Synopsis: "This story will talk about a female Alioramus named Ally, a cousin of Zion, and we will witness her life as she grows up."
Somewhere between the Iren Dabasu, Bayan Shireh and Nemegt Formations/Mongolia
80 - 70 million years ago/Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous
Somewhere in the middle of an oasis in the vast and desolate Mongolian Desert, in a nest made of Cretaceous desert sand and plants, is a clutch of eggs. It is currently the dry season, and there are already signs of life. Inside one of the eggs, a tiny little creature is struggling to break out of her egg chamber, using the tip of her snout to push through the outer shell. She finally works her way out of the egg and stumbles into the nest. As for what species she is, she has two legs with three toes on each foot, a long tail, two tiny arms with two-fingered hands, and a pair of powerful jaws filled with sharp teeth. Not to mention sharp vision, excellent hearing, and an acute sense of smell. She kinda has the same body type, shape and design as an Alectrosaurus, like Zion, only more slenderized. This is a baby Alioramus remotus, a close relative of Alectrosaurus, and another much smaller relative of the mighty North American Tyrannosaurus rex. She will be named Ally, and she's the one who will lead us throughout her desert home in 85 million year old Mongolia.
Right now, she watches as her brothers and sisters hatch from out of their eggs, as they call out together. Then, she stumbles out of the nest to explore her brave new world. Suddenly, a huge pair of adult Alioramus, who have heard the sounds of the hatching, approach the nest. They are all at the both of their mercy. Fortunately though, these are their parents. The slightly-shorter one to the right is their mother, and the slightly-taller one to the left is their father. Ally is awestruck by the size of his parents, who welcome her and her siblings to the world by nuzzling them, along with a warming shine of sunlight. For now, she can rely on her parents' protection, but within weeks, she will have to learn to stand on her own two feet. In about five short years, she could become a relatively large and agile predator like her parents, but the odds on her surviving that long, right now, are low.
2 hours later….
Ally and her siblings have been staying very close to the nest. But if anything, it is starting to become much less of a safe place to be. Nearby, a pair of predatory Adasaurus mongoliensis watch the brood, waiting for their chance. The mother and father Alioramus are about three times their size, so they will not venture too close while they are present. However, the smell of all these new hatchlings will soon attract other larger predators. So eventually, the parents decide that it is time to lead their unruly brood away.
3 days later….
The father Alioramus has gone out in search of another meal for his family. He and his mate have found a safe new home for their young, and so, his mate has stayed behind to look after Ally and her brothers and sisters. He's been searching through the forest for about two whole minutes now, then, as he leaves the forest and arrives at the watering hole, he notices something that could be promising. He comes upon a small herd of Gilmoreosaurus mongoliensis, a type of medium-sized hadrosaur about 20 feet long. They have come here to quest their thirst. This species of herbivore should be a much easier prey item for him to make a kill out of. Now, all he has to do is set an ambush. As he slowly and silently makes her way around, he can sense that the herd is increasingly nervous. They know that this watering hole is a good place for an ambush, and will scatter at the first sign of danger. If he is to get a meal for his family, the element of surprise will be very crucial, indeed. He is now almost within striking distance. Just then, the herd senses danger and starts to break up. Then suddenly, he rushes out of the trees nearby, and manages to get a hold of one herd member, and kills it by snapping its neck. At last, success. He picks up his catch by the base of its snapped neck and carries it back to his family's new nest.
Back at which, his mate and offspring wait patiently for him. The moment they had heard the kill, Ally and her siblings rush to the entrance of their new family lair and start calling to him, begging for food. The father finally returns and place the kill in the center of their new lair. Ally and his siblings gorge voraciously on the corpse, while their parents watch them do so as they nuzzle one another.
5 months later….
5 months have passed, and Ally and her siblings have grown to 3.5 meters in length. They are each now in the prime of their lives, and are ready to begin their first hunt. Around this part of the area, there are plenty of opportunities. The family locks on to, and begins to stalk, a nearby flock of Anserimimus planinychus, who are looking for plants, insects, lizards and small mammals for food. They don't sense the danger, and, instead, focus their attention on feeding on the fresh vegetation while looking for insects, lizards and small mammals to eat as well. But no one seems willing to make the first move, even the parents. Or, at least, almost no one. In her mother's and siblings' stead, being as both the eldest and most confident of which, Ally dares to take on the challenge of the hunt today. She begins to move slowly towards them trying to be as quiet as she possibly can, with the exception of the sounds of her footsteps and hissing of her breath. Her mother and siblings watch her carefully. These creatures are smaller than they are, but they're not easy to take down, given how fast and fleet-footed they are. Ally will likely fail, unless she finds their weak point and quickly overpowers one.
