Mesozoic Marvels: Northern Survivors

A Mesozoic Marvels Special:

Northern Survivors

230 million years ago, the most extraordinary animals ever emerged. the dinosaurs. From Alaska to Australia, and China to the United States, they roamed our world in huge numbers for a staggering 165 million years. Now experience the struggles that some of these Mesozoic marvels had to endure. They lived in endless light and darkness. They were the northern survivors.

The sun rises on the plains of Canada some 70 million years ago. It’s spring and life is finally stirring after 6 months of darkness. The animals here only have a short time until winter comes again and the land is enveloped in darkness. Luckily for them, they have 24 hours of sunshine now. One animal that plans on taking full advantage of that is the Ornithomimus.

These dinosaurs are relatively small, about 10-13 feet long and no more than 300 pounds. They make up for their lack of size with speed. An adult animal can hit speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour. These dinosaurs also have a coat of feathers covering their bodies. This helps them keep warm during the brutal winters. A flock like this is a common sight on the Canadian plains. The adults always make sure a lookout is on duty. Predators are never very far away. Stalking the flock is one of the smartest and most dangerous dinosaurs ever. The feathered killer, Troodon.

For Troodon, it’s not size that matters. At only about 10 feet long and 110 pounds, they aren’t that big. It’s their brains that matter. A Troodon is as smart as a modern wolf. And like wolves, these guys don’t work alone. The lead Troodon is soon joined by two others. They know they can’t outrun the Ornithomimus, so they must ambush them. The trio sneaks as closely as they can. The flock contains a few juveniles. That’s who they’ll target. One lookout spies a Troodon and sounds the alarm. The flock scatters and then takes off. The Troodons shriek and charge out from cover. Weaving in and out of the flock, they confuse them and seperate the weak from the able. The alpha sees a juvenile separated from the adults and zeros in on it. He leaps toward it, claws extended. But before he reaches it, a powerful kick sends him hurtling ten yards away. The Troodon gets up, a little dazed. The adult Ornithomimus shrieks, and guides the juvenile away. The Troodons snarl at their escaping prey, and move off. Despite their cunning and intelligence, Troodons are not always successful.

Miles away, another form of life goes about its daily business. A herd, hundreds strong. These are the buffalo of the Cretaceous. Pachyrhinosaurus.

Pachyrhinosaurus’ are large and powerful animals. Adults measure over 23 feet long and top 3 tons. Their noses are covered in thick, hard bone. At the back of the head is a large frill some 3 feet wide. This is useful for many things like defense against predators and species recognition. But today, they’ll be used for battle against each other. It’s the mating season and bulls are preparing to do battle for the attention of the cows. While adult males roll in the dust in preparation, the calves headbutt with each other. Finally, the alpha male bellows loudly, challenging the other bulls. At first, not a single Pachyrhinosaurus steps up. Then a very large, young male steps forth. He bellows back and stamps his feet. The alphas frill turns bright red and his back quills stand straight up. The challenger does the same, although his frill is more of an orange color. The bulls back up and prepare to charge. Then, with a loud bellow, the charge, heads down. Their skulls smash together with the force of a runaway freight train. They push and shove for minutes on end. Then, the young males head slips and the alpha manages to gain some ground. He slams his skull into his rivals flank, breaking a few ribs. The alpha bull shoves his rival to the ground. Panting heavily, the younger male stands up and limps away. The alpha bellows out again, but no one else challenges him. Message received. The old bull has his pick of the females. Now the other bulls start to headbutt with each other to see who gets next choice and so on down the line. These clashes could last for days until every male has a mate or until all the cows are taken.

A few weeks later and summer has arrived. Spring in Canada is short and summer isn’t much longer. The Pachyrhinosaurus herd is fattening up for the winter. Their fat reserves are depleted after all their fighting for mates, so they need to replenish them. The herd is joined by another large herbivore. More heavily armored than even these titans, this dinosaur is nearly invincible from attack. This is Edmontonia.

