STL Science Center

STL Science Center

01 September 2011

What a Star!

Thanks in part to that distinctive horny frill Styracosaurus is one of the most prolific of the dinosaur movie stars, possibly right behind Tyrannosaurus actually. Though they haven't been featured in any of the latest blockbusters like Jurassic Park, Styracosaurus was, for a long time, one of the most sought after creatures to add to films. This was probably due to the distinctiveness of that frill. The list of movies featuring Styracosaurus is quite amazing and runs, not even in its entirety, like this:

Notable among them are: The Son of Kong (1933), where a Styracosaurus battles the movie's heroes; The Valley of Gwangi (1969), where Styracosaurus is pitted against a carnivorous dinosaur; The Land That Time Forgot (1975) where two animals are shelled by a German U-boat; and Disney's CGI film Dinosaur (2000), where an anthropomorphic Styracosaurus named Eema has a pet Ankylosaurus.
 Styracosaurus is also present in one of the Land Before Time sequels and other movies not mentioned here as well. The influence of Styracosaurus goes into literature also, being mentioned in the novel Jurassic Park but not shown in the aforementioned movie adaptation. The dinosaur has also appeared in Calvin and Hobbes comics before as well.

Styracosaurus has also made its appearances on the small screen as well as noted here:
including Power Rangers: Dino Thunder (Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger), Dinosaur King, Dinozaurs, "Dinosquad"Dino-Riders, Dinosaucers, and Zoids.
Additionally, the Japanese Transformer "Killer Punch" is a Styracosaurus. My favorite adaptations of Styracosaurus are shown in the following clips:


UPDATE:
I totally forgot about Zoo Tycoon somehow! One of the biggest draws to my prehistoric zoos (guilty pleasure, not guilty pleasure; I'm not ashamed of loving that game) has been Styracosaurus. Also, they breed like there's no tomorrow!


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