Inland Grasslands

On this Madagascar-sized island, the grasslands around the rim of the mountain ranges were relatively rare; replaced by dense jungle in most places. Geologic study showed that the grasslands had decreased by fifty percent in the last century or two. But for those places, the wildlife there was just spectacular. It felt like being trapped in the plains of Africa in prehistoric times.


Brachiosaurus

Brachiosaurus magnificens (Magnificent arm lizard)

45 feet tall, 64 feet long

There were no giraffes on Ancient Island, but that didn't mean that the spot was vacant. Brachiosaurs were one of many browsers of the gigantic trees on the island, reaching the vegetation no other dinosaur could reach.

Named after its long arms, this magnificent dinosaur could rear up on its hind legs to reach higher than it usually would and to push over trees with its massive weight. It had a neck that made up more than half its own body length to browse on conifer trees and other leaves. Its massive size made it virtually unthreatened on the perilous island. However, when they were young or sick, they were vulnerable to tyrannosaurs, carcharodontosaurs, and the massive crocodiles of the river.

These Brachiosaurs were physically different from their dinosaur-age cousins. Their ribcage was slightly shorter, giving them more maneuverability through jungles and rocky areas like canyons. It came in handy for the island's broken terrain.

Giant Sloth

Megatherium hylaeus (Forest Big Beast)

20 feet long, 8 feet at shoulder

Brachiosaurs weren't the only browsers on the island. While the sauropod dinosaurs got the highest branches, these giant ground sloths got the lower ones.

These behemoths were nothing like the tree sloths in South America, being over twenty times the size. They had giant claws to hook branches they couldn't reach and defend themselves, had thick, dinosaur-esque tails for balance, and weighed more than an elephant.

These massive animals were mainly vegetarians, but finding one scavenging wasn't uncommon. Reason stood to believe that these sloths could have become predators themselves. They may not have been swift or smart enough, but their strength would have been enough to kill most animals.

Not only were the sloths huge, they also boasted impressive defenses. Small bones beneath their skin acted like chain mail; adults had few predators to fear except dinosaurs or the dreaded Archaeodraco.

Mammoth

Mammuthus archaeus (Ancient Burrower)

14 feet at shoulder

There were mammoths on Ancient Island, but they weren't exactly as hairy as their Ice Age cousins. Geologists speculated that they probably got on the island when a narrow land bridge connected the island to North America before the last Ice Age.

Mammoths were highly adaptable herbivores, eating anything from leaves to grasses. However, there was one thing they couldn't stomach. Caterpillars could sustain themselves on pine needles, but a mammoth couldn't; just not enough nutrients. Mammoths would eat anything but pine needles and had to eat five percent their own body weight a day. They would often hoover up so much vegetation that they would migrate in herds of up to five thousand individuals to find more.

Unlike their ice age cousins, the mammoths of Ancient Island had fur only a few centimeters long and they lacked the fat of a cold-climate animal. Their tusks were also more straight than other mammoths, as they were no longer used to move aside high snow. Their tusks were used more often as weapons against predators or each other like modern elephants. Like their inland cousins, the modern elephants, their herds were mainly female; as males left at adolescence.

Migrations were hard on female mammoths, which were heavy with an eighteen-month pregnancy. Nonetheless, Mammoths made excellent mothers and a female would gladly adopt a calf whose mother had died. The females of a herd would work together and take care of all the young, even getting a quick identification of a newborn.

Mammoths had no real predators, save dinosaurs and the occasional sabertooth group. When targeted, the adults herded the young to the middle of the herd while the females stood around them to act as a barricade between them and the predators.

Triceratops

Triceratops isolatios (Isolated Three-horned face)

8 feet at shoulder, 20 feet long

There were several species of dinosaur on this island, making them the most diverse animals on the island. But the one explorers instantly recognized was this one.

The Ancient Island triceratops was a familiar face, bearing the same facial horns of its ancestors. Unlike its ancestor, however, this species of Triceratops was highly adaptable. It was a browser, like a black rhino, eating low branches and capable of snapping thick branches with its hard beak. But it was also a grazer, like a white rhino, foraging the lush ferns and grasses of the vast plains. Another main difference between these animals and the Cretaceous species was that the ones on the island were slightly smaller with shorter horns in comparison to the rest of their body.