These ankylosaurs are solitary animals. The only time they get together is to mate. Females don’t even raise their young. Once they hatch, baby ankylosaurs are on their own. That, combined with their low birth rate, make ankylosaurs rare. Once they reach adulthood though, ankylosaurs have few predators. This one is fully grown and measures close to 20 feet. She weighs a good 2 tons. Because of all her armor, she’s not too fast, but she doesn’t have to be. The ceratopsians glance at the newcomer, and then go back to feeding. They have more important things to worry about. Even the normally carefree juveniles are focusing on eating. Something inside them just tells them too. While the herd feeds, other dinosaurs also stock up for the winter. A female Troodon looks for food to store not far away. Troodons aren’t picky. Although they prefer meat, they will eat just about anything. This one is looking for food to store for winter. Meat will rot, so she needs something else. The Troodon sees a tall conifer tree and heads for it. Using her sharp claws, she climbs up until she reaches the pinecones. She grabs a few in her jaws and begins to descend. Once she reaches the bottom, she buries them. Troodons have great memories. She’ll  remember the location of as many as seventy percent of the pinecones. She finishes burying the last one and climbs back up. She grabs a few more and comes back down to bury them. When she gets down, she spies a small mammal trying to dig up a pinecone. She drops her treasures and leaps into action. Using her large toe claws, she pins the mammal and kills it quickly. She buries her remaining pinecones, grabs the dead mammal, and goes back to her nest. Her mate stands up when she returns and nuzzles her. They share the mammal and then go back to incubating the eggs. Their young will hatch in mid fall and they’ll need as much food as they can get for the oncoming winter. As summer and fall go on, she and her mate will continue to store food.

Summer continues to hold the land in its grip. The endless sun has fueled the plant life and vegetation is thriving. The dinosaurs are able to really pack on the pounds before winter sets in. Some dinosaurs do this so that they won’t go hungry. Others do it for that reason, and because the added fat will keep them warm. Edmontosaurus is an example of that.

Edmontosaurus’ are among the most common dinosaurs around. The roam Canada by the thousands. Adults measure over 40 feet long and weigh some 4-5 tons. Their size alone is their greatest protection. While the giant adults feed on the leaves and pine needles high up in the branches, the young enjoy the low lying ferns and shrubs. One juvenile starts to wander away from the safety of the herd. The attack is quick and brutal. Before the juvenile knew what happened, his throat was torn out. He slumps to the ground at the feet of his attacker. The predator roars and blood drips from his fangs. The rest of the herd moves off nervously. But he does not give chase. This young hadrosaur will satisfy his hunger. But tyrannosaurs can’t be  satisfied for long and this Gorgosaurus is no exception.

Gorgosaurus’ are among the areas top predators. This one is a fully grown adult some 26 feet long and 2 tons in weight. There are larger individuals though, up to 30 feet and 2.5 tons. With a light covering of feathers for insulation and speeds of up to 30 miles an hour, Gorgosaurus somewhat resembles a giant roadrunner. And like a roadrunner, Gorgosaurus is an effective hunter. These predators have teeth shaped just like knives, but strong enough so as not to snap when the animal bites down with bone crushing force. This male hasn’t eaten in days and this meal is very important. The female Troodon arrives to the feast. She smelled the blood and knew it meant a meal. The Gorgosaurus roars at the intruder and she keeps her distance. She’ll bide her time.

After about an hour, the Gorgosaurus is finally done eating. Now he curls up and goes to sleep so that his meal can digest. The Troodon takes the chance and steals a chunk of flesh. She heads back to the nest and shares what she got with her mate. Summer is coming to an end and they must be ready for winter. Fall won’t buy them much time to get ready. The weather will soon begin to cool and life will get much, much harder.

As the days go by, the temperature continues to fall. The sun stays up for shorter and shorter periods of time. The leaves have turned to brilliant colors. The Ornithomimus flock continues to feed and fatten up for winter. Unlike most other dinosaurs that remain active throughout winter, these animals hibernate. When the time comes, they’ll find a secret cave for their long sleep. They must eat as much as they can before winter so that they can be as warm as possible. Feathers and sharing body heat can only go so far. The trees have started to drop pinecones and acorns down on to the forest floor. The highly fatty nuts and pinecones will provide them an extra boost. One animal notices a baby Troodon gobbling up some of the smaller nuts. Then he’s joined by his parents and siblings. The female Troodon now has more mouths to feed. Luckily for her, her mate is here to help. The family has been stashing as much food as they’ve been eating lately. And a good thing too. The temperature is cooling faster than usual and winter will be here quickly.

