Gallimimus Facts For Kids

The gallimimus certainly made an impression when it featured in the most popular of all dinosaur movies – Jurassic Park in 1993. It gave the world its first “real” look at how dinosaurs would really have moved. it was a fast dinosaur, not the slow moving animals they had always been thought of tup until this point. There has been many facts learnt about it since its discovery in 1964 and we have some of these gallimimus facts for you below.

The Gallimimus was a 20 ft long, 1000lb ostrich like dinosaur alive during the Late cretaceous in what is now the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Thought one of the fastest of all dinosaurs, it was able to run over 30 mph. There is no consensus on its diet, but it was likely an omnivore like modern ostrich type birds

We have over 20 facts about the Speedy gallimimus for you in the article below. We have our Gallimimus Fast facts right below this in case you are in a rush, but in the main article we also go into more detail with our gallimimus facts, and have gallimimus coloring pages, facts sheets, pictures and more.

So don’t forget to check those out to download, print and add to your collection! , So let’s jump into our Gallimimus facts before this fast dinosaur runs away with them!

Gallimimus “Fast” Facts

• They could grow up to 20 ft (6 meters long) and while 6 ft tall to the top of their legs, would have been much taller with that long neck.
• The Gallimimus could weigh around 970 pounds (440kg). This weight was put on quickly, when they were young gallimimus
• When fully grown an adult could measure as long as 20ft long ( 6 meters plus)
• When it raised tis small head on that long neck it would have been up to 8 or 9 feet tall to the top of its head.
• Gallimimus is thought to be one of the fastest Dinosaurs. Top estimates have a top speed of about 30 – 40 miles an hour
• While it is thought that Gallimimus did live in herds and would have “flocked together like birds” as Alan Grant said in that first Jurassic Park movie. there isn’t evidence just yet.
• Gallimimus is one of the easier dinosaurs names to pronounce. It has 4 syllables and is pronounced like this. Gall – ih – My – Mus

20 Gallimimus Dinosaur Facts

We have 23 Gallimimus facts for you below, including a fact sheet and coloring pages to download and print. As always we start with how to say its name as sometimes dinosaur names can be tricky!

1. How do you Pronounce Gallimimus?

Gallimimus is one of the easier dinosaurs names to pronounce. It has 4 syllables and is pronounced like this. Gall – ih – My – Mus

“Gall – ih – My – Mus“

2. How big was the Gallimimus?

Gallimimus were the largest dinosaurs family member of ornithomimid family of dinosaurs ( which means “bird feet” – and you can see why! ) . They could grow up to 20 ft (6 meters long) and while 6 ft tall to the top of their legs would have been much taller with that long neck.

3. How heavy was the Gallimimus?

Even though it is thought they were fast dinosaurs, perhaps even the fastest running dinosaur, they were no light weights. The Gallimimus could weigh around 970 pounds (440kg). This weight was put on quickly, as young gallimimus Even though it is thought they were fast dinosaurs, perhaps even the fastest running dinosaur, they were no light weights. The Gallimimus could weigh around 970 pounds (440kg). This weight was put on quickly, as young gallimimus measuring 7 ft long 57 lbs ( 26 Kg) have been found to weigh 57 lbs ( 26 Kg)

4. How long was the Gallimimus?

Gallimimus was the longest of the ostrich type dinosaurs as well as the biggest, when fully grown an adult could measure as long as 20ft long ( 6 meters plus) That is about half the length of a t-Rex and just a few feet shorter than a triceratops. Their long tails and necks mae about 60% of their total length.

5. How tall was the Gallimimus?

As we mentioned above, Gallimimus were larger than many people imagine. not only was it 20ft long and almost 1000 lbs in weight it was also a tall dinosaur, especially when raising its head to look out for predators.

if gallimimus had its head level with its hids and back it would be about 6 feet tall, just over at 6.2 the holotype was measured. However when it raised tis small head on that long neck it would have been up to 8 or 9 feet tall to the top of its head.

