Dinosaurs are often known for their speed; when people think of them, they think of Jurassic Park and all the fast dinosaurs running around and fighting. What about the slow dinosaurs, though? There were often more slow dinosaurs than fast ones, so what are the ten slowest dinosaurs ever?
The top 10 slowest dinosaurs starting from the slowest, are:
- Puertasaurus
- Ankylosaurus
- Quetzalcoatlus
- Triceratops
- Stegosaurus
- Diabloceratops
- Pachycephalosaurus
- Tyrannosaurus
- Shantungosaurus
- The Suchomimus.
There are so many dinosaurs that are classified as slow, even those that you would not think of as being slow, such as the tyrannosaurs. Let us take a look at these dinosaurs and what about them made them slower than other dinosaurs.
The Number One Slowest Dinosaur: The Puertasaurus – 7.6MPH / 12.3KPH.
The first Puertasaurus bones were discovered in Santa Cruz, a province of south Patagonia, in Argentina.
Little is known about the Puertasaurus, one of the world’s slowest dinosaurs, as the number of bones that have been discovered is very scarce.
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However, what is known about the Puertasaurus is very impressive; the Puertasaurus was possibly one of the largest animals to walk the earth.
It is believed that the Puertasaurus traveled at speeds of around 7.6MPH / 12.3KPH.
The Puertasaurus was estimated at around 30 meters (98.5 feet) long and weighing in at approximately 78,000 kilograms (78 tons).
It is no wonder that with this dinosaur being so tall and having such a heavy load to carry around that it is the number one slowest dinosaur on our list.
The Number Two Slowest Dinosaur: The Ankylosaurus – 11.4MPH / 18.4KPH
The second slowest dinosaur on our list is the Ankylosaurus. Even though a full skeleton has not been retrieved from this specific dinosaur to this day, there is still a fair amount of information that scientists have discovered about this great creature.
The Ankylosaurus is estimated to have traveled at speeds around 11.4MPH / 18.4KPH.
The Ankylosaurus is estimated to have been between six to eight meters (20 to 26 feet) long and weighed between 4,800 to 8,000 kilograms (4.8 to 8 tonnes).
This dinosaur had a relatively broad body with a large, wide head and relatively short and stubby legs.
Due to this dinosaur’s awkward build, it makes sense that it was one of the slowest dinosaurs to exist – although this was not an issue for the Ankylosaurus as it was a herbivore and therefore did not need to go hunting for any meals.
The Number Three Slowest Dinosaur: The Quetzalcoatlus (ground) – 12.3MPH / 19.8KPH
The third slowest dinosaur on our list may be one of the slowest dinosaurs on the land, but the really cool thing about the Quetzalcoatlus is that it is one of the fastest dinosaurs in the sky.
This dinosaur had legs that it could walk with on the land and wings that it could fly with.
On the land, it is assumed that the Quetzalcoatlus traveled at around 12.3MPH / 19.8KPH.
All things considered, this is not incredibly fast. However, it is still faster than some other dinosaurs traveled even though they were solely land animals.
The Quetzalcoatlus is measured at having a wingspan of roughly 10 to 11 meters and being approximately 3 meters high at the shoulder.
According to scientists’ best estimations, they weighed roughly 200 to 250 kilograms (440–550 lbs.).
The Number Four Slowest Dinosaur: The Triceratops – 15.1MPH / 24.3KPH
The fourth slowest dinosaur on our list is the Triceratops, which is probably no surprise when you look at this massive creature.
The Triceratops is believed to have traveled at a speed of around 15.1MPH / 24.3KPH.
These animals are estimated to have been around 9 meters (30 feet) tall and have weighed around 12,000 kilograms (12 metric tons).
The Triceratops has a very large head and a body that is both wide and long. They also have short little legs that need to carry that huge body around.
With that being said, it is of no surprise that the Triceratops cannot move at incredible speeds. There is only so much that you could push little legs to do when they are carrying a big load.
