Larger and more terrifying than any previous hybrid, it shifts the tone toward sci-fi horror with its grotesque anatomy and violent unpredictability. Previous fictional hybrids in the franchise have included:

• Indominus rex (2015): Mixed T. rex with raptor and other species. Massive and stealthy, but scientifically implausible.

• Indoraptor (2018): Smaller, smarter, built for militarization. Fans found it menacing, though its purpose felt muddled.

How Scientifically Accurate are the Films?

Paleontologists love the franchise for raising interest in dinosaurs, but are quick to point out its flaws. Common critiques include:

• Velociraptors are way too big

• Dilophosaurus likely didn’t spit venom or have frills

• Dinosaurs from different time periods appear together

• Most dinosaurs probably didn’t roar like lions

However, scientists do give kudos when the films incorporate updated research, such as feathered designs or accurate anatomy. Even with these liberties, the films keep the public curious about prehistoric life.

Can We Really Bring Back Dinosaurs?

Can we really bring back dinosaurs? The short answer is: Not likely. Here’s why:

• DNA decay: Genetic material breaks down with a half-life of about 521 years. This means it is completely unreadable after about 6.8 million years. The dinosaurs went extinct about 66 million years ago.

• No complete genome: Even if fragments of dinosaur DNA did survive, this would not be enough to create a real dinosaur. Without a reference genome, we would have no way to know what is missing. It would be like trying to piece together a book from burned fragments and ashes.

• No surrogate species: Even if we had the DNA, we would need a closely related species to act as a surrogate mother. Birds are modern descendants of dinosaurs, but they have evolved so differently that they would be unlikely to sustain viable embryos.

On the other hand, who knows how far genetic engineering—especially with the help of AI and quantum computers—could take us? While we might not bring back dinosaurs from their original DNA, it’s possible that we could one day custom-build entirely new creatures through genetic engineering. In the words of Dr. Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) from the first movie, “Life finds a way.”

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