Carnotaurus vs Polacanthus

Carnotaurus Sastrei

"Meat eating bull"

Length: 9 meters

Weight: 1 ton

Era: Mid Cretaceous

Carnotaurus looks like one of the dinosaurs that didn't come out of the oven right. It's tiny arms(about a foot long) served little purpose. Nonetheless, it is an apex predator. Not exactly at the top of the food chain, as it is preyed on by large tyrannosaurs and allosaurs. Carnotaurus is a specilized small herbivore hunter, especially dryosaurs, it's favored prey. Carnotaurus kills with a bite to the back, then shaking the poor animal until the back breaks. Then, with it's flexible jaws, swallow the prey animal whole. This is thought to be an adaptation to avoid loosing its' kill.

Polcanthus foxii 

"Many spikes"

Length: 3.5 meters

Weight: 1 ton

Era: Early Cretaceous

A very primative nodosaur, This animal is dwarfed in comparison to the other ankylosaurine residents of the park. Size isn't everything though, and they become extrmely aggressive when the scent of a carnivore is in the air. During a particularly windy day, one male seemed to have caught the scent of the dilophosaur paddock - half a mile away - and ended up smashing in the door of a vet med truck. Otherwise, these animals are very docile and have become accustomed to their human handlers. They even allow themselves to be petted on occasion.

Here we go..

It was the calm after the storm on Nublar, as the aftermath of hurricane Horatio left its wake, the island residents were finalyl beginning to stir. A small herd of Polcanthus made their way out of the cave the sought refuge in during the massive storm. They made their way down the rocky slope and out onto the grassy plain they had been foraging at before the devastation unfolded.

Large hardwood trees lay scattered vicariously around, like a childs toy after he is done playing with them. The resident plant munchers took advantage of this, grazing the downed trees and getting nutrients only available to the sauropods for most of the time.

The plain had become filled with various herbivores of every shape and size imaginable. But, where thers is prey, there is bound to be predators. A big male Carnotaurus eyed the bountiful feast before him, his jaws overflowing with saliva. He had just eaten yesterday, but having come across this living feast, he couldn't pass it up.

Having not quite picked his target, the meating eating bull ran down the slippery grassy slope towards the herbivores. A herd of Parasaurolophus sounded the alarm, trumpeting into the midday sky and beginning a stampede. The Carnotaurus snapped at the herbivores as they ran by, biting a large chunk of flesh off a passing amargasaurus as it went by. Fleet footed as this abelisaur might be, he came here to get an easy meal; the slower, more heavily built animals.

The Polacanthus herd had not joined the stampede, and instead went back to their mindless grazing. They knew the predator was in the vicinity though, and were on high alert.

The Carnotaurus rushed the nodosaur herd, causing them to panick and scatter in various directions. He picked his target: the biggest male in the herd.

After noticing running was futile, the nodosaur turned and got himself into a defensive stance. As the abelisaurine predator got closer, he swung his tail  in a wide arc and grunted ferociously. He squatted lower to the ground, and swung his tail once more. The Carnotaurus boldly rushed head on at the armored tank, grabbing it's small head in his jaws filled with equally small teeth. The Nodosaur bellowed, swinging his tail in another wide arc and connecting with The Carnotaurus' leg.

The blow didn't have a whole lot of force behind it though, enough to get the carnotaurus' jaws off of his head.

The meat eating bull growled lowly, and began to circle the nodosaur. As he walked, he noticed the Polacanthus had a large scar stretching from the right front leg to the rear right leg. It was a point of attack he would utilize here shortly.

He picked up his pace, and when he got to close, the Polacanthus swung his tail once more. This is exactly what he wanted.

He doubled back,and when the nodosaur was still recovering from his tail swing, he rushed forward and bit down around the scar tissue. The Polacanthus bellowed in pain, and threw his weight in the Carnotaurus' direction. One of the spikes caught the abelisaur in the eye, jabbing deep into the cornia and rendering it useless. He jerked away, Blood streamed from the eye as the carnotaurus shrieked in agony, swinging his head back and forth and stamping his feet.

The nodosaur responded by bellowing and slamming his tail club on the ground, kicking up the water that had minutely flooded the plain. The predator stopped and stared for a moment, before turning around and coming from where he came. Surely, there was easier prey in the area.

Winner...Polacanthus.

Authors note: Though larger and taller then the Polacanthus, Carnotaurus - and abelisaurids in general - weren't adept at taking armored prey. The small arms of the Abelisaur  weren't of any use when dealing with the ankylosaurine either.

Odds: 55-45 in favor of polacanthus