The Number Five Slowest Dinosaur: The Stegosaurus – 16.8MPH / 27KPH
The Stegosaurus, number five on our list, has one of the most oddly shaped bodies as far as dinosaurs go. The Stegosaurus’ head is tiny compared to its large, tall body, and its front legs are a different length to its back legs.
An adult Stegosaurus is thought to have been around 9 meters (29.5 feet) tall and has weighed between 5,300 to 7,000 kilograms (5.3 to 7 metric tons)
These herbivores were thought to have traveled at speeds around 16.8MPH / 27KPH.
The Number Six Slowest Dinosaur: The Diabloceratops – 18.8MPH / 30.3KPH
The Diabloceratops is number six on our list, with their travel speed being estimating at being around 18.8MPH / 30.3KPH.
These dinosaurs get their unfortunate name due to the distinctive horns on their heads, giving them a rather mean look.
Besides the horns, though, they have a strong appearance in other ways; they have a large rounded body, a large head, and legs that almost seem too short for their bodies.
The Diabloceratops can unfortunately only go as fast as their short legs can take them, which is why they are ranked at number six on the slowest dinosaurs list.
The Number Seven Slowest Dinosaur: The Pachycephalosaurus – 20.1MPH / 32.4KPH
Number seven on our list is the Pachycephalosaurus. It has been estimated that the Pachycephalosaurus can travel at speeds of around 20.1MPH / 32.4KPH.
These dinosaurs walk on their two back legs, giving them slightly more agility than some of the previous dinosaurs.
The Pachycephalosaurus is presumed to have had a height of around 4.5 meters (14.8 feet) and that it weighed about 450 kilograms (990 lbs.)
The Number Eight Slowest Dinosaur: The Tyrannosaurus – 21.7MPH / 34.9KPH
Even though it may be surprising to see that the Tyrannosaurus has made the list of slowest dinosaurs, it is true.
Movies have made the Tyrannosaurus famous as being these crazy fast, scary dinosaurs, and even though they may have been scary, they were not necessarily one of the fastest dinosaurs around.
The Tyrannosaurus was estimated to travel at speeds around 21.7MPH / 34.9KPH.
The Number Nine Slowest Dinosaur: The Shantungosaurus – 22.6MPH / 36.3KPH
The Shantungosaurus is number nine on our slowest dinosaur list, which means that it is not necessarily all that slow; it is just not as fast as the fastest dinosaurs around back then.
This dinosaur is believed to have traveled at speeds of around 22.6MPH / 36.3KPH.
The larger Shantungosauruses weighed around 16,000kgs (16 tonnes) and had a height of about 16.6 meters (54 feet).
These speeds are actually impressive in an animal this size.
The Number Ten Slowest Dinosaur: The Suchomimus – 23.5MPH – 37.8KPH
The Suchomimus is number ten on our list, making this dinosaur the fastest slow dinosaur on our list.
The Suchomimus was believed to move at speeds of up to 23.5MPH / 37.8KPH.
Once again, just because this dinosaur is on the list of the slowest dinosaurs ever does not mean that it was necessarily ever slow. It was simply not as fast as some of the other dinosaurs around back then.
The Suchomimus was thought to have been 9.5 meters (31 feet) tall and weighed around 2,263 kilograms (2.5 tons).
Conclusion
Although there may be many more dinosaurs out there who may have taken things on the slower side, it would take a very long list to be able to list them all; so instead, we have listed a handful of the top 10 slowest dinosaurs ever.
These dinosaurs were a lot more slowly paced in their day-to-day lives than many other dinosaurs that were around back then, and therefore have been listed as apart of the slowest dinosaurs.
Even though some of these dinosaurs may not have been slow in the bigger scheme of things, when compared to the fastest dinosaurs around, some of which clocked in speeds of around 112KPH, are still much slower.
So there you have it, there are some of the top 10 slowest dinosaurs ever!
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