InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Eyes like these: I'm Voldie!"

mesozoic moderators; camp cretaceous (mesozoicmods) wrote,
@ 2011-08-13 20:47:00

Entry tags:

!environs, flora and fauna

flora and fauna.

the flora and fauna

on the land

dinosaurs

ALLOSAURUS ("Allos") Carnivore. Theropod. Allos were around 26 feet long, standing at around 16 feet tall, with barrel chests and two small horned ridges of each eye. They didn't move particularly fast, but had an incredibly keen sense of smell. Despite the fact they have shorter arms (similar to t.rex), it would be a mistake to assume the arms are vestigal and useless - allos have incredibly powerful arms. They travel in family packs.

BRACHIOSAURUS ("Brachiosaurs") Herbivore. Sauropod. One of the larger sauropods and one of the more wellknown members of the group, brachiosaurs are built similarly to modern day giraffes. Brachiosaurs reach heights of around 30 feet and stretch 83 feet - half of which is comprised of their neck alone, which they use to help them graze from the tops of trees. They travel in smaller groups of up to 15 individuals.

CERATOSAURUS ("Ceratosaurs") Carnivore. Theropod. A large predator, ceratosaurs are characterized by a large, blade-like horn on their snout and two shorter hornlets above each eye on a head that is surprisingly large for the rest of its body. They can grow up to 25 feet in length and stand around 8 feet tall. With a large tail similar to a crocodile, ceratosaurs are good swimmers and tend to hunt on fish and crocodiles and then scavenge for land creatures.

COMPSOGNATHUS ("Compys") Carnivore. Theropod. The size of a small turkey, compys are the biggest nuisance to the camp. Managing to slip into the base constantly, they serve as target practice for the troops more often than not. They travel in large troops - sometimes over 30 individuals - and make quite a racket, chirping, trilling, and squawking incessantly. They pose no general threat, feeding on small lizards and scavenging larger prey, but their somewhat innocent and curious demeanor can be misleading. The compy's bite is poisonous, causing irritation, swelling and, if bitten enough (they tend to attack in droves), can be fatal. These little dinos, along with the troodons, are the most commonly seen. They move quickly, in little hops, and roost in the bushes near the camp at night.

DEINONYCHUS ("Deinonychs") Carnivore. Theropod. A smaller cousin to the raptors, deinonychs are dangerous in their own right. What makes them one of the more unique sights is the fact that - like its later relative, the velociraptor - deinonychs are feathered. They possess the same large scythe-like claw on their feet, but are smaller than the raptors.

DILOPHOSAURUS ("Dilophosaurs") Carnivore. Theropod. Standing 10 feet tall, dilophosaurs has a pair of crested ridges on the top of its head used to display and differentiating the sexes (males' crests are more brightly colored). Though the dilophosaur doesn't have a very strong jaw, they have developed another way to catch their prey. Like the modern day gila monster, dilophosaurs secrete a hemotoxin from glands in its mouth. Unconsciousness and paralysis occurs within 5 minutes of a bite. They have a distinctive call that sounds not unlike an owl.

DIPLODOCUS ("Diplodocs") Herbivore. Sauropod. Larger than the Brachiosaurs and ten times as dangerous, the diplodocs stretch over 90 feet long and possess a wickedly efficient defense mechanism: their tail. It works like a whip and has the capability of cutting through the bones of a human when hit with full force - they can nearly, quite literally, cut you in half. They keep their neck parallel to the ground, unable to lift it much above a horizontal position, though when feeding, the diplodocs can rear up onto their hind legs and reach a height of up to 33 feet. They travel in groups of 3 to 5 individuals.

DRYOSAURUS ("Dryosaurs") Herbivore. Ornithichian. This speedy herbivore was bipedal with a long neck, long slender legs, and shorter arms with five 'fingers' on each 'hand. They grow to a maximum of 18 to 20 feet long and are capable of great bursts of speed. It travels in herds of upwards of 30 individuals. They have excellent hearing.

GASTONIA ("Gastons") Herbivore. These dinos resemble the ankylosaurus of later years (and arguably greater fame). They lack the club tail of an ankylosaur but they share the same tenacity for slamming any object they perceive as a threat. They are heavily armored on every inch of their body except for the underbelly, much like an armadillo. They travel in large herds comprised solely of females and young males - like elephants. Males are loners and are incredibly dangerous.

HYPSILOPHODONTID ("Hypsilophodons") Herbivore. Ornithischian. Pronounced "hip-sil-ah-fo-don". The gazelles of the prehistoric world, hypsilophodons are small, bipedal dinos, reaching about waist-high and only around six feet long. Hypsilophodons are incredibly fast, moving in great bounds similar to a modern kangaroo at a surprising speed for how small they are. They feed in a similar manner to kangaroos as well, eating low-growing vegetation. They travel in herds and are seen most often just as the sun is either rising or setting. They carry a parasite similar to a tick that itself carries something similar to lyme disease.

