Jurassic World Rebirth: Who is Dolores? The Aquilops explained in depth

Jurassic World Rebirth is the seventh entry in the long-running Jurassic World franchise. Here is the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:

Five years after the events of Jurassic World Dominion, covert operations expert Zora Bennett is contracted to lead a skilled team on a top-secret mission to secure genetic material from the world’s three most massive dinosaurs. When Zora’s operation intersects with a civilian family whose boating expedition was capsized, they all find themselves stranded on an island where they come face-to-face with a sinister, shocking discovery that’s been hidden from the world for decades.

Let us find out who Dolores is in the film.

Who is Dolores in Jurassic World Rebirth?

In Jurassic World: Rebirth, several dangerous dinosaurs are encountered by the characters. Amid all that, there is one ceratopsian creature named Dolores that does not look threatening. Dolores belongs to a breed called Aquilops, and the dinosaur was created through real practical effects. The makers opted for an animatronic so that it would actually be on the set.

Dolores is a herbivorous dinosaur and is small in size compared to the others. The Aquilops americanus existed on the planet nearly 106 million years ago. It is also one of the earliest members of the horned dinosaurs. They were nearly two feet long and weighed around the same as a large-sized cat.

Scott Madsen, a paleontologist, had first discovered this species back in 1997 as part of a group headed by Rich Cifelli. The team spent nearly 17 years examining the fossils and gathering more details. They concluded that this species dates back to around 106 million years ago and had roots in dinosaurs from Asia. Most of the research relied on a lower jaw and a partial skull found in Montana.

Matthew Wedel, who wrote a paper on Aquilops in 2014, discussed its depiction in Jurassic World: Rebirth. He said,

"From the footage I've seen in the trailers, I think the movie-makers did a pretty darned good job with Aquilops. The body proportions look good, the colors and movements are plausible – nothing set off any red flags for me."

Experts compared the skull with those of other dinosaurs to determine what this species looked like. The makers also modeled their research on the paper. The skull is currently stored for display at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.

Gareth Edwards directed Jurassic World Rebirth, while David Koepp (also the writer of the first two Jurassic Park films) penned the screenplay. It's produced by Patrick Crowley and Frank Marshall. The makers released a featurette around Dolores where Rupert Friend says:

“There’s a character there, she has a personality. She’s adorable and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s everyone’s favorite character in the film. She’s probably mine.”

Jurassic World Rebirth was released theatrically on July 2, 2025.