Protos of Mongolia

Summary: It focuses on a herd of Protoceratops living in the harsh deserts of the Djadochta Formation, Mongolia, 73 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous. They must deal with many predators including a night raid of their archenemies the Velociraptor.

Cast: Protoceratops(Focus), Aepyornithomimus, 'Ukhaa Tolgod protoceratopsid', 'Mongolian Alioramus', Almas, Archaeornithoides, Apsaravis, 'Mongolian Bagaceratops sp.', Byronosaurus, 'Zamyn Khondt oviraptorid', Citipati, Deltatheridium, Elsornis, Gobekko, Gobipteryx, Gobivenator Goyocephale, Halszkaraptor, Khaan, Mahakala, Minotaurasaurus, 'Ronaldoraptor' or"Mitrata" Oviraptorid , Oviraptor, Pinacosaurus, Saurornithoides, Shamosuchus, Shuvuuia, 'Mongolian Tarbosaur', Tsaagan, Udanoceratops, and Velociraptor.

It starts in an office room with Thomas standing by a podium with a skull of a ceratopsid dinosaur as he holds a cast model of one. "This here is a skull of a Protoceratops, a distant early relative of the more famous Triceratops, the name even means "First-horned Face." It had the horns seen in its predecessors, but it sported the iconic frill it would use for display and defense against predators like Velociraptors. They were the sheep of the Cretaceous roaming in herds across the deserts of Cretaceous Mongolia, but how did these animals survive in such a harsh extreme environment?"

The sun shines over the arid Gobi desert of Mongolia. This is the Djadochta Formation 73 million years ago in the early Cretaceous, dunes dot the landscape alongside rocky hills and spare vegetation. Dinosaurs and other creatures have to evolve adaptions to endure these harsh conditions. In the distance group of silhouettes walking across the dunes are on the move, a herd of Protoceratops. These dinosaurs formed herds throughout their life and such herds would have varied in composition, with some including adults, sub-adults, siblings from a single nest, or local members of a herd joining shortly after hatching. They have been on the move since morning and the afternoon is when the heat is at its worse, they must find a place to rest, or else they will die of heat exhaustion.

They are later joined by other ceratopsids one of them the 'Ukhaa Tolgod protoceratops', although not described by a proper name, they are known by "Numerous skulls and remains," Mongolian "Bagaceratops", and the larger Udanoceratops, It is the largest leptoceratopsid known so far estimated at to have reached nearly 4 m (13 ft) long with a weight of 700 kg (1,500 lb). This ceratopsid caravan has increased in numbers as more appeared making the pilgrimage, one of them is a young male who has reached the stage of sexual maturity.

Something is stalking among the dunes, a large undescribed tyrannosaur, the 'Mongolian Tarbosaur' slowly stalks the herd. Once close enough it emerges and gives chase. The herd flees from the large predator as the tyrannosaur selects his target, a Udanoceratops. But this ceratopsid can fight back against predators like the Tarbosaur. Whilst the tyrannosaur may be the apex predator of this habitat and bigger than its target, the Udanoceratops is still no easy target, and with its powerful beak and jaws the ceratopsian bites down hard on its attacker's leg. As the fight continues, The Tyrannosaur gives up and lets the Udanoceratops return to the herd.

They are now away from harm and as they travel they are later joined by flocks of oviraptorids, the famous Oviraptor, the largest was Citipati, Khaan, 'Zamyn Khondt oviraptor' although not named but known by a nearly complete skull, and "Ronaldoraptor" known for their high crests, they are mostly omnivores feeding on nuts, fruits, plants. Small insects and animals, and sometimes eggs. They often accompany protoceratops and their relatives, with the oviraptorids' long necks and eyesight to provide a lookout and the Protoceratops' sense of sniff to warn one another of predators.

They follow a herd of ankylosaurs the larger Pinacosaurus and medium-sized Minotaurasaurus. They are covered with osteoderm armor and armed with club tails to defend themselves against large predators. The Pinacosaurus make loud, possibly bird-like vocalizations to communicate with one another. A fossilized larynx is composed of cricoid and arytenoid cartilages, similar to those of non-avian reptiles. However, its mobile cricoid-arytenoid joint and long arytenoid cartilages would have enabled the easy opening of the glottis, thus allowing air-flow control similar to that of birds. Also, the cartilages were ossified, implying that laryngeal ossification is a feature of some non-avian dinosaurs. This structure represents the oldest known example of a larynx preserved in a dinosaur.