Triceratops had poor eyesight, like rhinos, but also like rhinos, they had a keen sense of smell. These horned dinosaurs were highly social and lived in herds of up to twenty animals. Triceratops were easily startled and would stampede, or charge, if they felt threatened or angered. When cornered, they would first try and avoid confrontation by flushing blood in their crests and creating vivid patterns. If that wasn't enough, they would resort to violence, jousting with their horns and massive weight. Several predatory dinosaurs met their deaths impaled on the horns.

An adaptation to living in a herd for these dinosaurs was becoming viviparous. Females gave birth to live young, usually one or two calves. The calves had rudimentary horns barely an inch long, but would grow in time. The calves followed their mothers wherever they went, grazing on any plant she did, and learning what plants were safe to eat. The calves were independent at about two years old, but they had to be lucky to turn into twenty-foot-long adults.

Tree-Crest

Botanicrista (Plant-Crest)

20-35 feet long

One of the most common dinosaurs on Ancient Island, Botanicrista could be seen virtually anywhere on the island except the vast desert in the center of the island. Botanicrista's massive herds could be anywhere where vegetation was plentiful, even at the bases of mountains.

Botanicrista was a hadrosaur, a duck-bill dinosaur, which explained the crest on its head. This crest stuck out and then bent backward, looking sort of like a boomerang, with females being less prominent than the males. These crests had a thick membrane of skin down to the back of its neck that could change color at will to attract mates. Their crests were also hollow and close to their nasal cavities. Air would pass through this crest and exit the mouth, making a noise very similar to a conch horn.

Botanicrista was herbivorous, grazing on the grasses and ferns of the island. Since they had no real defenses against predators such as Tyrannosaurs, Carcharodontosaurs, or Dodongos, they relied on numbers for support. Many pairs of eyes could spot a predator quicker than just one. Had a scout spotted a predator, it would give a low, booming call to the rest of the herd, instantly scattering them.

Botanicrista laid eggs, often burying them in the forests with a scout to lure predators and other egg thieves away. When the eggs hatched, they would stay with their mother for six months until they were about half the size of an adult and ready to fend for themselves. Females born in a herd left at adolescence to prevent inbreeding while males struck out on their own or joined bachelor herds.

Ceratosaurus

Ceratosaurus foetus (Rotten Horned Lizard)

9 feet at shoulder, 17 feet long

One of many scavengers on Ancient Island, Ceratosaurus was one of the smaller dinosaurs. It was rarely a predator and it was not uncommon for one to get chased off by something as small as raptors, not exactly a match for their numbers.

Ceratosaurus lived solitary lives, often following a larger predator at a distance in hopes to find an unguarded kill. Ceratosaurus had highly acidic gastric juices for digesting even bone, making its droppings turn white. Should it find a kill, Ceratosaurus would wolf down as much of the carcass as it could before other scavengers arrived. If you didn't see Ceratosaurus, you'd very likely smell it first; it reeked of rotting flesh, having dug its face into it.

While lions today eat seventy percent of a carcass, Ceratosaurus would eat ninety if they had enough time. When one Ceratosaur finished with its kill, which was pretty rare, the carcass would be nothing but bones. However, Ceratosaurus would only eat intestines after shaking out the waste; dung was the only thing they wouldn't stomach.

Raptors

Megaraptor deinos (Terrible Big Thief)

6 feet at head, 10 feet long

Of Ancient Island's many predators, the raptors were easily the smartest and the fiercest. They were only about the size of a man, but were also one of the island's most successful predators. They rivaled gorillas in intelligence, wolves in social complexity, and wolverines in aggression. If they were the size of tyrannosaurs, the raptors would easily dominate the island.

Although they bore surprising resemblance to their Cretaceous cousins, there were notable differences, anatomically. These raptors had pads on their feet for silent stalking, still retaining their deadly sickle claw. Their jaws were also stronger than their ancestors', with a bite easily as strong as a lion's. Their wrists were no longer half-moon-shaped, looking more like a cat's, and giving them more dexterity with their hands.

Another notable feature in their anatomy was their ribcage, which was short, yet deep. This adaptation gave them great maneuverability, yet kept enough air in their lungs to breathe. Its leg pivots also allowed it to move its legs with much more flexibility, but it couldn't run as fast as its ancestors. The raptors' eyes faced forward for judging distance and pupils that could dilate for both daytime and night vision.