While some species use spring for their mating seasons, others use fall. One of these species is the deadly predator Albertosaurus.

Albertosaurus is one of the few dinosaurs that can challenge a fully grown Gorgosaurus. An adult Albertosaurus can be over 26 feet long and top 2 tons. Their long slender legs and powerful muscles can propel them at speeds of over 30 miles per hour. These dinosaurs are more social than the gorgosaurs and often hunt in family packs. One could say a Gorgosaurus is a bear while the Albertosaurus is the wolf. While the females wait with the already born juveniles, the males size each other up. Unlike the Pachyrhinosaurus’, where the alpha bull gets first choice and then his subordinates follow, only the alpha male Albertosaurus can mate. This battle will simply determine who the alpha will be and, by default, which member of the pack can mate with a female. The alpha roars loudly, starting the contest. A very young and anxious male charges forward. The alpha easily defeats him by simply grabbing his snout and swinging him to the ground. The youngster snarls a bit and then backs off in shame. Another, more worthy male soon steps forward. He roars loudly and prepares for the battle. Unlike his younger counterpart, this male does not charge. He stands his ground and ruffles his feathers. The alpha does the same. After that, they fight. The two males shove and push each other. This tests their strength without drawing blood. The alpha pushes his rival back a few steps, but that’s all. They are very evenly matched. The challenger snaps his jaws and attempts to bite the alpha. However, the alpha manages to dodge the attacks and strikes back. He bites his rivals snout and slashes his nose open. Face biting is common among big theropods. The rival backs off now.

However, just because he won the battle, does not mean the alpha got the attention of the females. This was just to see who’d the alpha be. Now he must impress a female in a different way. His feathers stand up and his crests turn bright blue. This accomplished, he goes into his courtship dance. He bobs his head and ruffles his feathers. He starts to dance like a modern bird of paradise. The females watch and take it all in. One in particular is very interested. It’s the alphas mate from the year before. Despite seeing the alpha dance before, she’s still very interested. His dance changes every year and this one is one of his best yet. After he finishes, he reaches up to a tree branch, rips it off, and presents the “bouquet” to the females. His former mate nods approvingly and approaches. The decision has been made. The alphas for the next year have been chosen. The alpha male nuzzles his mate and the pack starts to go back to their daily business.

It’s only a few weeks before fall is over. Winter has come and already has the land in its icy grip. Snow has fallen for two weeks straight and already covers the land over four feet deep. Despite this, the snow continues to fall. The never ending darkness is not helping either. The Ornithomimus have long gone into hibernation, but other dinosaurs are still very active. The Pachyrhinosaurus herd is one of those species. The herd is starting to have trouble getting enough food. The deep snow is making it difficult to get to the vegetation. The dinosaurs must use their large heads to push the snow aside like modern bison do to get to grass. The problem is the plants have little nutritional value at this point and it takes a lot of effort to swing those massive heads. If the snow doesn’t let up soon, these ceratopsians could be in some serious trouble.

A few miles away, the Troodon family is doing better. The parents have remembered the location of many of the nuts they buried. In addition to that, they’ve been able to catch a fair amount of prey animals to supplement these. Right now, the male is out hunting while his mate stays with the young. While searching, he stumbles upon something promising. It’s an Albertosaurus kill. The tyrannosaurs are no where to be found. This is a common sight during the Canadian winters. Carnivores have an easier time hunting big game in the winter because of the deep snow. The splayed toes of the theropods allow them to chase after large herbivores more easily. Because of this, they can afford to be wasteful. Even still, with packs of giant tyrannosaurs lurking around, the male Troodon does not intend to be here longer than he has to. He grabs a large chunk of flesh and runs off. It’ll help hold his family over for a little while.

