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Long-legged, long-necked feathered Gallimimus with a small toothless head standing in side view
Life restoration of the large ornithomimid Gallimimus bullatus from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia.Image credit: PaleoNeolitic, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 4.0Source (opens in a new tab)

Gallimimus bullatus

Pronounced GAL-ih-MY-mus bul-AY-tus

Ornithomimosauria · Ornithomimidae

The largest known ornithomimid, an "ostrich dinosaur" about 6 m long from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. Toothless and long-legged, it was probably a fast runner, and it is famous for the flocking scene in Jurassic Park.

  • Bipedal
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Period
Cretaceous· Maastrichtian
Diet
Omnivore
Length
6 m
Mass
400–490 kg
Location
Ömnögovi Province, Mongolia, Asia

Quick answers

How big was Gallimimus bullatus?
Gallimimus bullatus was about 6 m long. It stood about 1.9 m tall at the hips. It weighed about 400–490 kg. (Wikipedia: Gallimimus 2026)
When did Gallimimus bullatus live?
Gallimimus bullatus lived during the Late Cretaceous, about 72.1–66 million years ago. (Paleobiology Database: Gallimimus bullatus oc… 2026; Cohen et al. 2023)
Where have Gallimimus bullatus fossils been found?
Fossils of Gallimimus bullatus have been found in Nemegt Formation (Ömnögovi Province) and Mongolia. (Osmólska et al. 1972; Norell et al. 2001)
What did Gallimimus bullatus eat?
Gallimimus bullatus was a omnivore. (Osmólska et al. 1972; Norell et al. 2001)
Who named Gallimimus bullatus, and when?
Gallimimus bullatus was described by Halszka Osmólska, Ewa Roniewicz & Rinchen Barsbold in 1972. (Osmólska et al. 1972; Paleobiology Database: Gallimimus bullatus oc… 2026)
Was Gallimimus bullatus in Jurassic Park?
Yes. Gallimimus bullatus appears in Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic World (2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and Jurassic World Dominion (2022). The flock that stampedes past Alan Grant and the children in the first film, modelled on ostriches. Gallimimus had a toothless beak, probably for a plant-heavy or mixed diet; the films show it only as fleeing prey. (Wikipedia: Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park 2026; Norell et al. 2001)

On this page

GAL-ih-MY-mus bul-AY-tus

Period
Cretaceous72.1–66 Ma
Diet
Omnivore
Length
6 m
Mass
0.4–0.5 t
Location
Mongolia, Asia
Classification
Ornithomimosauria · Ornithomimidae
Described
1972, Halszka Osmólska, Ewa Roniewicz & Rinchen Barsbold

Overview

Gallimimus bullatus lived in the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia at the end of the Cretaceous. The Polish-Mongolian expeditions of 1963-1965 found many ornithomimid skeletons of different ages in the Nemegt Basin; the largest, found by Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska at Tsagan Khushu in 1964, became the holotype when Halszka Osmólska, Ewa Roniewicz and Rinchen Barsbold named the species in 1972.

It had a small, toothless head with a horny beak, a long neck, short arms with three clawed fingers and long hind legs built for running. Adults were about 6 m long. Feathers have not been found with Gallimimus, but they are known from its relative Ornithomimus.

What it ate is debated. Soft-tissue beaks of ornithomimids described by Norell, Makovicky and Currie (2001) suggested straining food from water or sediment, while others see an omnivore or plant-eater. It is the most common ornithomimid of the Nemegt, alongside Deinocheirus and Tarbosaurus.

Name meaning

"Chicken mimic", from Latin gallus, for neck vertebrae like those of galliform birds; bullatus from the Roman bulla, for a bulb-shaped structure at the base of the skull (Osmólska et al. 1972).

Biology & evidence

What scientists think about how this animal lived, and how strong the evidence for each idea is.

Locomotion

  • Gallimimus was a fast runner.

    Evidence level: Moderate evidence

    Its long legs match those of fast-running birds; speeds of about 42-56 km/h have been estimated.

    Evidence for / against · 1
    Evidence for

    • Comparative anatomy · Gallimimus hind-limb proportions

      Long hind limbs with long shins and feet, like those of fast-running birds.

Feeding

  • Gallimimus strained small food from water or sediment with its beak.

    Evidence level: Disputed

    Comb-like structures in ornithomimid beaks suggested filter-feeding; others read them as ridges for cropping tough plants, and an omnivorous diet is also proposed.

    Evidence for / against · 1
    Evidence for

    • Specimen · Ornithomimid beaks with soft tissue

      Two ornithomimid specimens preserving the soft tissue of the beak, with comb-like structures.

Size

Length
6 m

(19.7 ft)

Based on IGM 100/11

Height
1.9 m

(6.2 ft)

Based on IGM 100/11

Mass
400–490 kg
Gallimimus bullatus was about 6 m (19.7 ft) long, roughly 3.3 times the height of a 1.8 m adult human.

Timeline

Lived from about 72.1 to 66 million years ago (Ma), within the Mesozoic era (252–66 Ma).

Periods: Maastrichtian (72.1–66 Ma), Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma)

Maastrichtian bounds of the type collection in PBDB.

Location

Formations

Map data: Natural Earth (public domain). Modern positions, not where the continents were then.

These are the places where fossils have been found, not the full area where the animal lived.

