

The Animorphs morphing into various dinosaur morphs in promotional artwork for In the Time of Dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs were a diverse group of reptiles that were once the dominant terrestrial predator of planet Earth. In In the Time of Dinosaurs, the Animorphs travel back in time, where they are hunted by dinosaurs and end up playing a pivotal role in their extinction.
Acquiring
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- "I held tight with my talons. And I focused on the dinosaur. It may have been sixty-five or seventy or eighty million years B.C., but DNA was still DNA."
- ―Tobias
While being chased by a pack of Deinonychus, Tobias lands on one and acquires it in order to save Rachel, who is in grizzly bear morph, from being killed by the pack. After killing the pack's leader, Tobias is able to subdue one of the other Deinonychus so that Rachel can acquire a Deinonychus morph as well.
Later on, when Jake is nearly eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex, he grabs its tongue and acquires it. The same dinosaur is shortly acquired by Cassie, Marco and Ax.[1]
Usage
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- "So I guess the Nesk don't mind dinosaurs. I mean, okay, if a Mercora flying saucer shows up at the Nesk home base, they blast it. But what if a whole different kind of army shows up there?"
"It's a miracle! Marco actually came up with a good idea. We can morph dinosaurs and stomp on in there, set off some big honkin' explosion and maybe undo this Sario Rip of Ax's!" - ―Marco and Rachel
Tobias is the first of the Animorphs to acquire and use a dinosaur morph, using his Deinonychus morph to try and protect Rachel. He uses it to subdue another Deinonychus for Rachel to acquire, and the pair later use the morph when they meet a Spinosaurus, only to be confronted by the Nesk. Later that night, Jake is nearly eaten by a Tyrannosaurux Rex, which Jake escapes by acquiring and partially morphing into the dinosaur in order to break free. After meeting the Mercora and deciding to steal a nuclear explosive from a Nesk base, the Animorphs decide to use their dinosaur morphs as the Nesk do not see dinosaurs as a threat. During this mission, Cassie loses herself to the Tyrannosaurus's instincts, killing and eating a Triceratops.[1]
Morph Unusable
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Upon returning to their own time, Jake attempted to morph into the Tyrannosaurus Rex, although to no avail. He reported the incident to Cassie, who suggested that Ax might know the reason, although Jake refuses to bother, citing that he would not understand the reasoning anyways.[1]
Appearances
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- The Message (mentioned)
- The Reaction (mentioned)
- The Unknown (mentioned)
- In the Time of Dinosaurs (Deinonychus, acquired and morphed by Rachel and Tobias; Tyrannosaurus Rex, acquired and morphed by Jake, Cassie, Marco and Ax)
- The Departure (mentioned; Cassie's nightmare)
- The Attack (mentioned)
- Elfangor's Secret (mentioned)
- The Weakness (mentioned)
- Back to Before (mentioned)