Long Neckin" Love
Summary: In the Upper Shaximiao Formation in the Middle Jurassic 160 Million years ago, China, four Mamenchisaurus males of different species after living a solitary existence are brought together to a large open plain as the breeding season is here. There they must challenge for the right to mate.
Cast: Mamenchisaurus (hochuanensis, constructus, youngi, and jingyanensis )(focus), Gigantspinosaurus, Chungkingosaurus, Tuojiangosaurus, Yingshanosaurus, Omeisaurus (changshouensis, maoianus, and fuxiensis), Sinraptor, Yangchuanosaurus shangyouensis, and Sinaspideretes.
It starts off in the first hall of the Dinosaur Hall of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles near a display showing two life size sculpted models of Fruitadens as Thomas stands behind them. "Dinosaurs have come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, some were small and bipedal like these two fruitadens and others were titans, the largest land animals ever to walk the earth. The largest were the sauropods, long-necked dinosaurs like Apatosaurus, Brontosaurus, Camarasaurus, Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus, Dreadnoughtus, Alamosaurus, Argentinosaurs, and this." As he walks up to a large skeleton display next to a mural featuring two dinosaurs as the same species as the skeleton, he brings out a cast model on his hand. "Mamenchisaurus. This sauropod is known for their remarkably long necks which made up nearly half the total body length, Complete necks known in Mamenchisaurus youngi and Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis, can consist of 18 and 19 vertebrae. Many species have been described and lived from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous and differ in overall size and specific features of the skull and skeleton but share typical sauropod traits, like quadrupedalism, large bodies, small heads, and long tails. Their long necks would have aided them to reach high treetops out of reach of other herbivores. But is there another purpose to their necks what if they were used in combat?"
. . . . .
The Forests of Sichuan, China during the Middle Jurassic Period in the Upper Shaxiamo Formation. The Jurassic is considered the Golden Age of the Dinosaurs as they were at their most diverse and reached gigantic proportions. Among them were the Sauropods; these open canopy pathways were created by the giant long necks and other herbivores through browsing and clearing of trees like this bachelor herd of Mamenchisaurus. This four member herd represents four different species, Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis, Mamenchisaurus constructus, Mamenchisaurus youngi, and Mamenchisaurus jingyanensis. They have been around together since the day they hatched and living a typical bachelor life, but today a significant event is coming as they reached a certain age of adulthood after surviving many years from predators and the natural elements.
As the herd travels through these well-used paths as a few stop briefly to browse some leaves off their branches of the tallest trees soon the bachelor herd notices in a forest clearing, a gathering of Stegosaurs of three different species. Gigantspinosaurus, a medium sized stegosaurs known for its distinctive appearance with relatively small dorsal plates and greatly enlarged shoulder spines, twice the length of the shoulder blades on which they rested via large flat bases and small triangular plates on the neck. Others include Yingshanosaurus and Chungkingosaurus was one of the smallest stegosaurs with a length of less than four meters although compared to the larger Tuojiangosaurus due to its smaller size, deeper snout and front lower jaws resulting in a relatively high and narrow skull. The Males have grown keratin sheaths on their plates which are brightly colored without break off after the mating season. The stegosaurs would strut about inflating their nasal and throat pouches, shaking and rattling their plates while swinging their tails to impress females. Sometimes there are disputes, males would wrestle, slamming with their necks, pushing and shoving, and swinging their tails trying to hit their opponents; sometimes they swing debris like sticks and rocks at them.
The four bachelors are joined by similarly related Omeisaurus which are half the size of the Mamenchisaurus including Omeisaurus changshouensis, Omeisaurus maoianus, and Omeisaurus fuxiensis. What sets some species apart is that Omeisaurus Maoianus, Omeisaurus fuxiensis, and Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis, sport small club tails mostly for defense against predators. Nearby, Sinraptor, metriacanthosaurid theropod dinosaur displays his throat pouch and bellowing to a female Sinraptor while by a creek a Yangchuanosaurus shangyouensis drinks alongside his mate as a Sinaspideretes turtles basks on some rocks.
The Sauropods have left the forest and entered a desolate vast plain to a gathering of sauropods. Omeisaurus and Mamenchisaurus have gathered here to mate with the females and spread their genes to the next generation. They inflate their throat sacs from their necks to show the females of their healthy and strong status. The Omeisaurus males would sometimes stand up tall rearing on their hind legs with their tail for support to show their throat sacs.
The Mamenchisaurus constructus struts about showing his throat sacs which he inflates to a group of females, The Mamenchisaurus youngi does the same, but swings his tail back in forth and neck bowing, the Mamenchisaurus jingyanensis does the same routine, added with bellowing and standing on his hind legs, but the Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis who follows the others also inflates his head ornamentations that he inflates around his head. The females watched the males while most turned their heads as a sign of rejection or not interested, only a few handful approached the three males as a sign of acceptance. But not much luck for the Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis male maybe next year.
Suddenly emerging from the herd is another male Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis only four years older, darker in color and covered in dust sees the younger male, he sees him as a rival and challenger as he bellows at the intruder. The Older male wants to drive the younger male away, but he refuses not to leave instead it's a fight. The two males circle each other as they inflate their throat gular neck sacs to intimidate one another. Not one is backing down, The battle has begun.
Soon the two males reared up on their hind legs and slammed their necks against each other like giraffes for a short amount of time. They fall back on four legs before circling again and slamming their necks again. There was also biting involved in the neck regions with their sharp peg-like teeth and clawing with their sharp claw thumbs around the chest and belly. Soon as they fall back and circle again the young male swings his long tail with its small clubtail at his opponent's head knocking him out before being slammed in the neck again. Then finally the knockout blow has been delivered.
The older male collapses under his own weight on the ground as he slowly gets up he is bitten by the younger male on the tail club to drive his opponent away. Once he walks away in defeat, the younger male has now taken the stage as he does the same mating routine again, this time a female approaches him. The fight would have been a sign of strength and health to prove to the females he is worthy. Soon all four bachelors have found their mates, they nuzzle each other neck to neck engaged in some Long Neckin' Love and soon their female partners are allowed to be mounted by them.
Soon as the gathering slowly disappears the bachelors all return to the forests only to return to the plains next year. The females also return to the forest too and bulk up their feeding as they will soon lay their clutches of eggs. Once they hatched they are on their own and if a few survive to adulthood they will go to the plains and engage in the mating ritual as their parents had before them.
Trivia/References:
-The Chinese Stegosaurs fighting based on Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.
-The Stegosaur plate shedding is also Camp Cretaceous, but inspired by the birds like puffins when their colorful beaks after the mating season.
-Head ornamentations of Mamenchisaurus hochuanensis is based on an artwork from DeviantArt "Dinovember 2019, Mamenchisaurus" by DevinQuigleyArt
-The Mamenchisaurus fight is inspired by the Dreadnoughtus fight from Prehistoric Planet, although I'm not sure if Mamenchisaurus did this in life.
You can suggest ideas for stories for the other creatures and can suggest dialogues, scenes, and natural or speculative behaviors for the prehistoric animals.
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The Next Story is "The Early Giants" which takes place in Germany of the Late Triassic and follows two Plateosaurus mothers of different species raising their young in a dangerous world full of predators.
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