Ecosystem

Hunting scene of the Nemegt Formation with Tarbosaurus bataar attacking Saurolophus angustirostris, with Tarchia kielanae and Gallimimus bullatus.Image credit: ABelov2014, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 3.0Source (opens in a new tab)

Lived in: Nemegt

72–68 million years ago · river system, floodplain, forest, swamp / wetland

Wetter than the Djadokhta dunes before it: braided rivers, channels and floodplain forests in the Late Cretaceous Gobi, supporting large herbivores and the tyrannosaurid Tarbosaurus.

Same ecosystem

Therizinosaurus cheloniformis

Cretaceous· MaastrichtianHerbivore

Same ecosystem

Tarbosaurus bataar

Cretaceous· MaastrichtianCarnivore

Same ecosystem

Deinocheirus mirificus

Cretaceous· MaastrichtianOmnivore

Classification

  1. cladeDinosauria
  2. cladeSaurischia
  3. cladeTheropoda
  4. cladeCoelurosauria
  5. cladeOrnithomimosauria
  6. familyOrnithomimidae
  7. genusGallimimus
  8. speciesGallimimus bullatus

Taxonomic status: Valid

Fossil record

Cast of the Gallimimus bullatus holotype skeleton exhibited at the Experimentarium, Hellerup, Denmark.Image credit: FunkMonk, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Experimentarium, HellerupCC BY 3.0Source (opens in a new tab)
Specimens
Catalog numberStatusInstitutionFound
IGM 100/11HolotypeInstitute of Paleontology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MPC)1964

What has been found

Holotype: IGM 100/11

  • Preserved
  • Partial
  • Reconstructed
  • Unknown / not recorded
Region by region (table)
Skeleton regions of Holotype: IGM 100/11
RegionState
SkullPartial · Distorted snout.
MandiblePartial
TeethUnknown / not recorded
Cervical vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
Dorsal vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
SacrumUnknown / not recorded
Caudal vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
RibsUnknown / not recorded
GastraliaUnknown / not recorded
Scapula / shoulder girdleUnknown / not recorded
HumerusUnknown / not recorded
Forearm (radius / ulna)Unknown / not recorded
Hand (manus)Unknown / not recorded
PelvisPreserved
FemurUnknown / not recorded
Tibia / fibulaUnknown / not recorded
Foot (pes)Unknown / not recorded
Skull of Gallimimus bullatus at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, showing the long toothless beak and large orbit.Image credit: LadyofHats, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, ParisPublic domainSource (opens in a new tab)

All specimens

Discovery

Year described
1972
Described by
Halszka Osmólska, Ewa Roniewicz & Rinchen Barsbold
Type specimen
IGM 100/11

Discovery timeline

  1. 1964 · First material found

    Kielan-Jaworowska finds the Gallimimus holotype

    The largest of several ornithomimid skeletons is found at Tsagan Khushu.

    People: Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska

  2. 1972 · Formally described

    Osmólska, Roniewicz and Barsbold name Gallimimus

    Named in Palaeontologia Polonica, then the best-preserved ornithomimid known.

    People: Halszka Osmólska, Ewa Roniewicz, Rinchen Barsbold

In Jurassic Park & Jurassic World

Films

  • Jurassic Park (1993)
  • The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
  • Jurassic World (2015)
  • Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
  • Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

On screen

The flock that stampedes past Alan Grant and the children in the first film, modelled on ostriches.

Film vs fossils

  • Gallimimus had a toothless beak, probably for a plant-heavy or mixed diet; the films show it only as fleeing prey.
  • Like its ostrich-dinosaur relatives it was probably feathered; the film animals are scaly.

Film titles are used for identification only. DinoDex is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Jurassic Park / Jurassic World franchise. All dinosaurs seen in the films

Sources

  1. (2026). Paleobiology Database: Gallimimus bullatus occurrences and type collection 38704. The Paleobiology Database (paleobiodb.org), data service 1.2, accessed 2026-09-23. https://paleobiodb.org/data1.2/occs/list.txt?taxon_name=Gallimimus%20bullatus&show=coords,paleoloc,strat,loc,ref&pgm=gplates (opens in a new tab)
  2. (2026). Wikipedia: Gallimimus. Wikipedia (English), accessed 2026-09-24. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallimimus (opens in a new tab)
  3. (2026). Wikipedia: Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaurs_in_Jurassic_Park (opens in a new tab)
  4. Cohen, K. M., Harper, D. A. T., Gibbard, P. L. & Car, N. (2023). International Chronostratigraphic Chart (v2023/09). International Commission on Stratigraphy. https://stratigraphy.org/ICSchart/ChronostratChart2023-09.pdf (opens in a new tab)
  5. Norell, M. A., Makovicky, P. J. & Currie, P. J. (2001). The beaks of ostrich dinosaurs. Nature 412: 873-874. doi:10.1038/35091139 (opens in a new tab)
  6. Osmólska, H., Roniewicz, E. & Barsbold, R. (1972). A new dinosaur, Gallimimus bullatus n. gen., n. sp. (Ornithomimidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. Palaeontologia Polonica 27: 103-143.
  7. Paul, G. S. (2016). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (2nd edition). Princeton University Press.
  8. Shay, D. & Duncan, J. (1993). The Making of Jurassic Park. Ballantine Books.