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Great Plains Hadrosaur, Mk2

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Many moons ago, I invented a dinosaur analogue to the American bison, as depicted here:

velociraptor-king.deviantart.c…

I'm not sure why but I felt something was off with it. It could have been the overall design, in that I didn't put too much thought into it (take Parasaurolophus, make him a permanent quadroped, and give him some kind of...hump over his back), or the name, or maybe even the fact that it didn't scan very well. Whatever. I figured it's time for an update. 

Vagusaurus (Vagabond lizard) is a common species that migrates across America's heartlands as it follows the seasons. Their large spinal ridges support fat deposits much like camels or the ancient Spinosaurus and Ouranosaurus for the lean winter months. Also, since grass is difficult to digest, these hadrosaurs keep a small gizzard in their fleshy throats, a second larger on behind the clavicle, and a double-chambered stomach. All that, and they still make a habit of swallowing small stones and pebbles as gastrolithes. Another reason for their constant migration is warmth. Hadrosaurs are not as heavily feathered as other dinosaurs, and the Vagusaurs  only have prickly pin feathers along their chins, spines, and flashy display feathers on their tails. Finally, their crests still produce the family's distinctive songs, but Vagusaur males can use them from crude head-butting rituals. They're not as violent as the ceratopsians or pachycephalosaurs, but combined with "competitive singing contests," it's enough to establish hierarchy in the herd or, in a pinch, protect them from predators.  
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Comments3
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juniorWoodchuck's avatar
Amazing redesign! This version looks a lot more bulky than the previous one so it definitely fits more into a role similar to bison...