New dinosaurs are discovered every week. Last year alone, we got almost 50 newly named dinosaurs.

As dinosaur enthusiasts, we want to celebrate! And what better way than to introduce them via dinosaur rookie cards?

Just like new baseball players are commemorated with rookie trading cards, dinosaur fans can now celebrate with their own 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!)

And if you're a patron of ours on patreon.com/iknowdino you will also get the exclusive foil Nanotryannus card.

*Make sure your BackerKit email and Patreon email match. If they don't, you can follow the instructions here. 

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!

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.

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.

Big thanks to Tara Tassone who illustrated and designed the cards! You can find out more about her work at tnt-design.com.

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.

If you aren't already a patron, membership to get the exclusive card is just $4.99 for the Utahraptor level at patreon.com/c/iknowdino/membership and includes a ton of bonus dinosaur content.

Dinosaur Rookie Cards: Includes Spicomellus, Duonychus, Zavacephale, Tameryraptor, & Yuanyanglong (plus any stretch goal cards)

Dinosaur Rookie Cards: Includes all 5 dinosaur cards (plus any stretch goal cards) + Nanotyrannus

CARDS + STICKERS: Includes all 5 dinosaur rookie cards (plus any stretch goal cards) + stickers of each

CARDS + STICKERS: Includes all dinosaur rookie cards and stickers (plus any stretch goal cards) + Nanotyrannus

CARDS+ STICKERS + PIN: Includes all 5 dinosaur rookie cards and stickers (plus any stretch goal cards) + a Styracosaurus enamel pin

CARDS + STICKERS + PIN: Includes all dinosaur rookie cards and stickers (plus any stretch goal cards) + Nanotyrannus, and a Styracosaurus enamel pin

All orders will be fulfilled from the US, and shipping costs and taxes will be collected via BackerKit after the campaign ends.

Any order without the autographed hardcover book (price includes all of the cards, stickers, keychains, magnets, field guide booklets, and pins):

Any order with the autographed hardcover book (will ship with other items above for the following total cost):

Let us know if your country isn't listed and we can calculate it and add it to the list.

🌍 Please note: International backers are responsible for any customs, VAT, tariffs, or import fees required by their country. Because this is changing very frequently, we won't know if tariffs or other fees are due until after the campaign ends. If for any reason we can't ship to your country we will issue you a refund.

We are aiming to have sent all the rewards by the end of October 2026. To do this we have developed a timeline to give you a better idea what you should expect, when.

Garret and Sabrina are the husband & wife team behind the dinosaur podcast I Know Dino. They started the podcast shortly after their dinosaur-themed wedding. Eleven years later they’re still going strong, covering the latest discoveries, interviewing experts, and nerding out about dinosaurs. Now they're branching out, starting with dinosaur rookie cards.

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at our campaign. If you've got this far, then we hope you enjoyed reading about our project and what we're hoping to make for you.

We're excited to bring these Dinosaur Rookie Cards and other collectibles to dinosaur fans all over the world!