Brontosaurus

Brontosaurus baxteri

Brontosaurus is by far one of the largest herbivores on Skull Island, reaching lengths of 36 meters and a weight of 90 tons. Brontosaurus live in herds ranging between 6-20 individuals led by a single dominant male. All other young male individuals are stunted in growth by a pheromone produced by the dominant male, this keeps them from maturing and potentially usurping their father, affected males do not even reach the height of the cows. Because of their small size, these beta males are more likely to be picked off by predators, effectively making them herd decoys. Pregnancy lasts about 5 years and unlike all other dinosaurs on Skull Island, Brontosaurus does not lay eggs, instead they give birth to live young, usually between 1-3 calves, calves can walk within hours of birth, this breeding strategy prevents overpopulation. Calf rearing is the responsibility of every member of the herd, calves are kept in the center of the herd during migration and will stick next to an adult during feeding when the herd spreads out. During feeding the herd communicates through tail whips and low frequency vibrations which are felt through the ground with the pads on their feet. The height of Brontosaurus allows it to live alongside the other herbivores of the island, eating the plant matter nothing else can reach. This lack of competition allows other species to effectively follow the Brontosaurus herds, using them for protection. Traveling herds can clear entire areas of trees, creating large game trails and prairies. However in due to the geologically recent event of the island’s lowland regions flooding and reducing the range of the herds accompanied by the uphill battle all young males face have drastically affected the ratio of the genders with a ratio of 1 male for every 50 females. This has lead to a large inbreeding problem.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Sauropodomorpha
Clade: Sauropoda
Clade: Eusauropoda
Clade: Neosauropoda
Family: Diplodocidae
Subfamily: Apatosaurinae
Genus: Brontosaurus
Species: B. baxteri

[Brontosaurus herd photo taken via GDF Surveillance Drone]