You can download our 20 cool Facts about gallimimus Fact Sheet from the link below.

6. How Fast Could the Gallimimus run?

Gallimimus were one of the first dinosaurs to be seen as the nimble fast animals they most likely were in the movies. In 1993 Jurassic park showed a herb of gallimimus running, at some speed. up until moment dinosaurs were thought to be slow, lumbering animals almost like Godzilla. This helped change public ideas around dinosaurs and made later depictions much more accurate, at least in their movement if not their appearance ( like the dilophosaurus and velociraptor!)

So how fast do we scientists think that the gallimimus could run? Gallimimus is thought to have been one of the fastest of all dinosaurs. Top estimates from 1982 have it able to reach a top speed of about 40 miles an hour ( it was earlier though possibly as fast as an Ostrich – 50 mph) but their arms and long tails would have slowed them down a lot. Still a 1000 lb animal able to achieve that speed is certainly impressive. and it is more than enough to get away from their predators at that time.

Interestingly in the Game Ark Survival it is actually the faster dinosaur you can tame, so if getting away from the more scary dinosaurs in the popular dinosaur game is your plan it might be worth trying to tm one.

7. Did the Gallimimus have Good Eyesight?

Gallimimus had large round eyes were at the sides of the head, meaning they didn’t posses binocular vision. This does mean they are able to see what is happening behind them at the same time as in front of them. When you have carnivores trying to sneak behind you this is much more useful! Their eyes would have been of a similar capabilities to birds like ostriches and Emus today

8. Did Gallimimus Live in Herds?

While it is thought that gallimimus did live in herds and would have “flocked together like birds” as Alan grant said in that first jurassic Park movie there is not a great deal of evidence of this.

One piece of evidence that could be used to prove that gallimimus did live in herds is the discovery and research by Harvard university of a possible “bone bed” in the Nemegt formation in Mongolia (where gallimimus lived) Which has fossils of gallimimus that seem to have died at the same time. If this is the case it suggests that they did live, move, eat and in this case die together.

9. What Did a Gallimimus eat?

There is disagreement among scientists about the feeding habits and diet fo the Gallimimus. Soem think it was actually a carnivore that would look for small animals, lizards, mammals that it could grab with its beak liek mouth and swallow in one go.

In 1988 it was argued that gallimimus were not omnivores but like ostriches or Ancient Moa birds but herbivores who would use their hands to bring food to their mouths. Later in 2001 it was suggested that it might of been a filter feeder ( pushing mud and water to trap molluscs and other food)

Then again in 2007 Gallimimus was said to have similar beak liked mouth shapes to modern birds who ate both meat and planets 9 omnivores.

and finally, or at least most recently in 2019 it was thought that actually gallimimus WAS in fact a herbivore who ate mostly plants.

So what you can take from all that, and there is much more detail on wikipedia, is that basically we are not sure what it ate. In 2001 Jorn hurum suggested in was an opportunistic feeder, like a 20ft long seagull! We like this idea so are going with that one!

10. What Movies Have Featured a Gallimimus?

Gallimimus was seen in almost all the Jurassic Park films except Jurassic Park III. Most famously it appeared in the first Jurassic park Movie as we mentioned above. It was also featured in “The Land before Time”

11. When Did the Gallimimus become Extinct?

Gallimimus lived during the Late cretaceous period around 70 million years ago. The effects of the asteroid impact would have caused the extinction of Gallimimus with the other dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

12. What predators did Gallimimus have?

Living during the cretaceous period around 70 million years ago means it lived with other related dinosaurs like Deinocheirus Therizinosaurus and Anserimimus as well as the predators velociraptor and tarbosaurus and Alioramus. tarbosaurus was a T-Rex like predator and would have been the most likely predator of gallimimus.

Why Did Some Dinosaurs Have Feathers?

