Speed Category

Dinosaurs & Speed

Speed played a key role in dinosaur survival and success, as reflected in trackway studies and limb analyses throughout the late 20th century. In particular, Farlow (1993) examined footprints from Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas, using stride length and track spacing to estimate that certain theropods could achieve moderate to high speeds in short bursts—far faster than earlier reconstructions implied.

Likewise, Thulborn (1990) provided a landmark treatment on how dinosaur footprints can be translated into velocity ranges by relating footprint size, hip height, and stride length. This approach revealed that some smaller, ostrich-like dinosaurs (often referred to as “ornithomimids”) likely reached speeds of up to 40–50 km/h (25–30 mph), while larger theropods like Tyrannosaurus rex ran more slowly—likely below 25 km/h (15 mph) due to their massive builds.

Popular compendiums, such as Lambert & the Diagram Group (1990) and Norman (1985), compiled these data, highlighting “fast runner” genera like Gallimimus and Deinonychus, in contrast to slower, heavyweight sauropods and armored forms. Early studies suggested that body size, leg length, and posture severely limit top speeds; thus some dinosaurs thrived on swift locomotion, whereas giant sauropods relied on bulk and slow, steady movement. In short, speed underscored dinosaurs’ ecological diversity, letting agile species hunt prey or flee predators in open plains, forests, or near-shore environments.

These footprint-based studies, combined with structural analyses of hind-limb bones, show that not all dinosaurs were built for speed. But those with elongated, lightweight hind limbs—especially small to mid-sized theropods—gained a major advantage for hunting or escaping, underscoring how diverse locomotor abilities drove dinosaur survival and adaptation throughout the Mesozoic.