Datousaurus bashanensis by Draco300 on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Datousaurus bashanensis

"Bashan Chieftain lizard or Big-headed lizard"

Length:10m(32.8ft) Height:3m(9.8ft) at shoulderWeight:4.5t(9,000lbs) Lifespan:30-40 years

Brief Information & Description: Datousaurus is a sauropod in the Mamenchisauridae family, initially named after a Chinese nickname using the Malay datu meaning" chieftain dragon." by Chinese paleontologist Dong Zhiming in 1984. Based on the DNA that the Primal Incorporation collected from the fossil remains, the Datousaurus is an average-sized sauropod with a sizeable deep skull. Their body is dark gray with brownish spots. The head and neck of males are orange with reddish spots and an enlarged orange throat. Females are much paler, with the orange and red replaced with a tan and light brown. Both sexes have a white band on the middle section of their tail and two sets of neural spines, one at the tip of their necks and another close to the end of their hips.

Geographic Range & Habitat: Datousaurus roamed the Lower Shaximiao Formation in China about 166 to 162 million years ago during the Middle Jurassic. These sauropods now reside within Ōmeyōcān's tropical and subtropical forests, from the southern forests of Xiuhtecuhtli to the northern woods of Chalchiuhtlicue. These animals are forest dwellers and prefer to stay clear of open areas. However, Datousaurus occasionally travels to wetlands and coastal shores for different feeding grounds.

Behavior & Reproduction: Unlike most sauropods, Datousaurus are typically solitary animals. These sauropods spend most days foraging for food while marking their territories through urination or defecation. Although they are loners, female Datousaurus occasionally feed in small groups and visit males only to breed within the onset of the rainy season. The two courting pairs will stand parallel to one another with their heads in opposite directions to lick and sniff each other's genitalia once they meet. The male will then begin to show a series of gestures, such as tossing his head, stretching his neck, and kicking his legs to gain the female's acceptance. The female accepts her desired mate by lowering her head and moving her tail aside before copulation. Shortly after mating, females will travel to the denser part of the forest to lay up to sixteen eggs within dug-up nests covered with lush vegetation before leaving to allow incubation for 440 days. These nests are usually near nests made by other female Datousaurus to increase their offspring's chance of survival. The hatchlings instinctively head deeper into the forests shortly after hatching, where they will stay together until they are three years old.

Diet: Datousaurus are high-browsing herbivores that consume tree-top foliage five meters off the ground. Their long necks and spoon-shaped teeth help reduce competition between different sauropods living in the forest. Datousaurus hatchlings are rapid growers and require large amounts of low-growing vegetation to sustain their appetites.

Predation: Adult Datousaurus have few predators due to theropods such as Acrocanthosaurus being too large to hunt in heavily forested areas. Their only main predators are the large, pack-hunting theropod Maip, which primarily pursues sub-adults. When faced with this predator, Datousaurus will kick and cripple their attacker with their long legs and tail. Young Datousaurus are considered easy prey for forest-dwelling carnivores, from small predatory mammals to medium-sized theropods. Due to this, only six of the sixteen young sauropods ever make it to adulthood.

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Reconstruction based on Gregory S. Paul.