A pack of raptors was led by a dominant male and female; they alone were the only ones who could breed unless one of them was replaced. Males were larger and more aggressive than females, and it showed in several crisscrossing scars on their faces from tooth and nail. During a hunt, the raptors would close in, trying to encircle their prey. They had green scales and black stripes to camouflage them in the high grass that they specialized in using as cover. The raptors' top speed was forty miles per hour, but it could only keep it up for a few seconds. If the prey was out of range within fifty seconds, there was no hope for them to catch up.

The raptors' teeth were designed for holding onto struggling prey, so the kill didn't come from a bite. The raptors' claws were as long as a tiger's, about three inches long, but their sickle claws were double that size. When they landed on their prey, the claw would swing forward like a switchblade, digging deep into the flesh. The prey would die of blood loss from the several wounds these claws made; ruptured organs were not uncommon from these weapons.

Conflict showed that these dinosaurs competed with mammalian predators like the famed Saber-Tooth Cats. Both could get their way in a roaring contest and shows of strength. But when threats weren't enough, the results were often fatal. Both species would kill each other over a kill, territory, or family and kill the other's young to prevent future threats.

Sabertooths

Smilodon deinos (Terrible Knife-tooth)

4 feet at shoulder, 8 feet long

The largest cat alive today is the Siberian Tiger, but on Ancient Island, there was a cat that made the tiger look like a pussycat: Sabertooths. The Sabertooth was much more heavily built than any cat alive, made to take down large animals, sometimes even dinosaurs.

Like their prehistoric cousins, Sabertooths had fangs the size of steak knives; more than six inches long. Their forearms were packed with muscle to hold down even large prey that weighed over a ton. But this strength came at a cost; it could run at explosive speeds, but only for a short time. It was built for power, not endurance, so it was hopeless at chasing its prey down.

Sabertooth groups bore surprising similarities to lion prides with a dominant male and up to eleven females and young. Young were taken to a kill at about six weeks old and were allowed to eat red meat when they were weaned at about seven weeks old. Like lions, the male had to fight to remain dominant. If he lost a fight with another male, he would be forced out of the group and the new male would get his females and kill the cubs.

Terror Bird

Geopteryx (Earth Wing)

10 feet tall

In the mainland, the terror birds went extinct due to competition from cats and other predators from an unknown land. Such was not the case here. Here, flightless birds like this one were just as deadly as dinosaurs and almost as big, too. But this species was the largest at more than three meters tall.

Geopteryx was the father of all predatory birds, preying on anything it could overpower. It would stalk close to its prey, its head held low in the grass. When it was close enough, it would burst from the grass at over forty miles per hour. It had no arms, so it would use its powerful legs and head to knock its prey down to deliver a killing blow.

Unlike its jungle cousin, this bird had a beak more like that of a bird of prey, made for hooking into meat and ripping out chunks. Some of this meat would be stored in its stomach and regurgitated for its chicks.

Unlike its ancestors, which fled from the likes of sabertooths, these birds wouldn't do the same thing. If confronted with another predator, Geopteryx would lash out with its powerful talons and sharp beak. Only when the predator was too large to handle would the bird back down.

Geopteryx lived in tall grass, where it could hide its eggs, which were about the size of a honeydew melon. Thanks to its height, it could keep its eyes open for predators in the grass and would violently repel them if it could.

Ankylosaur

Petrodorsaurus (Rock-back Lizard)

25 feet long, 6 feet tall at shoulder

Out of all the herbivores on the island, Petrodorsaurus was the only animal that could go about Ancient Island with nothing to fear from most predators. The reason for this was the hard armor on their backs.

The behemoth was so heavily armored that even its eyelids had a thick scale over them. Its skull was heavily reinforced, protecting their small heads from most predators. However, by reinforcing its skull, it reduced its brain size. So, whenever encountered, it would react automatically and aggressively.

Its main weapon was a bony club on the end of its tail. They could turn sideways very easily to use the club, which could easily break the bones of most dinosaurs.

Petrodorsaurus were solitary, but would tolerate each other if they stayed out of the other's way. These armored dinosaurs would browse low-lying vegetation like a black rhinoceros, as they could barely move their necks. Another way for them to feed was to go along with other herbivores like Brachiosaurs or Ceratopsians, eating what they dropped from the trees.