IGUANODON ("Iguanodons") Herbivore. Ornithopod. Iguanodons are characterized by their thumb spikes and a long prehensil fifth finger, the former which is used for defense and the latter for gathering foilage to eat. One of the first dinos ever named, iguanodon was also the first dino to be spotted after arriving here. They stretch over 35 feet in length and can stand as tall as 16 feet (when in their bipedal stance), with bulky bodies, a proportionally thick tail and slender forearms. Iguandons travel solitarily for the most part, though juveniles sometimes group together in twos or threes.

OTHNIELIA ("Othys") Omnivore. Ornithischian. A petite dino, othys are only about six feet long and weigh in at around 25 pounds. They travel in small groups and eat a combination of vegetation and insects. Their heads are brightly colored (the females are duller) and they hang out in the trees around the camp base (mostly for shade and to avoid predators). Othys are vocal, their calls reminiscent of a bunch of overgrown parakeets. Othys are curious and will approach anyone looking for a handout. However, quick movements will send them scurrying back to the trees.

SEGNOSAURUS ("Segnos") Herbivore. Theropod. Despite the fact it's shaped similarly to carnivores like the raptors and omnivores like the troodons, segnos are herbivores. Despite the fact they aren't predators, segnos are still incredibly dangerous. Each forelimb is armed with large grasping claws up to a foot in length (similar to prehistoric ground sloths and modern tree sloths) which they typically use for shearing leaves off trees and for defense. While the exact nature of these dinos aren't understood (army scientists are making assumptions, as it's a subspecies they aren't familiar with), soldiers have discovered them to be territorial and aggressive - the mated pair that lives in a massive burrow not far from the camp put two men in the hospital wing with deep gashes when they stumbled too close.

STEGOSAURUS ("Stegosaurs") Herbivore. Armored. Roughly the size of a bus, stegosaurs stand 14 feet tall and stretch over 30 feet long. They're easily the most recognizable dinosaur that passes the camp with the massive plates along their spine, the largest centered over the hips and measuring 2 feet wide and 2 feet tall. The spikes on their tail also measure a length of a little over 2 feet, which they use for defense and combat. The stegosaurs are far from intelligent, easily tricked and easily frightened. They stand low to the ground, their bellies only about a yard or so above the earth, and they are practically incapable of speed - the soldiers have clocked them at only 5 miles an hour, the assumed maximum they can achieve. Stegosaurs eat low-growing vegetation and swallow stones to help them digest the material.

TROODON ("Troodons") Omnivore. Theropod. Troodon (pronouced "troh-uh-don") is a small, bird-like, bipedal dinosaur. They're around 7 feet long, with long legs and retractable claws on it's feet. It is an incredibly swift, typically nocturnal dinosaur. With one of the largest dino brains recorded, troodons are also incredibly clever and they've managed to figure out how to get into the camp on multiple occasions, rooting through garbage and sneaking into the food and housing trailers. They are similar to modern day raccoons in their behavior and curiosity. They travel in mated pairs.

UTAHRAPTOR ("Raptors") Carnivore. Theropod. Arguably the scariest of the dinos that share territory with the base camp, the raptors are easily recognizable (thanks, Jurassic Park!). They are incredibly intelligent, capable of reasoning and intuition. They are responsible for the deaths of several soldiers, the local pack having taken out an entire recon group. They travel in packs of up to 12 members and are arranged in a matriarchal society similar to hyenas. They are both day time and night time hunters with a wicked killing claw on both of their feet and capable of bursts of speed up to 45 miles an hour. They stand around eight feet tall and pose the greatest threat to any inhabitant.

and everyone else...

There are a wide variety of reptiles, birds, and even mammals around here as well. They're a little more recognizable and not quite so well-known by our scientists. Here's a somewhat comprehensive list of things you might recognize scurrying around here:

REPTILES: Crocodiles, lizards, turtles, etc. (We don't know their exact names - but you can imagine what they're going to look like.)

BIRDS: Flamingoes, ibises, sandpipers, loons, pelicans, etc. (We know these exact species weren't exactly hanging out this far back in time, but they correlate with what the birds here look like.)

MAMMALS: Rodents. (That's pretty much all that's around here. Not much bigger than sewer rats and just as pesky.)

INSECTS: Dragonflies, mosquitoes, ticks, scorpions, etc. (You name it, it's here and they're all bigger and meaner than you've ever dealt with.)

in the sea

LIOPLEURODON ("Charlie") Carnivore. Plesiosaur. Reaching lengths of over 20 feet, charlies got their name from a terribly addictive Youtube cartoon some of the soldiers were familiar with. Charlies are ambush predators - meaning you probably won't ever see one until right before it eats you. The exception to this is that smaller ones sometimes beach themselves trying to ambush land prey and sometimes bodies of dead ones wash up on the shore not far from the camp. Their heads are over four feet long and filled with massive, sharp teeth.

OPHTHALMOSAURUS ("Ichthyosaurs") Carnivore. Reptile. The colloquial name we have is quite a bit off from the actual name, but it's just a different kind of ichthyosaur. They measure around 20 feet long with massive eyes that measure up to 4 inches in diameter. Ichthyosaurs feed on fish and move in a way similar to sharks and sea lions. They're typically nocturnal, travel in large schools, and are capable of holding their breath for up to 20 minutes.

in the air