Dinosaur emojis
T-Rex (🦖) and Sauropod (🦕), collectively the dinosaur emojis, are two emojis depicting dinosaurs that are part of the Unicode Standard, originally added in Unicode 10.0 in June 2017.
In addition to their literal depictions, the emoji have been used to note the perceived obsolescence of an idea. The dinosaur emojis have also been used to represent both transgender and TERF groups on the Internet.
History and design
[edit]Following interest expressed online for the addition of a dinosaur emoji to Unicode, multiple proposals for its creation were submitted to the Unicode Consortium in 2016, each differing on the number, style, anatomical structures, and species of dinosaur depicted. The proposals and their subsequent discussion noted that a dinosaur emoji would have both a high expected usage rate and multiple construable meanings.[1][2]
Dinosaur emojis were released in Unicode 10.0, as part of Emoji 5.0, on 20 June 2017.[3] The release features full-body depictions of a Tyrannosaurus rex, as a green dinosaur standing on its hind legs,[4] and a sauropod, as a blue, grey, or green dinosaur standing on all four legs.[5]
The Unicode Consortium was criticized during the emoji design process because of its lack of scientific consideration; Keith Winstein, a computer scientist at Stanford University, noted the lack of paleontologist involvement during the Unicode Consortium's design of the Standard.[6] Apple faced similar criticisms following its implementation of Unicode 10.0, with Thomas Carr of Carthage College noting that Apple's design of the T-Rex emoji lacked "basic anatomical accuracy".[7]
Usage
[edit]The dinosaur emoji can be used literally to represent a Tyrannosaurus and a sauropod. According to Emojipedia, both dinosaur emoji are also used to express the idea of being "old-fashioned or out-of-touch with modern sentiments".[4][5] An original proposal for the dinosaur emoji from 2016 by Dominik Schwartz suggested that it could also be used to represent the ideas of large size, obsolescence, or extinction.[2]
Transgender representation
[edit]The dinosaur emojis have been used by both transgender and TERF communities on the Internet to represent their respective groups.[8][9] In a podcast on WBUR, paleontologist Riley Black noted the transgender community's use of symbolic dinosaurs online as potentially reflecting their attraction to "aspect[s] of falling into more than one category at once and...transformation through time". The podcast also notes that TERF groups may have developed the emoji as a dog whistle following a comment by David Lammy criticizing members of those groups as "dinosaurs" for their ideas.[9]
Encoding
[edit]| Preview | 🦖 | 🦕 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unicode name | T-REX | SAUROPOD | ||
| Encodings | decimal | hex | dec | hex |
| Unicode | 129430 | U+1F996 | 129429 | U+1F995 |
| UTF-8 | 240 159 166 150 | F0 9F A6 96 | 240 159 166 149 | F0 9F A6 95 |
| UTF-16 | 55358 56726 | D83E DD96 | 55358 56725 | D83E DD95 |
| GB 18030 | 149 48 218 52 | 95 30 DA 34 | 149 48 218 51 | 95 30 DA 33 |
| Numeric character reference | 🦖 |
🦖 |
🦕 |
🦕 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Ferreira, Becky (15 May 2016), "Unicode Should Take a Hint from Paleontologists When Designing Dinosaur Emojis", VICE, archived from the original on 7 February 2025, retrieved 26 October 2025
- ^ a b Ohlheiser, Abby (9 June 2016), "What the World Needs Now is a Dinosaur Emoji", The Washington Post, archived from the original on 20 September 2024, retrieved 26 October 2025
- ^ "Unicode 10.0 Emoji List", Emojipedia, archived from the original on 2 July 2025, retrieved 26 October 2025
- ^ a b "🦖 T-Rex Emoji Meaning", Emojipedia, archived from the original on 1 October 2025, retrieved 26 October 2025
- ^ a b "🦕 Sauropod Emoji Meaning", Emojipedia, archived from the original on 27 September 2025, retrieved 26 October 2025
- ^ Kokalitcheva, Kia (6 November 2016), "One Expert Argues the Unicode Consortium Shouldn't Govern Our Emoji", Fortune, archived from the original on 7 November 2016, retrieved 26 October 2025
- ^ Geggel, Laura (19 July 2017), "6 Ways Apple Messed Up Its T. Rex Emoji", Live Science, archived from the original on 13 May 2025, retrieved 26 October 2025
- ^ Crosara, Nic (January 2023), "Are Dinosaurs Transphobic or Trans Icons?", Diva, Twin Media Group Limited, p. 40, ISSN 1353-4912, ProQuest 2758124352, retrieved 26 October 2025 – via ProQuest
- ^ a b Russell, Dean; Johnson, Ben Brock (14 January 2022), "The Internet's Fight over Dinosaur Emoji", Endless Thread, WBUR, archived from the original on 16 April 2025, retrieved 26 October 2025