Soon they arrived at an oasis, the Ankylosaurs feed on tough leaves and pulpy fruits. Ankylosaurs living in dry environments such as Pinacosaurus and Minotaurasaurus may have relied more on hindgut fermentation for digestion or consumed succulent plants that did not require complex chewing. These ankylosaurids may have also been restricted to simple oral pulping and might have had to deal with more grit during feeding compared to ankylosaurs that lived in tropical to subtropical climates, as indicated by the microwear pits. As the adults feed, youngsters spare by slamming on their sides and swinging their club tails at one another, this skill will be useful in combat against predators or rival males.

At this oasis, a flock of Aepyornithomimus, ornithomimids had arrived to drink they lower their necks and scoop up water in their beaks, and lift their head, tilting them backward, and the water slides down their long throat. There is also a group of pachycephalosaurs called Goyocephale and swimming in the oasis is a flock of Halszkaraptors and Mahakalas, unlike the Velociraptors. These dromaeosaurs about the size of a duck, evolved to a semi-aquatic lifestyle, they swim and dive underwater to catch with their snouts full of needle-sharp teeth.

A hunter stalks in the bushes and scrubs, Saurornithoides, this troodontid is fast on his hind legs and has excellent sight and hearing. The Troodontid gives chases causing the Halszkaraptors and Mahakalas to dive underwater for cover and the groups of Aepyornithomimus and Goyocephales to flee. The Saurornithoides leaps and lands on a Goyocephale restraining the dinosaur with its sickle claws and feet claws as it delivers the killing blow and feasts.

As the dinosaurs drink, they are being watched, by a float of Shamosuchus, crocodyliforms. The eye and nasal openings were not raised above the skull as in modern crocodilians so the animal would have to raise its head completely out of the water to breathe. It fed mostly on aquatic invertebrates like clams but will catch small dinosaurs if given the chance. The Shamosuchus approaches the shore towards the protoceratops slowly towards the striking distance. Suddenly, the Shamosuchus is grabbed by a pair of jaws with teeth, it belongs to one of the desert's larger carnivores rising from the bushes and reeds, the 'Mongolian Alioramus', another dinosaur only known from undescribed remains. The tyrannosaur has the crocodilian halfway down its throat as it bites through the flesh to better digest it more. The protoceratops stood and watched with their young in the center and on guard and decided it is not safe to be around here for long as they head to another section of the oasis.

Flocks of birds gathered around the oasis, some pecking the ground for seeds and insects and drinking from the water's edge like Apsaravis, enantiornithine birds like Gobipteryx, and the flightless Elsornis. A Troodontid named after a cryptid bigfoot creature called Almas slowly stalks among the vegetation slowly creeping towards the birds. It gives chases causing the birds to fly away and leaps into the air, but misses the flying birds, oh well, better luck next time.

The Ceratopsids also started feeding on the plants, Udanoceratops's short, deep jaws would have given the animal a powerful bite. The toothless beak would have served to grasp and crop stems or leaves, and as in other leptoceratopsids, the teeth would have met with an action that combined shearing and crushing. The feeding adaptations seen in leptoceratopsids suggest a diet of relatively tough food items. Protoceratops were most likely low browsers due to their relatively small body size. This low-browsing method would have allowed them to feed on foliage and fruits within range. A few Protoceratops even go to great lengths to climb up trees nearby to feed on the leaves and fruits, despite having no obvious adaptions for climbing.

Soon Night has fallen, and the Ceratopsids started digging. Based on fossils, scientists learn that dinosaurs like Protoceratops are capable burrowers they would have used their hindlimbs to dig burrows or take shelter under bushes and/or scrapes to escape the hottest temperatures of the day. A digging action with the hindlimbs was likely facilitated by the strong caudofemoralis muscle and its large feet equipped with flat, shovel-like unguals and they would have burrowed backward. Protoceratops were Mesopic (cathemeral) animals—which are irregularly active throughout the day and night—between these two ranges, However, a subsequent study in 2021 found that Protoceratops had a greater capability of nocturnal vision.

A small group of Archaeornithoides awakened from their slumber, all stood up, and started searching for prey in the darkest of the night. A Byronosaurus nips on some leaves from the scrubs and branches, Byronosaurus like all troodontids were omnivores although she eats mostly meat, but with her jaws which have unserrated teeth, she would feed on plants occasionally. A Gobekko, a type of gecko-like lizard climbs up the trees using its feet. The bottom surface of a Gobekko's foot will consist of millions of hairy structures called setae. These setae are 5 mm long and are thinner than human hair. This help maximizes contact with a surface and can stick to any surface thanks to tiny hair-like structures on the bottoms of their feet.