She gets as close as he possibly can, still unnoticed, then, once she feels that she is within striking distance, she breaks cover, roaring fiercely, and springs into action! Just as the Anserimimus begin to scatter, Ally, being a fast and fleet-footed predator, chooses her target, and puts on an incredible burst of speed before quickly grabbing it by its weak point, having already found it. She shakes and crushes it to death with tremendous force, killing it in an instant, before throwing it to the ground. For Ally, this is her first successful hunt. She lets out a mighty victorious roar.
She picks up her catch by the base of its neck and carries it back over to her family, who are very impressed, as this prize is not only for her. Her mother and father proudly nuzzles their daughter to offer their congratulations, before her siblings all do the same to her. Tomorrow, she will learn how to be a successful pack hunter, hunting with her mother, father and siblings. For now, they begin to feed upon the Anserimimus, which will be one of the last they'll have together, since it will still be another ten more months before Ally and his siblings will be able to live on their own. Some will live alone, while others, who have a strong bond with each other, will live with each other for survival.
2 years later…. (Ally's Second Year)
Ally now hunts alone, with only one of her sisters for companionship. The rest of her siblings have parted ways with her, and they have all parted ways with their parents and are thriving. Measuring about 3 and a half meters long, they are both on the road to adulthood. Right now at the moment, they are currently on the hunt. There's a wide variety of choices for them to make in this desert oasis that makes up part of their territory and hunting grounds. A small group of Homalocephale calathocercos look ideal, but there is a big problem. A small herd of heavily-armored Dyoplosaurus giganteus is grazing on low-lying desert plants nearby. The Homalocephale feed off the smashed ones they leave behind. This means they're sticking very close to them. Too close for a pair of small predators to get in between and attack. A mother Adasaurus attending her nest nearby may prove more promising. But the two small Alioramus sisters are about to find out they're no match for an over-protective mother. The Adasaurus snarls, hisses and screeches at them as she attempts to ward them off. Knowing better than to get too close, the pair walks off to find something else that could prove more promising. Nearby, a flock of Gallimimus bullatus offers Ally and her sister one more chance. They seize the moment and charge straight at them, but they scatter the minute they notice them, causing them to fail, and roar in frustration. They have both forgotten that they are ambush predators. They have also ended up too near the edge of the oasis. Not far away, a herd of the long-necked sauropod, Opisthocoelicaudia skarzynskii, is approaching the oasis, looking for new plant growth. Not exactly suitable prey for Ally and her sister.
Meanwhile, Ally and her sister are still at it. They've come across a flock of Anserimimus, who are local residents to the oasis and currently feeding on some desert plants and looking for small creatures like insects, lizards and mammals to eat. After one unsuccessful attack on the flock of their larger relatives, the sisters need to make a kill soon. However, unfortunately for them, there is nowhere to hide. So, a surprise attack is impossible. Instead, they resort to creating panic. The sisters then charge and the flock of Anserimimus flees. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them with Ally and her sister in hot pursuit behind them. They need to pick out a single target... and stick with it. But as the chase goes on, the group starts to pull away from the Alioramus sisters, and they eventually come to a halt. The Anserimimus' bursts of speed just give them the edge. Ally and her sister watch their prey run off before they bellow and growl in frustration. Each failed hunt uses up more precious energy... bringing them both ever closer to starvation. But, it's not long before there's another opportunity.
