Habrosaurus
Scientific Classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Sirenidae
Genus: Habrosaurus
Type Species: Habrosaurus dilatus meaning "graceful lizard."
Described by Charles Whitney Gillmore, 1933
Species:
-Habrosaurus dilatus, Gillmore, 1933.
-Habrosaurus prodilatus, Gardner, 2003.
Synonym: Adelphesiren
Current Park Population: (9; all adults; 4 male, 5 female)
Park Diet: Crickets, mealworms, waxworms, shrimps, crayfish, thawed small fish, and bloodworms.
Natural Diet: Insects, mollusks, shrimps, fish, and other invertebrates
Lifespan: 25 years
Habitat: Rivers, Streams, Waterways, Ponds, Lakes, Creeks, Floodplains, Swamps, Estuaries, and Coastal Shores.
Native Ecosystem: Western North America, on what was then an island continent known as Laramidia. Hell Creek Formation, Lance Formation, Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada, Wyoming, Montana USA, 84.9-58.7 Million Years Ago, Campanian-Paleocene Stage, Late Cretaceous-Paleocene, and Cenozoic-Mesozoic.
Breeding Season: February-March.
Gestation Period: One-Two Months.
Eggs Laid: 200-500 eggs.
Hatching Time: Four-Seven Weeks.
Danger Level: 3 out of 10.
Summary: The Largest amphibian of the Hell Creek Habrosaurus was a gigantic sirenid. Sirens are characterized by having extremely long, eel-like bodies, front limbs only (no back legs), and gills, and live their entire lives in freshwater but can also burrow into the mud if they need to.
Description: This salamander is related to modern siren salamanders (Sirenidae) and shares their long, eellike form and truncated limbs
Habrosaurus dilatus
Adults are grayish brown with black spots, a dark black face, and pale pink external gills.
Larvae are dark brown with thin pale tails.
Size: The length of Habrosaurus was estimated to be around 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in), estimated from its trunk vertebrae length (up to 2 cm long), It was fairly big, rivaling the length of the modern giant salamander.
Classification: Habrosaurus is a sister taxa to both Pseudobranchus and Siren which are the only genera in the family Sirenidae. Sirenids are classified by their neotenous traits (complete lack of hindlimbs and external gills in both larval and adult states).
Dentition and Diet: Habrosaurus prodilatus possessed chisel-like teeth, while Habrosaurus dilatus had bulkier crowns. The teeth of H. dilatus also exhibited heavy wear facets while those of H. prodilatus had only mild wear, suggesting that H. dilatus was more adapted for durophagy than H. prodilatus. H. dilatus may have preyed upon arthropods with hard carapaces as well as mollusks.
Growth and ontogeny: Unlike many amphibians, sirens like Habrosaurus do not undergo metamorphosis, but rather stay fully aquatic their entire lives, simply growing larger as they age.
Interactions with other species: Habrosaurus is mostly aquatic, and can be found frequently in Hell Creek's swampy areas.These amphibians do face predation Pectinodon, Dromaeosaurus, Acheroraptor, Anzu, Trierarchuncus, Dinilysia, and juvenile T. Rex when they come to waterways, semi-aquatic predators include fish, Didelphodon, Borealosuchus, Thoracosaurus, Champsosaurus, Brachychampsa, and Axestemys.
When large dinosaurs come to drink they would on occasion get bitten in the nose by these amphibians if they get too close to the Siren.
Extinction: These sirens could have burrowed in mud and undergone aestivation which allowed them to survive the K-PG Mass Extinction.
Danger Tip: They are slippery to handle, always but it's best to wash your hands after touching them as they could carry parasites and diseases. Also, humans can spread disease and parasites to the amphibians too as they have sensitive absorbable skin, and staff are recommended to wear gloves. When handled be careful they can deliver a nasty bite if threatened.
Significant Events: On the Team's Final Day of their First Rescue Mission, the team comes upon a group of Habrosaurus swimming underwater seen alongside other amphibians, Scapherpetons, and fish. They were captured in nets to be transported to the Park. They now reside in the Hell Creek Forest Building.
Hell Creek Forest Building Terrariums: The Habrosaurus live in one of three terrarium tanks for the three Hell Creek Amphibians alongside Palaeobatrachus and Scapherpetons. It is filled with water with logs and aquatic plants for the Habrosaurus to live and hide in.
Notable Individual: Hell Creek Forest Building Terrariums: The Scapherpetons live in one of three terrarium tanks for the three Hell Creek Amphibians. The Palaeobatrachus tank has a land section for them to rest on alongside leaf litter, wooden sticks, and parts of a rotten log. You can see the salamanders resting under the log close to the glass viewing panel.
Bessy: A large female Habrosaurus, she can bite if you approach her space or try to handle her.
Conclusion: Amphibians were quite diverse in size and Habrosaurus represents how some amphibians managed to reach large sizes in the Mesozoic. These bizarre amphibians would be unusual to visitors the first time seeing them in Prehistoric Park.
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