13. What does the name Gallimimus Mean?

The name Gallimimus means rooster or chicken mimic. It was named this as the neck bones are very similar to those found in Chickens, Except much MUCH bigger of course!

14. Did the Gallimimus Have teeth?

Gallimimus was a toothless dinosaur with a delicate lower jaw which was similar is deign and shape to that of a modern day seagulls beak.

Gallimimus coloring pages. you can download from the link below.

15. Where Were Gallimimus Fossils discovered?

The fossils of Gallimimus have been found in Mongolia; the Gobi desert and Asia. It was first found in 1964 by a polish expedition to the Nemegt basin. Thy actually found both adults and juveniles here. Although gallimimus was found in 1964 it wasn’t named until 1972.

16. What family of Dinosaurs did Gallimimus belong to?

Gallimimus was a member of the ornithopod dinosaurs. This means “bird feet” there are others in the family like ornithomimus (bird mimic) and struthiomimus. (ostrich mimic). Gallimimus is the largest member of the ornithopod dinosaurs found to date.

17. Did Gallimimus have Small arms?

Gallimimus had short arms with three claws on each arm. It was similar in size to other similar dinosaurs like the two mentioned above, struthiomimus and ornithomimus. However its hands were shorter than these dinosaurs

18. What was Gallimimus Habitat?

the Gobi desert in Mongolia, where gallimimus was found, would have looked a lot different to how it looks today. It would have had wide rivers, mudflats, lakes and floodplains. Now the Gobi deserts is very dry, but then it would have been much more humid and tropical.

19. Was the Gallimimus Smart or Clever?

Gallimimus were about as smart as an ostrich, maybe a little less so. it had a gold ball sized brain in its small head, but was much bigger than a modern day ostrich. .

20. Who discovered the Gallimimus?

Gallimimus was discovered in the Gobi desert of Mongolia by Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska in 1964 as part of a polish fossil hunting expedition.

21. Who named the Gallimimus?

Halszka Osmólska, Rinchen Barsbold and Ewa Roniewicz named the Gallimimus in 1972. A whole 8 years after it was discovered.

What Were the Feathered Dinosaurs? 16 Feathery Examples

22. Did the Gallimimus have Feathers

Fossils have been found of the close relation, and rival for the fastest dinosaur title, the ornithomimus that showed that they had feathers. So it is most likely that gallimimus did have both feathers and wings when they were adults. The fossils have shown where quills ( the structure part of feathers) would have attached to the bones of its arms.

These wings would not have been large or strong enough to fly though, not matter how fast gallimimus could run!

23. Did T-Rex eat Gallimimus?

In Jurassic Park a T-Rex does grab and eat a Gallimimus. This was not possible in real life for a very important reason. Although T-Rex was alive at the same time as Gallimimus, during the Late Cretaceous  period, 70 million years ago. they lived in different places, one in Mongolia and the other in North America.

Although Gallimimus was one of the fastest dinosaurs known, and T-Rex isn’t! So although it did ambush the gallimimus in the movie, it would have been very difficult for it to actually catch a running gallimimus we think. .

Conclusion

Gallimimus may, or may not, have been the fastest of all the dinosaurs. Even it it wasnt it would probably make the final three of any dinsaour running race! It had powerful back legs and was built for running just like and ostrich today.

While we may not be completely sure what they ate, we can be sure gallimimus have had a large role in changing the way than people viewed dinosaurs as huge slow animals to quick, agile and nimble animals they actually were.

Don’t forget to look over the rest of our dinosaur facts pages, our coloring and facts sheets are also free to download. We have popular dinosaurs Like T-Rex and brachiosaurus to some less well known ones that are appearing in the new Jurassic World dominion movies.

There are answers to common dinosaur questions, and loads of other cool dinosaur activities and resources to look at. Just check them out on the big button below.

References

https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018PPP…494..160L

https://www.kids-dinosaurs.com/gallimimus.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithomimus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moa