The Anserimimus flock arrives at an area with some dunes nearby and soon begin feeding and foraging again. Nearby, Ally and her sister watch them from atop of a dune and realize that they can use this area to their advantage. They know that it's a perfect spot for an ambush and soon begin to come up with a plan for one. Ally quietly heads down towards the target, while her sister quietly makes her way around to the ambush spot. Nearby, Ally, using the dunes as cover, stalks the Anserimimus silently from close by. Desert plants and a sandy outcrop could give her and her sister a second chance. The Anserimimus flock continues foraging as Ally slowly stalks closer and peeks over some plants while stalking closer to her prey. Now, she's harder to spot. Every inch forward brings her and her sister ever closer to success. She inches closer holding her right foot up as one Anserimimus has its back turned on her while feeding. And soon another Anserimimus hears muffled footsteps approaching and looks up as Ally is now within striking distance and charges! The Anserimimus flock suddenly notices her and one screeches in horror as they all took off as Ally pursuits after them. Now, this time for Ally, fueled by enraging levels of adrenaline, there is no stopping this time. And then, a miraculous stroke of luck as one flock member banks left near as she nearly snatches it. And so, she selects his target. And sticks with it. The lone Anserimimus ran for its life with Ally right behind it. And she knew that it was the moment of truth as she slowly gains on her target as the chase leads her to the duneside where her sister is waiting... in ambush. Ally's sister bursts out of hiding and snatches the Anserimimus by the neck and wrestles it to the ground and soon made the final blow.
At last. Success. Ally's sister picks up their catch by the base of its neck, and they bring it all the way back to their lair, where their nest is. Soon they then begin to feed upon the carcass. It should keep them both fed for about up to 10 days or more.
3 weeks later...
Ally is seen close by. And by the looks of it, she is not hunting. She and his sister have recently eaten, and right now, she is patrolling the borderlines of their territory, while her sister is back at their lair, guarding it. Ally's territory is made of desert and occasional desert oases on the west side, wet and humid floodplains with large river channels on the south side, semi-arid environments with trees to the north side, and large expanses of forests on the east side. Right now, in fact, she is currently patrolling that very area in particular. She usually hunts in this area before the peak of every wet season, but not this time. She'll wait for when that comes in about one month time, because that time is when a particular type of bonanza is available for her to take advantage of. For now, she continues on her daily territorial patrol.
1 month later...
Somewhere in the forests on the east side of Ally's territory, the wet season is at its peak. This is when many plants and trees produce their fruit, and amongst the most highly-prized are the berries and nuts that grow in these forests. A bonanza for dinosaurs called Conchoraptor gracilis. Although they have feathers, they're flightless. They're also small, only 1 - 2 meters in length. Unlike many of their oviraptorid relatives, they lack head crests, but like them, they also lack teeth. Instead of which, they have powerful beaks, perfectly adapted to crushing mollusk shells. These have found a particularly abundant fall of fruit, but such gatherings, like this, can attract unwelcome attention.
Nearby, just a distance of 20 - 30 yards away from them, Ally silently stalks and sneaks up on them, hoping to catch one. As the top predator in these Asiatic forests, she will be their predator for today. And so, this is what she's been waiting for. She slowly and silently stalks even closer towards the group. If she is to catch a Conchoraptor, she'll have to get close. But not too close. There's not much cover here. But her prey have still not noticed her. Ally was almost within striking distance as she then freezes and carefully watches the Conchoraptors continue their foraging while one serves as a lookout to keep watch for predators, but hasn't yet noticed her. She then slowly stalks and then freezes again as the lookout continues keeping watch, but still hasn't noticed her. Then, as she carefully places her right foot on the leaf-covered ground softly, The Conchoraptors then looked alerted as if they realized they weren't alone. Deciding that she is close enough, Ally springs into action as she bursts out of hiding and charges towards the flock, causing the Conchoraptors to panic and squawk like crazy as she roars and misses a near snatch of a fleeing flock member, and so, they all quickly ran away as fast as their legs could carry them. Ally frustratedly watches them vanish into the forest. She has failed. But then, most hunts throughout the history of life fail most of the time.
As the seasonal winds strengthen, many of the trees in these forests start to lose their leaves. The dry season will be a time of hardship. Nevertheless, a storm does create a brief opportunity for hunters, like Ally. She's trying again. She's less-conspicuous in the gloom, and the gusting wind is distracting. Nearby, the Conchoraptor flock are foraging once again and, this time, are more distanced from each other, and Ally locks onto the one that is much further away from the rest of the group. She takes advantage of the gloom concealing her and the loud gusts of wind drowning out the sound of her footsteps. By the time her target senses her incoming, it's too late. And with a huge single lunge, Ally grabs the oviraptorid by the back, causing both dinosaurs to tumble and skid on the forest floor, and then finishes the job by crushing her prey's neck while still on her side.
