Don't forget to vote for additional dino rookie cards!
Happy Tuesday! Popping in for a quick reminder that you can vote for three additional dinosaur rookie cards, which we will make if we reach our stretch goals!
We've got one poll attached to this update, and if you scroll to the bottom of this page you can vote on the other two polls.
Lishulong was a sauropodomorph with a big impressive head, and surprisingly sharp teeth.
Xingxiulong yueorum was a basal sauropodomorph that is preserved beautifully articulated and quite a bit bigger than the previous species from the genus.
We've got an exciting new bonus, if you pledge in the first 48 hours once our campaign goes live (on July 1)!
Do you like trivia? How about dinosaur trivia? Then you're in luck!
As an Early Bird backers, you'll get our Dinosaurs of 2025 Trivia Game. Use it at your dino-themed parties, or maybe just a casual get-together with family and friends 😉
The Dinosaurs of 2025 Trivia Game includes 25 trivia questions (and in keeping with our them, they're all about dinosaurs named and described in 2025), a printable answer sheet, and answers with explanations!
Wow, we already have 55 people following our Dinosaur Rookie Cards - Collectibles for Dinosaur Fanatics project. That is amazing, thank you so much!
We're very excited to bring these cards to life! 🦖 🦕 🎉
In the meantime, check out our polls. We have big dreams of making even more dinosaur rookie cards as part of our stretch goals, and we want to know what dinosaurs you'd like to see!
The most epic creatures that ever lived finally have a memento for their discovery!
New dinosaur species are found nearly every week. Last year alone, we got almost 50 newly named dinosaurs.
Most of these dinosaurs go unnoticed, with just a single scientific paper to mark the occasion.
We can do better! Just like new baseball players are celebrated with rookie trading cards, dinosaur fans can now celebrate with their own rookie cards.
We're starting with 6 of the coolest recent discoveries (including the spikiest dinosaur to ever live and the dinosaur that for decades people thought was Tyrannosaurus rex, but turns out, was a much smaller cousin!)
Are you a dinosaur enthusiast?
If so, this campaign is for you! Show off your dinosaur knowledge with these cards (we also have stickers) and impress your friends with fun facts about dinosaurs that haven't yet gotten the spotlight. Everyone knows Tyrannosaurus rex, but how many people know Zavacephale?
Reserve your pledge now
Reserve your pledge for $1 now to get the Dinosaur Rookies Class of 2025 audio guide and a vintage I Know Dino sticker!
What you'll get if you back our campaign:
Your very own, beautifully designed, scientifically accurate dinosaur rookie trading cards, featuring dinosaurs that are sure to impress your friends.
If you're a patron of ours on patreon.com/iknowdino you will also get the exclusive foil Nanotryannus card.
Featured Dinosaurs:
Spicomellus ("spike collar") Possibly the most impressive armored animal ever to walk the Earth. When the first remnants of its spikes were found, they were thought to be the tail weaponry of a stegosaur. The spikes turned out to be from an ankylosaur and were fused directly to its rib. Spicomellus was first named based on just a spiky rib in 2021, but in 2025 much more of the dinosaur was described, including massive spikes that were fused directly to its neck bones!
Duonychus ("two claw") Therizinosaurus is famous for having the largest claws of any animal in Earth's history. Like most therizinosaurs, Duonychus also had incredibly large claws. However, unlike most of its relatives (who had three-clawed hands), it only had two claws on each hand. Even though this group is distantly related to Tyrannosaurus, they didn't use these claws for hunting, because they only ate plants!
Zavacephale ("origin head")
The most complete and oldest known pachycephalosaur. The specimen was at least 2 years old, but it already had the magnificent dome that Pachycephalosaurus is famous for. Even more interesting are its tiny hands! Zavacephale's hands are so small that the researchers had to make sure they weren't fossilized remains from another—much smaller—animal.
Tameryraptor("thief from the beloved land")
This dinosaur was excavated over 100 years ago in Egypt—the beloved land that the name refers to. Like the original Spinosaurus material, Tameryraptor was excavated and transported to Germany. Both the original Spinosaurus and Tameryraptor specimens were destroyed by the Allied bombing of Munich during World War II. Luckily, a cast of the brain from Tameryraptor survived which shows how similar it was to its cousin Carcharodontosaurus. But unlike Carcharodontosaurus,Tameryraptor probably had a horn on top of its snout.
Yuanyanglong ("lovebird dragon")
This curious dinosaur was built for wading in water and eating plants. Its legs were long with rigid ankles (typical of wading birds). Inside the stomach scientists found small stones called gastroliths (typical of plant eaters). It had a short beak and a parrot-like head. "Yuanyang" in Mandarin Chinese means "lovebirds" in English. Paleontologists chose this name because two Yuanyanglong individuals were found fossilized together—possibly showing a devoted couple preserved together forever.
Patron Exclusive
Nanotyrannus("dwarf tyrant") The first bones scientists found of this dinosaur were originally named as a species of the tyrannosaur Gorgosaurus. Decades later some upstart paleontologists re-assigned those bones to a new genus: Nanotyrannus. They named it the "dwarf tyrant" because it looked like a miniature Tyrannosaurus. In fact, they look so alike that for decades paleontologists debated whether it was a unique animal or just a young T. rex. That all changed last year when a team described a whole new skeleton, and it had features showing Nanotyrannus was more than just a baby T. rex. Even more surprising was when the team studied more controversial tyrannosaur fossils, they found there was not just one, but at least two valid species of Nanotyrannus. The original species was named in 1988 (Nanotyrannus lancensis), and it turns out the brand new species, Nanotyrannus lethaeus, had been hiding in plain sight on display at the Burpee Museum in Illinois for 20 years.