As the days drag on, snow continues to fall and deepen. The Pachyrhinosaurus herd is having an immense amount of trouble getting enough food. Instead of sticking around where there isn’t enough food, they choose a different option. They’ll make their way to a system of hot springs. These springs have melted a large area of snow and exposed some vegetation. It’s their last hope for survival. On their journey to the springs, the ceratopsians must also keep a lookout for predators. Stalking the herd is the Gorgosaurus. He’s been watching them for days, trying to figure out who the weakest member is. One subadult is limping and starting to lag behind. He’s trying to walk in the paths created by the adults, but it’s not helping as much as he’d like. The Gorgosaurus begins to close in on the Pachyrhinosaurus. His feathers ruffle in the wind and give the impression that he’s part of the snow storm. The Gorgosaurus charges silently in the snow and slashes the dinosaurs one good back leg. He slashes a major tendon and the Pachyrhinosaurus is crippled. The rest of the herd treks on, leaving him to his fate. The ceratopsian tries to fight of the tyrannosaur, but it’s no good. The damage has been done. Now the Gorgosaurus simply steps back and lets blood loss and the freezing cold finish him off.

As the hours pass, the Pachyrhinosaurus gets weaker and weaker. He stumbles around a bit, then collapses. The Gorgosaurus moves in to feast. He rips open the stomach cavity first. Blood, guts, and other organs spill out on to the snow. The body heat melts some of the surrounding snow too. He eats the liver first since it’s the largest and most nutritious organ in the body. Then he starts eating the rest of the carcass. But his meal does not go uninterrupted. Soon, the smell of blood attracts the one thing a Gorgosaurus fears, Albertosaurus. It’s not the size, weapons, or speed of an Albertosaurus that can scare a Gorgosaurus. It’s the fact that they are almost never alone. The first one the Gorgosaurus sees is the alpha male. However, he’s soon followed by the rest of the pack. The Gorgosaurus roars at his family rivals. But the pack does not back down. They know he can’t win this round. The Gorgosaurus snorts in frustration, rips off a front leg to take with him, and moves on. The other tyrannosaurs roar in victory and charge toward the carcass. The alphas and juveniles eat first. Only after they are done can the rest of the pack move in.

While the tyrannosaurs feast, the Pachyrhinosaurus herd nears their destination. When they arrive, they find a herd of Edmontosaurus’ already there. It does not matter though. There’s enough food for everyone. The ceratopsians spread among the hadrosaurs and begin to feed. They’ll stay here as long as they need too.

Winter drags on without end. The moonlight and stars do little to ease the darkness. The Troodon family has been better off than some dinosaurs, but is still holding on by just a thread. With both the hadrosaurs and ceratopsians migrating, they’ve had to resort to catching smaller prey. They couldn’t follow due to the hatchlings. The female climbs a tree to see what she can find. There isn’t much, but something does peak her interest. A birds nest sits on a branch only a few feet up from her current position. She carefully climbs up to it and grabs a few eggs. She climbs back down and shares the catch with her family.

Other species that had to stick around include the ankylosaurs. An Edmontonia is currently trying to knock over a conifer tree to get to the pine needles at the top. But he’s not the only one with food on his mind. Silently approaching is the Gorgosaurus. Little food is left and he’s had to resort to more dangerous game. The Edmontonia smells him coming and squats down in defense. The Gorgosaurus steers clear of the swinging chainsaw of a tail and tries to get at the ankylosaurs soft stomach. However, he can’t get past the wall of armor and spines in his way. Gorgosaurs get impatient easily and he’s starting to get anxious. The ankylosaur on the other hand can sit here for hours. The Gorgosaurus gets reckless and attacks. He lunges for a back leg and receives a terrible pain in his flank. The Edmontonia swung his tail and struck the tyrannosaur hard. The Gorgosaurus stumbles and gets hit again, this time in the leg. The Gorgosaurus roars in pain and backs off. That didn’t go well. He limps away while the ankylosaur stays put. It’s unlikely the Gorgosaurus will survive the winter.

Finally, after months of total darkness, the sun shines once more. The snow begins to melt and rivers swell because of this. The Troodon family sits atop a hill and watches as the land comes back to life. The herds are returning and the Ornithomimus have come out of hibernation. They watch as the Albertosaurus pack chases after the Edmontosaurus herd like wolves chasing elk. They watch as the Pachyrhinosaurus herd go about their never ending quest for food like modern bison. Overhead, a pterosaur soars like an eagle and the ever wily Troodon take it all in like a family of coyotes. The battle for survival that dinosaurs waged is not all that different from that of many animals today. After a few short months, winter will be here again and so the cycle goes for these Mesozoic Marvels and northern survivors.