An 80-pound prize. All the more valuable since the dry season is now closing in. Having finally got her well-earned meal, Ally picks up her catch by the base of its neck and carries it back to her lair to share it with her sister.
2 years later…. (Ally's Fourth Year)
At age 4, Ally and her twin sister are each now an adolescent teenager. It's the dry season, and it is now at its very harshest. For predators like them, scavenging is the only way to survive during this harsh time of year. Only a few of the great herds of plant-eaters have moved on by now, to seek food and water elsewhere. For the rest that remain here, they will be the best options for Ally, her sister and all the other meat-eaters that live here. Just then, Ally and her sister pick up a scent, and follow it. They follow their noses downwind, about 5 miles southwest, for about 55 minutes. They at last reach their destination and find out the smell; a dead sauropod carcass. A potential feast for many. Right now, it is currently being fed upon by a pack of Raptorex kriegsteni, a small tyrannosaurid relative. And so, Ally and her sister waste no time in scaring them off it and claiming their share of it. This huge carcass would definitely be enough to keep both Alioramus sisters fed for about a couple of weeks, but they will only be here for so long, about as long as they decide. Once they've been here for long enough, they will eventually move on, to find food elsewhere.
3 days later...
A few days later, and Ally and her sister are seen sleeping with full stomachs. After spending three days of feeding on the dead sauropod carcass, they've decided that they will eventually move on once they're fully well-rested. Meanwhile, the pack of Raptorex from before are back for a shot at the leftovers. And they're not the only ones here. A little lizard, only a few inches long, eventually comes along in search of a meal. Now, Ally and her sister may keep everyone else away, but for the lizard, they might bring an opportunity. If there is one thing that attracts flies more than a carcass, it's a sleeping Alioramus that has been feeding on that carcass. Seeing the number of flies attracted to the carcass and the smelly faces of the two Alioramus sisters that've recently fed on the carcass, the lizard sees the good feeding opportunity, and musters up some courage to go after some flies, running on and around one of the two Alioramus sisters, in this case, Ally, trying to catch some of the flies that gathered around her face, taking caution not to awaken the large, mid-sized theropod. Time to be bold. Just then, one of the Raptorex rushes in and snaps up another lizard in the area. A second Raptorex, eyeing another lizard in the area, rushes at the little creature, but the lizard manages to run away in time. Carefully, the Raptorex sneak around the two sleeping Alioramus sisters, seeking out more lizards to eat. Finding another one, one of them goes after it, but the lizard rushes underneath Ally, causing the Raptorex to bump into her, waking her up. Ally then reaches out in an attempt to snap at the Raptorex, which rushes off with its pack as she gets up, causing her twin sister to also wake up. They eventually decide to leave the carcass, which has not that much left on it for them anymore, and so, the Alioramus sisters move on. Having consumed a lot of meat for three whole days, Ally and her sister will definitely be able to survive the rest of the dry season. Once they were gone, the Raptorex, who have just moved off in the distance, came out of hiding to finally claim their share of what little remains are left of the dead sauropod carcass. As it scampers away from the area, running across the desert once more to look for food, for the little lizard, the opportunity... has gone.
4 years later…. (Ally's Eighth Year)
4 years have passed, and the wet season is once again in full swing. The desert oases that make up most of the west side of Ally's territory are now, once again, returned to their full former glory. Large herds of herbivores gather to feed on the new desert plant growth of these desert oases that create excellent feeding grounds for them. But where there are large numbers of plant eaters…. there are great hunters, or meat eaters. Ally and her twin sister, who are now 8 years old, watch from close by, observing the herds and probing for any opportunities. Like most predators, their kind usually ambush their prey. But with so many watching eyes, they know that this is not the right time to attack. They'll wait for nightfall, and the cover of darkness, which will give them an advantage over their prey.
Several hours later….
As darkness falls, some of the herds that had been grazing and browsing use the forest of desert plants for shelter. Now, the odds switch in favor of the predators, like Ally and her sister, who are resting nearby. Ally wakes up and slowly and silently gets to her feet. Like all predatory theropod dinosaurs, tyrannosaurs have large eyes, much larger than those of their prey, which gives them superb low-light vision, but only somewhat better than that of their prey. Ally gently nudges her sister, waking her up. Her sister yawns and gets to her feet. Soon, they're on the prowl, once again. And like all their cousins and relatives, they're able to move through the oasis forest of desert plants in near-silence, thanks to cushioned pads on their feet.
