- Paleontologists have uncovered many dinosaur fossils since the original "Jurassic Park" movie came out in 1993. The discoveries have changed their understanding of how dinosaurs looked, sounded, and acted.
- Each film in the franchise introduces new dinosaurs, but most of the creatures we see on screen are not scientifically accurate.
- Business Insider asked four dinosaur experts - including the science adviser on all five "Jurassic Park" and "Jurassic World" films - to weigh in on what Spielberg's movies got right and wrong.
- A sixth film in the "Jurassic Park" franchise is scheduled to come out in 2021.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The original "Jurassic Park" movie hit the big screen more than 25 years ago. But even now, a mention of the Tyrannosaurus rex brings to mind (for many of us, at least) the brown-green, scaly monster that roars like a lion in that film.
When Steven Spielberg made the Hollywood blockbuster, paleontologists didn't know much about the T. rex - only seven or eight skeletons existed in the fossil record. Since then, however, a dozen more T. rex skeletons have been found, changing our understanding of the creatures.
Now, scientists know that the T. rex was likely colorful and bird-like, preferring opportunistic scavenging to chasing down prey.
"It's possible that it had feathers, was pink, and danced to attract mates," paleontologist Jack Horner, who served as the science adviser for the five "Jurassic Park" movies, told Business Insider. "That's a pretty big change from what see in the movies."
Similar factual inconsistencies apply to the other dinosaurs depicted in the films, too. For example, paleontologists now know that the long-necked Brachiasaurus didn't have elephant-like feet. The Dilophosaurus didn't spit venom, and raptors probably had the beginnings of feathered wings.
Business Insider chatted with four paleontologists, including Horner, about how our understanding of the dinosaurs depicted in "Jurassic Park" has changed over time, and where the on-screen depictions diverge from the fossil record.