On a cliff a Mammal emerges from its burrow, a Deltatheridium, recent studies show that Deltatherium was a marsupial, making it the earliest known member of the group, Metatherians. It finds a Archaeornithoides who has wandered away from its flock, the marsupial slowly creeps closer and jumps on the troodontid grabbing by the neck. The troodontid tries to shake the mammal off, there is a fossil skull of Archaeornithoides with bite marks made by Deltatherium. The Troodontid slips on the dune as both animals rolled down during this the Troodontid shook the mammal off as they landed and ran off leaving the Deltatherium in defeat to find food elsewhere.

The mammal notices a Shuvuuia, an Alvarezsaur, At 1 m (3.3 ft) in length and 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) in body mass, it is one of the smallest known non-avian dinosaurs. The skull is lightly built with long and slender jaws and minute teeth. Shuvuuia is unique among non-avian theropods in the skull's ability to perform prokinesis, that is, it could flex its upper jaw independently of its braincase. It has found a nest full of termites and uses its claws to dig and its long tongue to slurp the termites up. Like other alvarezsaurids, Shuvuuia may have used its forelimbs to open insect nests, and its slender, unusually mobile jaws to probe after such prey. However, new research based on analysis of the theropod's ears suggests that it was actually an owl-like, nocturnal hunter which used its strong legs to run down prey, and its arms to dig small prey such as insects and mammals out of burrows and shrubs; its lagena is about the same size as that of barn owls, giving it a superb hearing in addition to its fantastic night vision (analyzed by looking at its scleral ring) allowing it to potentially hunt in complete darkness, but it must leave as other predators are running about.

A Tsaagan, another troodontid, they are one of the most intelligent of dinosaurs right now his nose detects the smell of decaying meat and as he follows the source, other troodontids have sniffed the smell too. A Gobivenator and his young who have awakened have come to the oasis to drink at the water's edges. Soon attracted to the smell of meat, they alongside other members of their species, Archaeoindithodes, Byronosaurus, Saurornithoides, and Tsaagans arrived to see a dead sauropod carcass from one of the sauropod migrants.

It has been opened and taken apart for the troodontids to feed on, nearby the predators who made the kill was a pack of Mongolian 'Tarbosaurs' now sleeping with full bellies. The 'Alioramus' is also sleeping in a small cave it found. The Troodontids passing by the Protoceratops herd are met with bellows and gruntings by the ceratopsids, the young male charges at a passing Tsaagan. But tonight, if they are to survive they must face a deadly threat.

A pair of feet land on the rocks of a hill with sickle claws, a dromaeosaur, a well-known dinosaur, Velociraptor. The night is the best time to hunt, the Velociraptor pack comes upon the Ceratopsids resting in the desert night sky. They spread out hiding in the bushes, rocks, and shrubs looking for weakness. The young male finds himself away from the herd, then the lead raptor jumps down from the rocky hill and lands on its back. The protoceratops male bellows and tries to shake the raptor off, the commotion alerts the herd and an oviraptor sounds the alert. The element of surprise is now lost, now it's time to cause chaos.

The Ceratopsids started to flee and head straight for their burrows using their heads as plugs blocking the entrance with their sharp beaks and frills. Most of them have disappeared back into their burrows, a few velociraptors tried to break in and dig them out only to be meant with sharp beaks. The young male is now in a pickle as it tries to shake off the velociraptor off its back, they both trip with the protoceratops landing on the velociraptor. As the Velociraptor slashes his left shoulder with his left foot with the claws grasping his neck, the young male protoceratops delivers a hard sharp bite to the neck killing the raptor instantly. The rest of the velociraptors seeing this flee from the herd as the Protoceratops feasts on the dead body.

The next morning, the herd survived the night. The young male has fought bravely against the velociraptor with the herd looking on at him impressively. Soon it was time to move to the next location as the Protos of Arabia set off once again in the Deserts of Cretaceous Mongolia.

Trivia/References:

-The title refers to the "Lawrence of Arabia."

-The Mongolian 'Alioramus' swallowing the Shamosuchus is a reference to segment in the Disney's Animal Kingdom Ride, Dinosaur.

-The Ceratopsid burrow head shields are based on warthogs.

-The Protoceratops eating on a tree like goats is based on an artwork by John Conway and the cover of All Yesterday's

-Udanoceratops fighting off the Mongolian 'Tarbosaur' is based on an Olmagon artwork, Djadochta July Days 22 to 31.

-Protoceratops eating the killed velociraptor is based on an artwork by Shadonic Hedgehog.

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