Prehistoric Wild: Life in the Mesozoic

Giant's Pride (94 MYA)

Huincul Formation, Argentina, 94 Million Years Ago

The light of dawn colors the sky on the horizon with a mix of orange and purple. The land that will one day be Patagonia lies blanketed in a shadow below the sunrise. As the light shines brighter over the hills, the shadow fades revealing a dry, arid landscape. The ground is mainly beige from the sand with small parts of grey from many rocks and pebbles. Scattered throughout are dry shrubs stained in brown and tall araucaria trees with dark green pines. There is also a narrow, shallow river, one that turns the dirt in it and along its edges into soft brown mud.

Despite how empty much of this land seems, it is home to giants. 30 of them stand beside the river stream gulping its muddy water in large chunks. More of them stand by the trees, using their mouths to bite down on and strip the pines off their branches. The ground shakes and quakes even with the smallest of their steps. Like those of an ostrich but much deeper, their booms vibrate for miles around them along with echoing groans and deep grumbling bellows. They are Argentinosaurus, a massive species of sauropod that reaches over 110 feet from head to tail and weighs up to 100 tons. With only the modern-day blue whale outsizing them, they are among the largest animals to ever live. Their skin is primarily a series of dark-brown, bead-like scales with a few larger ones colored in black. Their necks are long, thick, and held straight, lifting their smaller heads up to 70 feet off the ground, nearly as high as a five-story building.

Such a size comes at a cost. Their bodies have become a haven for various parasites, latching onto their hide and draining their blood. Many animals aren't exempt from these tiny menaces, but to them, an Argentinosaurus is the world's largest all-you-can-eat buffet. All they can do on their own is to shake their bodies and rub their skin against the trees and ground. However, some Argentinosaurs lie down, resting with their head and tail curled and touching one another. As they rest their bodies, they become surrounded by and covered with a smaller type of dinosaur.

They are Overoraptors, a type of 2-foot-long, two-legged therapod closely related to modern birds. This can easily be seen in the beige feathers on their body as well as the gray ones on their head, tail, and arms. Their days are primarily spent on top of the resting Argentinosaurs, where they find their most preferred meal in massive abundance, the parasites. This creates a perfect symbiotic bond, a large supply of food for the Overoraptors, and a clean hide for the Argentinosaurs. But for the much smaller Overoraptors, it's a meal they must climb for. Once they reach the top of the giants, the feathered dwarfs simply peck at the skin of the giants, clamping down on and chewing the parasitic bugs. Whether it be ticks, lice, mites, mosquitos, or most flies, none of them are safe from the jaws of a hungry Overoraptor.

Suddenly, one of the Overoraptors picks up its head and looks toward the other side of the river. There lies a slight hill where a large animal emerges from the horizon. The Overoraptor lets out a squawk before dashing behind a laying Argentinosaurus, along with the rest of its small kin. One Argentinosaurus lifts its head as well staring at the emerging animal. As the animal steps into and starts crossing the river, its identity becomes clear.

It is a Mapusaurus, the top predator of the area. It is a two-legged carnivore reaching 40 feet in length, 12 feet in height, and weighing as much as a male elephant seal. The scaly skin of this male is primarily grayish black with a beige underbelly running from the bottom of his chin to the tip of his tail. He also has a row of red stripes running along his back and a brighter red blotch on his throat. This same brighter color is seen on a pair of bony ridges that run down from above each of his eyes until shortly behind his snout. His narrow, elongated skull is four feet in length with a jaw full of many sharp, serrated teeth. Although he is only walking at a leisurely pace, his footsteps make large splashes in the river water.