[GAME] Saurian

Dakotaraptor
Dakotaraptor is a nightmare to many herbivores of Hell Creek. A sturdy ambush predator, it is capable of intense bursts of speed but unable to sustain them for long. This gives it the perfect set of skills to burst from the foliage and mow down unsuspecting prey. Much like komodo dragons, Dakotaraptor will form loose associations with each other to bring down large herbivores or feed on carcasses. Feeding works on a hierarchy, with the larger raptors feeding first and the smaller animals lower in the pecking order. Dakotaraptor often fight, kill and even eat one another during feeding. Vulnerable to adults, as well as other predators, immature Dakotaraptor are light and agile, able to climb trees to escape danger or ambush small prey lurking below. Young juveniles even posses some limited flight capacity.

Pachycephalosaurus
Although hardy and belligerent, Pachycephalosaurus is generally a vulnerable prey animal in the Hell Creek environment. Because of this it prefers to live in densely forested areas to avoid large adult T. rex. Not without weaponry of its own, Pachycephalosaurus will fight back against Dakotaraptor or young T. rex if provoked. It is capable of breaking bones with its famous domed head. A multifunctional tool, this dome is also used in territorial battles and to deflect foliage when running through the forest. Pachycephalosaurus adults mate for life and both parents raise their young together for several months. Male Pachycephalosaurus, distinguished by their bright red heads, are fiercely territorial and will engage in head and flank butting contests. Herbivorous animals, they feed selectively on low growing vegetation as well as fungi and occasionally insects.

Triceratops
Triceratops are the bane of Hell Creek’s predators. Even a match for the great T. rex, these animals are massive, bare formidable weaponry and are extremely aggressive. Adult Triceratops are able to chase off most potential threats. Female Triceratops live in loosely associated groups, sharing resources and providing mutual protection. Males however, will not tolerate other males, and aggressively defend breeding rights to the local female population. Females will guard their nests and young, and immature animals will associate with adults as a shield from predators. Males and females can be distinguished by differentiation in frill pattern, with males showing the more elaborate display. Both sexes will utilize their horns in intraspecific competition over resources, territory, or social hierarchy. Triceratops can feed on a wide range of small to medium height vegetation, seeking out forest edges for the best fodder.

Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus is the apex predator of the Hell Creek environment. In order to sustain their requirements for food, adults occupy large territories which they defend diligently. If two adults meet outside of breeding season, the results are usually violence, face biting is especially common. During breeding season, males and females locate one another and perform courtship displays by emitting low frequency sounds. Although nothing is off the menu for an adult T. rex, they favor slower moving hadrosaurs and ceratopsians as food, targeting young or weak individuals, as most smaller prey items are generally too fast and nimble. Pairs dissociate after breeding and it is the male that watches the eggs and young. T. rex actually show strong parental care, watching over their broods for years until they reach a moderate size. At this point the father will finally depart but the juveniles will stay together as a sibling pack, even bringing down prey together, until they reach adult size. Unlike the adults, immature T. rex are extraordinarily fast and use this advantage to chase down prey such as the Hell Creek Ornithomimid and Anzu. This means they do not compete directly with the adults for food.

Thescelosaurus lifestage concept art

Thescelosaurus neglectus
Length: 3 meters
Weight: 90 kilograms
Lived: 66mya
Diet: Herbivore

Classification
Order: Ornithischia
Family: Thescelosauridae
Subfamily: Thescelosaurinae

Wonderous Saurian
The small herbivore Thescelosaurus is the most common non-avian dinosaur at Hell Creek. It is the most diminutive of the herbivores in the area, rarely exceeding 4 meters in length. This leaves the animal as a common prey item for many carnivores. These animals roam the river deltas, sticking close to water sources. Thescelosaurus are actually solitary living animals, but can often be found in congregation simply due to their sheer abundance.
Adult Thescelosaurus possess a row of bony plates underneath the skin on the flanks of the body. These are involved in territorial conflicts between males where the animals engage in flank-butting behaviour. Although too large to engage in the burrowing behaviour of its more ancient relatives, Thescelosaurus uses its strongly curved claws and powerful forelimbs as scratch-digging tools to unearth nutritious roots and tubers. They show a special fondness for the rhizomes of horsetails.