They come upon a group of Saurolophus angustirostris, grazing nearby. As we know, they lack armor, but they're as big as Alioramus, and just as fast. To catch one in these types of conditions needs cunning. Each of the sibling hunters carefully moves into position. Then, one of them, Ally, deliberately makes a noise. The Saurolophus are officially alarmed. They now know that hunters are close, but they don't know exactly where they are out there in the permanent darkness. Time to spring the trap.
Ally's sister rushes out! She chases the Saurolophus straight to where she wants them! The herd panics, and bolts to where Ally is waiting…. in ambush. Ally bursts out of hiding and gets a hold of one by the neck. Then, she and his sister work together to knock over their prey and pin it down so they can deliver the final killing blow. The rest of the herd continues running for their lives without looking back.
A perfectly executed plan. Now, another meal has been provided for the Alioramus sisters. Ally grabs it in her jaws by the base of its neck and she and his sister drag their kill back to their lair, where they can eat it in safety and peace.
4 years later…. (Ally's Twelfth Year)
A very special time of year has come for all of the region's dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures; it's the mating season, and this is when the deserts and their oases, the floodplains and the semi-arid environments become very lively. And so, at the age of 12 years old, Ally has now grown into a young adult and has reached sexual maturity, and is now old enough to mate and reproduce. And so, for her and her sister, this season signals the chance for them to create and raise a family of their own. And they're not the only ones; Dinosaurs of all kinds from all across their territory are looking for a mate.
But as you and I know, finding a mate isn't always as easy as it looks.
For the sauropod, Opisthocoelicaudia, males start to display by rocking back on their tails and standing on their hind legs to impress potential mates, but soon enough, when too many males start doing it, occasionally, fights break out. With creatures this size, the forces at work during these confrontations are colossal. Enough to shatter ribs and shake the ground. The males engage in shouting matches, followed by necking, like modern Giraffes, pushing and shoving. That's usually bloodless.
And for the hadrosaurs, like Gilmoreosaurus and Saurolophus, Since males outnumber females, they must go through a fierce competition to win the affections of a female. They bellow and grunt at each other and even peck one another with their duck-like bills. The more vicious ones might even lash their competitors with their tails.
And then there are the pachycephalosaurs, like Homalocephale. Males use their thick bony skulls like battering rams to head-butt each other in order to win the impressions of the females. Those males of all different species who will be victorious in the end will win the right to mate.
But it's not always like that. Sometimes, there are better ways of getting a mate without having to fight for one. Along the banks of a river, dozens of male Anserimimus are preparing for the most important moment of their year. They choose the safety of this area in particular to scrape out shallow craters of sand to make nests out of. When the females arrive, they will choose to mate with the males who have made the best ones. Just then, one male with a stick in his beak, who is most likely a newcomer, arrives and makes his way through the colony to try and get back to his own nest. But he is hissed at by the other males, warding him off and away from theirs. Late arrivals like him find that nesting space is already in short supply. The only space left is on the area's margin by the riverbank, where he had just started to make his nest. And finding a place to nest is only just the start. When eggs are eventually laid, they will need to be kept warm in a bed of vegetation. The newcomer soon places the stick in his nest, as he was on a pretty poor start with the bedding. Then, he looks around at the other nests around his as the other males were busy tending to them. Finding enough nesting material is not easy… which is why some Anserimimus resort to thievery. One advantage of arriving late is that your neighbors have already done the hard work. An unguarded nest is too much of a temptation. In colonies like this, thievery can be so common that some nesting material, at one time or another, will have been part of almost every nest in the area. After two successful attempts to steal some nesting material from another male's nest for his own, the newcomer begins to go for another round. But robbery is risky. Soon, the owner of the nest spots the thieving newcomer and aggressively screeches at him, holding his feathered arms out. The newcomer backs off and minorily stumbles as he does so. Caught in the act. This temporarily frustrates him for the moment. It can take several years to perfect nest-building skills. But success doesn't only rely on experience. The young newcomer then looks around at the other males with their nests. In a crowded colony, there's always another potential victim. Then, one male heads off to collect more nesting materials, and the young newcomer quickly rushes over to his nest and grabs a stick to bring back to his own nest. For Anserimimus, this nesting area will provide sanctuary for both the eggs and the young when they hatch.
