The object of Jurassic Jumble is to be the first to construct a dinosaur by collecting all nine bone groups of one dinosaur and to swipe a bone off the table. Players trade sets of cards, either all of the same dinosaur (value) or the same type of bone (color). All trades are made face down, simultaneously. A player may use the Paleontologist card as a wild card to complete a dinosaur, but holding the card causes a penalty if someone else completes their dinosaur first. A Fake Bone card draws a penalty for the player stuck with it at the end of the round. The first person to collect a complete dinosaur takes a plastic bone from the table and then all the other players scramble to pick up a bone as well. There is one fewer bone in play than the number of players. Players get points for collecting a bone even if they didn't complete their dinosaur.