There’s no single exact number, but scientists estimate there were hundreds to thousands of different kinds of dinosaurs, depending on what you mean by “types.”

Quick Scoop: How Many Types?

If we talk about scientifically named, extinct, non-bird dinosaurs that are considered valid species :

  • Roughly 700–1,000 valid species have been described so far.
  • These species sit inside about 300 or more valid genera (plural of genus, the level just above species).
  • New species are still being discovered and old ones sometimes get merged or reclassified, so the numbers keep shifting.

Paleontologists also think the true total that once existed was far higher than what we’ve found, because fossils only preserve a tiny fraction of past life.

“Types” As Big Groups

If by “types” you mean the big, broad kinds of dinosaurs, scientists usually split them first into two main orders:

  • Saurischia – “lizard-hipped” dinosaurs
    • Theropods (mostly meat-eaters like T. rex , but also some plant-eaters)
    • Sauropodomorphs (long‑necked giants like Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus)
  • Ornithischia – “bird-hipped” dinosaurs
    • Includes horned dinosaurs (Triceratops), duck-billed hadrosaurs, stegosaurs, ankylosaurs, and others

Within those, there are many smaller groups (like ceratopsians, hadrosaurs, ankylosaurs, raptors, etc.), each with multiple genera and species.

Why We Can’t Give One Exact Number

  • The fossil record is incomplete , so we know we’re missing many species that once lived.
  • Some named dinosaurs later turn out to be the same species as another and get merged.
  • New discoveries every year add more species, especially from places that are only now being studied in detail.

A good way to think about it: what we’ve named so far is like a highlight reel of dinosaur diversity, not the full roster.

One-Line TL;DR

Scientists have named roughly hundreds of dinosaur genera and around 700+ valid species so far , but the real number of dinosaur “types” that once existed was almost certainly many times higher.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.