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Stegocerastes
Topic Started: Sep 3 2013, 06:04 PM (65 Views)
Saberrex
Advanced Member
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Stegocerastes in profile -Illustration by Saberrex

Stegocerastes
Stegocerastes
Meaning: Horned ridge
Description: Very large stegosaur
Species: S. emmasorum, S. giganteus
Family: Stegosauridae, Stegosauria
Length: 47-50 feet
Lifestyle: grazer, browser
Range: Africa, Madagascar

Distinguishing Features: The largest stegosaur to have ever existed, Stegocerastes is a stubborn, surly herbivore that is a direct descendent of Stegosaurus. In color it is brown with gray horizontal stripes and red, serrated back plates. The back plates are razor sharp and extra tough in structure, a defense against predators, along with a fearsome array of spikes, a pair of shoulder spikes, and two rows of spikes running from the hips to the end of the tail. The tail is tipped with a thagomizer consisting of six tail spikes, each over seven feet long. It is a social and vocal animal, constantly murmuring, grunting, and honking. In fact, it has over 200 vocal calls, more than any other herbivore. Herds are matriarchal, with herds being composed of interrelated individuals and their mates. The males are the major contributors of parental care, rearing the near spineless young. When eggs are laid after the rutting season in winter, the male covers them and guards them until they hatch, feeding from meals brought by his mate and off his own reserves of fat. The young leave after a period of three years and may live for a span of over 90 years.


Habits and Habitat: Happy in forests and open land alike, Stegocerastes feeds on any food it can crop with its narrow beak. This narrow beak allows it to compete with the similarly narrow beaked lambeosaurs. Nomadic by nature, Stegocerastes travel from one green patch to another, feeding as they go. Overall, this animal has few enemies apart from Majungataurus, the predatory carcharodontosaur Smilocarcharias, and occasionally the tyrannosaur Ceratotyrannus. When they are attacked, the adults will turn to one side in a ring around their young and swing their whole bodies from side to side, pivoting on their back legs and shifting their shoulders as they swing their massive tails. This tactic is highly successful at deterring predators and even V. rexes know to leave these giants alone, making their armor a nearly impenetrable defense against such deadly weapons.
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