Meanwhile, Ally is also prepared for the mating season. She proceeds to use a mating call to attract a wandering male to her territory. And after what seemed like hours of calling, her calls have been heard. A male Alioramus arrives at Ally's lair, carrying the 40 pound corpse of a juvenile Saurolophus as a gift to appease her. She seems impressed, but he can sense, and knows, that she is wary. So, a little persuasion might have to be necessary. He must first prove to Ally that, just like her, he has what it takes to insure producing the next generation. In addition to being a prize from a recent hunt and a gift to appease her, the dead Saurolophus juvenile also suggests that he is a good hunter, and carrying it all the way here has proved that he's a strong male. Then, he begins to perform a type of courtship mating dance. Ally watches him carefully. Her sister does the same from the sideline. He slowly bobs his head up and down and produces a deep romping sound, before bowing down and raising his tail up and swaying from side to side. Then, he raises his head up all the way and also makes a soothing vibrating with his throat. His mesmerizing movement and deep romping calls seem to be eliciting the right response, thus impressing Ally. And she mirrors his courtship dance. At last, Ally shows him that she accepts him as a mate by gently rubbing his face with hers. And they both make a type of deep low rumbling sound as they nuzzle each other. They form their relationship, and then, the male places his gift for Ally at her feet and then gives her some space. Ally feeds from it, as she has accepted him for who and what he is. Even so, until she finishes eating the juvenile Saurolophus, the male still keeps his distance.
3 hours later….
Soon enough, Ally and her new husband mate. And just like hers before her, Ally will eventually become a mother. And her new mate will eventually become a father. In the not-too distant future, she will soon lay up to about 13 eggs that, in about 2 months after that, will hatch into a whole new generation of Alioramus.
2 years later…. (Ally's Fourteenth Year)
Two months ago, each species of dinosaur laid a foundation for the future. And so, as a result, lots of the eggs that have been laid have hatched. The Opisthocoelicaudia nesting ground is teeming with new life; up to thousands of hatchlings. Without their mothers' protection, they will have to go it alone, staying completely safe and well-hidden in the underbrush of the forest, until they're both big and old enough to join their mothers' herd. The Anserimimus nesting grounds are also full of new life. As are the nesting grounds of Gilmoreosaurus and Saurolophus. The young from last year have grown, and test out their newfound strength. The same can all be said for a colony of nesting Conchoraptors. But in one nest, its clutch of eggs were not so lucky, except for one. The nest's owner is an Adasaurus, she has been committed to making sure that her offspring survive, though, unfortunately, all of her eggs, except one, have either been eaten through or stolen to eat by egg thieves. But, after two months of care and patience, she notices a little movement in the only one that has survived. Finally, it hatches. After everything she had been through, the Adasaurus has managed to bring a valuable new life into the world.
In Ally's territory, there are also signs of new life. By age 14, Ally is now fully grown and is now 5 meters long and weighs 2,000 pounds. Her mate and twin sister are the same as her. Against the odds, Ally and her mate have managed to produce three offspring. They're all about seven weeks old, and can already move quite well. Ally's sister is now the proud aunt of her children, and it will be her job to guard and protect them whenever Ally and her mate are off hunting. Right now, their young are currently feeding a juvenile Gilmoreosaurus carcass. A prize from a recent hunt. Alioramus was one of the undisputed top predators of Mongolia that dominated its deserts, forests, floodplains and semi-arid environments for 85 million years. But by about 80, it eventually became extinct. So, until that happens, for now at least, Ally and her family will protect and raise their young, and also teach them how to hunt, until they're old enough to hunt with them and also live independently. And they, too, will also endure the trials of life... in the Mongolian desert... of the Prehistoric Planet.
(The End)
Next on Dinosaur Life, we will follow the life of a male Carcharodontosaurus named Carson, and watch as he is raised from hatching to adult.
Author's Note:
"To discover the science behind the stories, go now to the Dinosaur Life show page."
Information from: (Numerous Documentaries)
Inspiration from: Dinosaur Media and Others