Name - Albertosaurus [/i]sarcophagus[/i]
Time period - Late Cretaceous
Location - Alberta, Canada
Weight - 2 tons (4,200 pounds)
Height- 9 feet (3 meters)
Length - 27 feet (9 meters)
Diet - Carnivore
Albertosaurus sarcophagus Was found in 1884 by J.B. Tyler in Alberta, Canada, and was named in 1904, the same year the province was named. Albertosaurus lived in what is now North america and Canada, and served as the apex predator of it’s environment, hunting hadrosaurs and ceratopsians. It’s right to claim as the apex predator was thanks to it’s smaller cousin, the Gorgosaurus, which have been confused sometimes as smaller Albertosaurs. Competing against Daspletosaurus as Gorgosaurus wasn’t an easy task, Daspletosaurus was heavier, and stronger than the Gorgosaurus was, eventually Albertosaurus came into play and had out competed Daspletosaurus for all it’s food, eventually becoming the apex predator of it’s time. Albertosaurus was the apex predator until 70 million years ago, when a new predator had come into the playing field, Tarbosaurus, a giant tyrannosaur that had outcompeted the Albertosaurus in power. When a landbridge emerged from the sea towards north america, Tarbosaurus, originating from asia, took the opportunity and outcompeted Albertosaurus with ease, they were more powerful than their smaller cousins, and their juveniles filled the same niche as Albertosaurus; 70 million years ago, Albertosaurus fell off the face of the earth due to competition with Tarbosaurus. Albertosaurus preyed upon hadrosaurs and ceratopsians alike, it’s favored prey items were dinosaurs such as Parasaurolophus and Regaliceratops. Although Albertosaurus isn’t as large or terrifying as their bigger cousin’ the Tyrannosaurus rex, they still pack a punch, and are undeniably a fan favorite to many.
Behavior/Territory
Albertosaurus is a very different tyrannosaur from the tyrants of the island as it is, while most are hyper aggressive and weigh around 5 tons, Albertosaurus by comparison only weighs 2 tons, and isn’t as aggressive as it’s larger counterparts. Albertosaurus travel in pairs, an average for their size group with the other carnivores of the island, but nevermore a terrifying sight to behold, they rely on teamwork to threaten off and bring down larger dinosaurs, when one albertosaur is nearby, another one isn’t too far off. Low pitch calls emit out of the throat of this creature, giving it a heavier appearance than it actually has, but undeniably a terrifying sight to behold. Aggression is an odd tale for this beast, while other tyrannosaurs are highly aggressive to other carnivores, albertosaurus are actually temperamental based off the actions of their foe, an allosaurus pack looking for a fight will be greeting by the signature tyrannosaurid bite, whilst a group of carnotaurs passing through will not be greeted, if anything they will be avoided; Tyrannosaurs, Spinosaurus, and Giganotosaurus will always be countered by fleeing, as it’s their only defense against them, but if an albertosaurus proceeds to become cornered, bite wounds and broken bones are usually the resulting case to the pursuer.
Albertosaurus is one of the fastest carnivore’s on the islands, able to reach speeds at 25 - 30 mph within seconds of bounding off the ground, these tyrannosaurs give the infamous Carnotaurus sastrei a run for it’s money. This speed of theirs is used to hunt and chase down fleet footed prey, such as Maiasaura peeblesorum and Gallimimus bullatus; ambushing from the bushes to reach a top speed of 30 mph, they can easily catch up with their quarry. If speed doesn’t get the job done, their stamina will; Albertosaurs have very large hearts for their size, allowing them to run for long periods of time without breaking a sweat, a favored hunting strategy of this species is to exhaust their prey, making their last option to fight back against it’s attackers, something that usually will not turn out well for the quarry. Although built to take down fast prey items, albertosaurs are also known to hunt ceratopsians, using their speed and agility to dodge their oncoming attacks and bit the rear end of their prey until it bleeds out. Although not as strong as their larger cousins, a bite from an albertosaurus shouldn’t be warranted as nonthreatening, having a bite force comparable with creatures twice it’s size.
Unlike most tyrannosaurs, Albertosaurus doesn’t claim a territory; instead, they live an extremely nomadic lifestyle, following herds for food and water, this lifestyle is what creates their temperamental mood towards other carnivores. Albertosaurs that live off of a scavenging lifestyle and do find a meal will eat as much as they can, for other albertosaurs will eventually follow due to their well developed scent glands; in the fight for a rotting corpse, the largest and oldest member picks his choice cuts, and the other albertosaurs must wait until he has finished, all until leaving the scraps for the younger and smallest males. Scraps between albertosaurs tend to get very bloody very fast, and are known to lead in intense injury and sometimes death. Albertosaurs battle each other by biting the facial regions of their opponent, a tactic known as “face biting”, it’s a very common practice among albertosaurs, and sometimes is the first reaction any passing albertosaurus will create. To an albertosaurus, size is everything in the battlefield.
Breeding Habits
Albertosaurs, unlike some of the island’s carnivores, do indeed have sexual dimorphism; Whilst the males are larger, heavier, brighter, and have a more developed crest, the females are smaller, lighter on their feet, duller, and have less developed crests on their heads. The males will usually lead the hunt, wasting upon his energy until he starts having to catch his breath, in that moment, his female will charge forward and take his place while he waits for the prey to tire out; in the event the prey item is exhausted, the male will use whatever energy he has left to tussle and finish off the prey item.
Males in musth are known to give out very loud and deep calls, waiting for a female to respond, when a female responds towards the calls, the male will run towards the calls until met up with his significant other. Once the male reaches his destination, he will engage in a series of deep pitched calls, followed by head bobbing to court the female, the deeper the calls, the healthier the male is. Females are very picky and choosy during this time, and one wrong move from the male could shut out his chances of having a mate. If the male is successful, the female will allow him to join her, and to procreate. Males all around hearing the calls will arrive to find a very aggressive male protecting his mate; fights between males over females will usually end in bloodshed. When the female is ready to lay her eggs, she will make a small mound of dirt and lay 3 eggs a clutch, this nest is usually nearby a herd. During this period of time, the pair turn extremely aggressive, and the female will attack anything that gets too close to her nest without warning, that is if the male doesn’t finish off the intruder first.
Once the chicks hatch from their shells, they will accompany the parents on all their hunts, watching from the bushes to learn their hunting patterns. Hatchlings can be very rambunctious, so it’s not odd to see their siblings bonding together by chasing each other or roughhousing. If the offspring are ever in any danger, the female will fiercely protect her offspring whilst the male will go upfront upon the attacker to either threaten them off or fight the attacker head on; other males will not be tolerated, and will be threatened off by father and even killed if they stay too long. At 60% of their full size, juvenile albertosaurs will usually practice hunting with smaller creatures; Small mammals, lizards, and even smaller dinosaurs such as psittacosaurs and orodromeus, they may even go for a dryosaurus if they have the opportunity. When albertosaurs reach 80% of their full size, they will be forced to leave the pack by their parents, and must be skittish when they do, for albertosaurs are cannibalistic and will not hesitate to take down and eat a smaller albertosaurus.
Packing: Paired
Nesting: 3 eggs per clutch
Aggression: Medium
Mating: Paired
Other: Offspring get kicked out at 8 months
