Facts About Gallimimus
Although it might not be as recognisable as enormous dinosaurs like the T. Rex, the Gallimimus certainly had a unique name in comparison! Its name means “chicken mimic”, though it didn’t quite look like a chicken.
Can you guess why it might have had that name? We’ll get into it in this article, along with lots of other fun facts about Gallimimus and the Cretaceous period it lived in!
What did the Gallimimus look like?
Despite its chicken-themed name, the Gallimimus actually looked a lot like the modern ostrich! It had a long neck and a small head, though it had pretty big eyes and great vision, likely to help it spot predators. Instead of a snout or jaws, the Gallimimus had a toothless beak to help it snatch up food. While scientists can’t say exactly what every dinosaur looked like from its bones, check out the example below!
A very unique feature of the Gallimimus is that it had hollow bones, making it incredibly light! Combined with its long legs, the Gallimimus could run up to 50 miles per hour, which is as fast as cars on the highway. For comparison, the ostrich could run at about 43 miles per hour, which isn’t far off! The Gallimimus was one of the fastest dinosaurs around, and some scientists think it might have had feathers too. Take a look at this example of a Gallimimus with feathers and see what you think.!
Although the Gallimimus couldn’t fly, its feathers might have helped keep it warm. They might also have been used to attract mates, show off to others, or even for the Gallimimus to flap and look scary to predators! If their feathers were used to attract mates, its possible they had different colours rather than the black, grey, brown, or white feathers that we tend to think of today. What colour do you think the Gallimimus’s feathers might have been?
As the exact appearance of dinosaurs remains uncertain, the images above are provided for illustrative purposes only and have been generated using AI technology.
How big was the Gallimimus?
Although the Gallimimus wasn’t as huge as dinosaurs like the Diplodocus, it was still pretty big compared to humans! They could grow up to 6 metres long and stood at 2 metres tall, which is taller than the average human and about as long as a car. Can you imagine a human as long as a car? The Gallimimus could even outrun other cars!
While the Gallimimus had a pretty long tail and body, it was still very light and only weighed about 200-400 kilograms, which is about as heavy as a motorcycle. It’s still pretty heavy but compared to dinosaurs like the Brachiosaurus that weighed about the same as ten elephants, the Gallimimus was surprisingly light! Its hollow bones and lightweight body made it a great runner compared to other dinosaurs, which meant that not many would have been able to catch up to a sprinting Gallimimus.
What did the Gallimimus eat?
While most dinosaurs were either meat eaters or plant eaters, the Gallimimus was an omnivore, which means it was both herbivorous and carnivorous. Of all the dinosaurs we’ve discovered, only 5% of them are omnivorous, making the Gallimimus quite unique! Since it didn’t have any teeth, it wouldn’t have been able to take down large creatures, so it likely ate small animals and bugs, like beetles or ants.
Its beak would help it strip leaves from branches, but there were plenty of low-lying shrubs and other plant life the Gallimimus could enjoy. For the most part, the Gallimimus would peck at food like a bird would, scavenging whatever it could find. It’s possible that it even stole eggs from other dinosaurs’ nests, but its long neck helped it dig into the ground for bugs and reach plants, so it likely had lots of options! The Gallimimus might even have used its beak to scoop fish up from lakes and rivers like a duck, meaning the world was literally its oyster!
Where did the Gallimimus live?
The Gallimimus lived in the Late Cretaceous period, in what we now call Mongolia! More specifically, fossils have been found in the Gobi Desert and indicate that the Gallimimus lived there. Although it’s a desert now, 70 million years ago was quite a different story! The Earth was warm and tropical, covered in lakes, rivers, and plains, just like where the Gallimimus lived.
The open plains helped the Gallimimus spot predators as well as food and were great for running! Given the Gallimimus could run so fast, it would have had no issue chasing prey across fields or running from predators. It’s likely it also travelled in herds with other Gallimimus, which would help keep them safe from predators. Even if a predator wanted to try and take down the whole group, it only took one Gallimimus to warn the rest, and they’d be off!
What killed the Gallimimus?
Like most other species of dinosaur, the Gallimimus went extinct 66 million years ago when a meteor hit the Earth. The meteor itself didn’t cause the extinction of the dinosaurs, but it caused massive climate changes that were impossible to survive. The temperature would change rapidly and cause catastrophic events like wildfires and tsunamis, which wiped out dinosaurs and plants alike.
Even if the Gallimimus was lucky enough to survive these rapid changes, the dwindling food sources would have left it nothing to eat. Herbivores died out due to lack of plants, and many carnivores died without having herbivores to eat. The Gallimimus might have been fast, but it unfortunately couldn’t outrun the changing atmosphere.
Gallimimus Dinosaur Facts
- Dinosaurs whose names end in “saurus” were named in Greek. The Gallimimus was named in Latin, which is why it sounds so different!
- The Gallimimus was part of the ornithomimid family, which includes other ostrich-like dinosaurs. However, the Gallimimus was the biggest!
- It had pretty long arms but its hands weren’t good for grabbing, which is part of why some believe it had feathered wing-like arms. Its arms and tail were likely used more for balance!
- The Gallimimus had excellent eyesight and could see well in different lighting, meaning it could still spot predators in the dark.
- You might’ve actually seen a Gallimimus before, getting chased by a T. Rex in Jurassic Park!
- Lots of dinosaurs get renamed over time, but the Gallimimus’s name has been the same since it was discovered.
Closing Summary:
Now you can tell people all about the Gallimimus, a lesser-known dinosaur that was like a cool ostrich! It might not have been the biggest or strongest dinosaur but its speed and eyesight were certainly impressive. It also shares lots of traits with modern birds, proving that the dinosaurs are technically still alive today! Now that you’re a Gallimimus expert, get exploring the other dinosaurs we have and make yourself a dino pro. One day, maybe you’ll be discovering fossils and thinking on which dinosaurs had feathers!
Test Your Baryonyx Knowledge!
Now that you’ve learned all about the fascinating Baryonyx, it’s time to put your knowledge to the test! This dinosaur had some incredible features, from its long crocodile-like snout to its love for fish. Do you remember how fast it could run? Or what its name means?
Take this fun quiz and see how many answers you can get right! Don’t worry—if you get stuck, you can always go back and read the facts again. Once you’re done, check the answers on the next page and see if you’re a true Baryonyx expert. Good luck!