Fruit-drake

Volucersaurus botanivora (Plant-eating Flying-lizard)

4-5-foot wingspan, 1-2 feet tall

Emerging at night came a new cast of creatures. One of which was Volucersaurus, a small, flying reptile with bulbous eyes and an oddity among the island inhabitants.

The smallest member of a group of flying reptiles unique to Ancient Island, this reptile could be only a foot tall. It looked like an iguana with a pair of batlike wings in place of arms and had a similar diet. Unlike its larger cousins, Volucersaurus was herbivorous, eating the fruit of the trees and occasionally eating the nectar of flowers.

Volucersaurus laid eggs and left them in a tree trunk under compost. The compost warmed the eggs while the mother searched for food. When she returned, she would check the temperature with sensory organs in her tongue. She would then add a layer if the eggs were too cold and remove one when they were too cold.

The little reptiles had to be quick on the wing to avoid predators. Being the main food species for larger aerial predators, they would fight with tooth and nail until the last breath.

Tyrannosaurus

Tyrannosaurus gigas (Giant Tyrant-Lizard)

40-45 feet long, 15 feet at shoulder

The dominant predators of Ancient Island were the infamous tyrannosaurs. Easily distinctive, the tyrannosaurs retained most of the characteristics of their Cretaceous ancestors. They had massive jaws lined with knifelike teeth, diminutive arms in comparison to the rest of their bodies, and long, thick tails. An interesting anatomical feature was a deep, but short ribcage, giving even an animal of this size astonishing maneuverability and agility.

Tyrannosaurs lived solitary lives, killing anything that they could eat. Their massive jaw muscles allowed them to crunch even thick bones and inflict serious damage on prey or attackers. When hunting, their powerful jaws could sink deep into their prey, inflicting fatal wounds, if not near-fatal. When hunting, tyrannosaurs would use coverage of forested areas and spring out at twenty-five miles per hour.

Unlike what most scientists speculated, male tyrannosaurs were the larger and more aggressive ones; not the females. Battles over mates were easy to see from the scars on their faces and most of these scars could be found even on the animal's skull. Some battles even resulted in the loss of teeth, eyes, and in one case, arms. The males marked their territories by rubbing their bodies down rocks or trees as both a warning to other males and an invitation to females.

If any tyrannosaur was recognizable, it was the infamous Scarface; the battle veteran of the island. When someone first described him in the middle ages, they referred to him as "neither crocodile nor dragon". Now, hundreds of years after his discovery, his skeletal remains could give us a hint of what he was like.

Scarface's face was covered in the scars from battles with his own kind amongst other species. The tip of his tail was bent from a fight with another male that he killed. A small array of bite marks on his shoulder blade suggested that he had a close encounter with a spinosaur or other predatory dinosaur. There was a huge scar on his right femur that could have come from a mammoth tusk trying to immobilize him. On his snout were a set of bite wounds that could have come from a battle in which he locked jaws with another predator. Some of the larger scars could have come from ground sloths or Spinosaurs, like the three slash wounds on the right side of his face. However, the most serious wound he ever got was during a battle with a ground sloth, which cost him his right eye.

Carcharodontosaur

Carcharodontosaurus rex (King of the Shark-tooth lizards)

42-50 feet long, 15 feet at shoulder

Carcharodontosaurs were one of the largest predators on Ancient Island, being longer than the tyrannosaurs, but not as heavy. If another carnivore was on a kill, they would quickly make way for this behemoth.

Carcharodontosaur jaws weren't as strong as Tyrannosaur jaws and their teeth were made to tear flesh rather than crush bone. Like most of the carnivorous dinosaurs here, their ribcage was more flexible than their prehistoric ancestors'. Another adaptation was their crocodile-like armor, which could protect them from each other and most other predators. The only known animals to damage them were Tyrannosaurs, Apes, and the infamous Archaeodraco.

Carcharodontosaurs paired for life, working together to take down prey as large as mammoths and, if they could, Brachiosaurs. Although they could kill large animals with relative ease, they weren't much of fighters, often using their size to chase other animals away. And like other theropod dinosaurs, their forelimbs were useless in attack.

Carcharodontosaurs relied on color to tell genders apart. Males were a deep orange while females were steely gray and their young were, oddly enough, mixed colors of green to hide from most predators. These colors faded as they reached adolescence.


So, the huge animals are out here in the grasslands, including ol' Scarface. Whaddya think?