1. Mosasaurs Were Patient Predators

The terrifying Mosasaurus was not a dinosaur but a colossal marine lizard. While it possessed a fearsome maw featuring two rows of teeth, the Mosasaurus is thought to have had poor depth perception and a weak sense of smell. Scientists think that one of its main hunting techniques was lying in wait for prey near the water’s surface and attacking when animals came up for air. In 2013, one mosasaur fossil found in Angola held the remains of three other mosasaurs in its stomach, providing evidence that the aquatic beasts might also have been cannibals.

2. Blame It on the Brontosaurus

The peaceable, long-necked Apatosaurus—controversially also known as Brontosaurus—was an herbivore that feasted on low-lying plants and tree leaves. Fossils of its bones have previously confused scientists, because they can resemble those of the formidable Mosasaurus, given the immense size and length of both creatures. Based on scientists’ calculations, the giant Apatosaurus is among the sauropods that may have produced enough methane gas to contribute to a warming climate during the Mesozoic era.

3. Ankylosaurus Was a “Living Tank”

With its arched back and curved tail, the Ankylosaurus resembles the dinosaur version of a super-sized and much spikier armadillo. Thanks to the sharp, bony plates that line its back, along with a tail shaped like a club, Ankylosaurus has been given the nickname “living tank.” Its main Achilles’ heel was its soft, exposed underbelly, but predators would have had to flip the armored dinosaur over to get to this weak spot.

4. Velociraptors, aka Prehistoric Chickens

While the Hollywood version may seem sleek and graceful, the Velociraptor seen in the film is closer in form to a much larger raptor called Deinonychus. Real Velociraptors were smaller, often loners and likely had feathers, leading some to describe them as “prehistoric chickens.” Still, raptors as a whole were likely among the smartest of dinosaurs, due to the larger size of their brains relative to their bodies–the second highest brain-body weight ratio after the Troödon. This degree of intelligence is consistent with that of modern-day ostriches.

5. Getting Attacked By a T. rex Really Bites

The original King of the Dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex holds the real-life claim to fame of having the strongest bite of any land animal, living or extinct. Using a model that simulated the impact of its bite, scientists estimate that the force of a T. rex chomp could have been 3.5 times more powerful than that of an Australian saltwater crocodile, which holds the record among animals still alive today.

6. The “Cows of the Cretaceous” Were Into Roaming

The Edmontosaurus was a medium-size duck-billed dinosaur that dined on fruits and veggies. Nicknamed the “cow of the Cretaceous,” these dinosaurs moved in herds of thousands that may have traversed thousands of miles during a single migration.

7. Diminutive Dinosaurs Lost Out to a Wasp

The smallest dinosaurs in the film, Microceratus, were ten inches tall on average and roughly two and a half feet long. The miniature herbivores were initially called Microceratops, but paleontologists were forced to change the title after it was revealed that a genus of wasp had already claimed the moniker.

8. Parasaurolophus Had a Noisy Crest

Parasaurolophus are known for the distinctive crests that adorned their heads, which have since been modeled by paleontologists. Based on these simulations, scientists discovered that the crest could emit a loud sound when air flows through it, indicating that it helped these dinosaurs communicate.