For much of the 20th century, dinosaurs were thought to be lumbering, cold-blooded creatures—slow-moving relics of a bygone era. That changed dramatically in the summer of 1964 with a single groundbreaking discovery that would ignite a scientific revolution now known as the “dinosaur renaissance.”
Dinosaur Renaissance Begins
Led by paleontologist John Ostrom, a team unearthed the fossil of Deinonychus, a predator unlike the sluggish giants previously imagined. With large, sickle-shaped claws, a lightweight frame, and powerful legs, Deinonychus appeared fast and agile. This evidence shifted the scientific consensus, suggesting many dinosaurs were warm-blooded and capable of quick, active movement.
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The discovery transformed the field. Dinosaurs were no longer seen merely as prehistoric reptiles but as dynamic, complex creatures. The image of a plodding Brontosaurus gave way to depictions of swift, intelligent predators—and eventually to the understanding that birds evolved directly from theropod dinosaurs.
Chasing the Fastest Dinosaur
So, which dinosaur holds the title of the speediest? According to Dr. Susannah Maidment of the Natural History Museum in London, the best contender is likely a member of Ornithomimosauria—ostrich-like dinosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous. Built with long, slender limbs and lightweight bodies, these bipedal creatures likely ran with surprising speed.
“Generally, if you have long, slender limbs and your muscle attachments are located near the top of those limbs, then your leg basically functions like a pendulum,” Maidment explained. “That suggests you can move relatively quickly.”
Biomechanics and Dinosaur Motion
To estimate dinosaur speeds, scientists have turned to biomechanics—a field pioneered in the early 1970s by Professor Robert McNeill Alexander. By observing modern animals, Alexander established a connection between leg length and stride, concluding that “the faster an animal walks or runs, the longer in general are its strides.”
Using fossilized footprints and leg bone measurements, paleontologists began estimating speeds of dinosaurs based on stride length and body structure. But there’s a major caveat: we don’t know how fast these animals were moving when the tracks were made. As paleontologist Eugenia Gold pointed out, tracks are often preserved in muddy conditions where animals likely weren’t moving at full speed. “If you’ve ever tried to run through mud, you know that you are probably not running at your full speed,” she said.
Computer Models Offer a New Window
To overcome the limitations of fossil trackways, researchers like Professor William Sellers of the University of Manchester have embraced evolutionary robotics and physics-based simulations. By digitally reconstructing dinosaur skeletons and estimating muscle mass, Sellers has predicted how various species likely moved in 3D space.
His simulations found that Compsognathus, a small, theropod dinosaur, could reach speeds of about 39.8 mph (64.1 km/h), making it the fastest of the five dinosaurs modeled. Velociraptor came in second at 24.1 mph (38.9 km/h), while the massive T. rex lagged behind at just 17.9 mph (28.8 km/h)—its size making faster speeds structurally unsafe.
Still, Sellers emphasized that only a small fraction of dinosaurs have been modeled due to the complexity of creating realistic simulations. “It takes six months to a year to create one of these things,” he said.
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Despite the debates, there’s a twist. Birds are living dinosaurs—and that changes everything. “If you want a really straightforward, simple answer,” said Gold, “the peregrine falcon is the fastest dinosaur.” During its high-speed hunting dive, the bird can reach an astonishing 200 mph (322 km/h)—far outpacing any land-based species, extinct or alive. In the end, whether it’s ancient trackways or high-tech models, one thing is clear: the dinosaurs were anything but slow. And their fastest descendants are still soaring today.