Dinosaur

*This article is about the giant reptiles. For the relative of the hippopotamus, see Behemoth (creature).*

## Dinosaur

* 5e
* 4e
* 3e

## History

### Based on

Dinosaur

**Dinosaurs**, also known as **thunderers** or **behemoths** (pronounced: /biˈhɛmʌθ/ *bee-HEM-uth* about this audio file listen or: /biˈhimʌθ/ *bee-HEE-muth* about this audio file listen), were a group of ancient reptilian creatures found on Toril. They were considered agents and children of the Chultan deity Ubtao, though some of them had turned rogue to serve his enemy Eshowdow.

## Description

Dinosaurs came in many shapes and sizes, though, as the name "behemoth" implied, the best known were typically very large. They could be either herbivorous or carnivorous, depending on the species. Unlike dragons, dinosaurs were incapable of speech and were non-intelligent by nature.

Dinosaurs came in many varieties, from small to large, but most shared a number of physical features. They were, for instance, all covered in a layer of pebble-like skin. Most also demonstrated a well-developed sense of smell, which predatory behemoths used to hunt.  Many were also herbivorous.

## Behavior

Like dragons, predatory dinosaurs had a powerful lust to hunt, their razor-sharp teeth suitable for rending prey apart and were also highly territorial. Herbivorous dinosaurs were usually less aggressive, although, when defending their young or wounded or after being startled or irritated, they could be vicious enemies.

## Ecology

### Habitats

Dinosaurs often lived in areas very much isolated from humanoid habitation. They usually were found in remote mountain valleys, isolated rocky plateaus, dense tropical island forests, or secluded in the deepest and darkest of the jungles.

### Location

Dinosaurs were known to exist on Toril in Chult and Malatra.[*citation needed*] They could also be found on the island of Lurath, by way of time portals into Toril's distant past.[*citation needed*]

## History

It was widely believed by scholars from Candlekeep that dinosaurs existed in Toril since before the time period known as the Days of Thunder. In those ancients times, various species of dinosaur thrived until a cataclysm changed the world so drastically that most of them went extinct.

Sages from Candlekeep didn't have a unified theory about the nature of the catastrophe. The most commonly accepted theory proclaimed this catastrophe was the Tearfall, while detractors of this theory believed that the sun temperatures diminished to a degree that produced a global climatic change so harsh that only the smallest dinosaurs were able to survive. A lunatic sage even proclaimed the cataclysm was actually a war between the gods and their enemies.

Whatever the truth, only a handful of dinosaurs, among them the proto-dragons, were able to survive and evolve into the members of the species that existed in the present age.

## Notable Species

There were multiple species of dinosaur, some of which are listed below, alongside other similar reptilian beasts.

Allosaurus
A large, strong, fast predator. It used its claws to pin down its prey.
Anatotitan
A species of herbivorous dinosaur with a duck-like mouth, they were timid and easily frightened.
Ankylosaurus
Also known as **macetail behemoths**. Armored herbivores that had either knobbed or spiked tail tips that they used to defend from predators. Extremely territorial dinosaurs.
Brontosaurus
Massive herbivores that used their tails as whips to defend from predators.
Ceratosaurus
A large, carnivorous variety of dinosaur marked by a horn-like ridge along its snout.
Deinonychus
Small, predatory dinosaurs roughly the size of humans that were highly social.
Dimetrodon
Medium-sized predators with sailed backs.
Elasmosaurus
An aquatic reptile roughly fifty feet in length, much of which was from its extremely long neck and serpentine tail.
Hadrosaurus
Herbivores with bony head crests that could walk as quadrupeds or as bipeds. They could be raised to work as mounts.
Megaraptor
Superficially similar to deinonychus, though much larger, megaraptors were notable for their large hand claws.
Plesiosaurus
Marine carnivorous reptiles with compact bodies and long necks.
Pteranodon
An enormous flying reptile that fed primarily on fish. They were common in Chult.
Quetzalcoatlus
Giant flying reptiles, related to the pteranodon.
Stegosaurus
Also known as **bloodspike behemoths**. Herbivorous dinosaurs marked by large plates resting along their spine and a notoriously bad temper.
Triceratops
Short-tempered and aggressive even for a herbivore, triceratops were recognizable by their three horns and armored head.
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Among the largest predatory dinosaurs, tyrannosaurus was both a predator and a scavenger.
Velociraptor
Small feathered predators that hunted in packs for larger prey.
## Appendix

### Further Reading

* Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). *Serpent Kingdoms*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 62. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.

### External Links

* File:Eberron logo.png Dinosaur article at the ***Eberron Wiki***, a wiki for the *Eberron* campaign setting.
* Dinosaur article at ***Wikipedia***, The Free Encyclopedia.

### References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). *Monster Manual 5th edition*. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. {{#regex:79–80|%(,)(\S)%|$1 $2}}. ISBN 978-0786965614.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). *Monster Manual 4th edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
3. ↑ Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). *Monster Manual 3.5*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 60. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
4. ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). *Serpent Kingdoms*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 148. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Frank Mentzer (January 1985). “Ay pronunseeAYshun gyd”. In Kim Mohan ed. *Dragon* #93 (TSR, Inc.), p. 25.
6. ↑ Eric L. Boyd (1997). *Powers and Pantheons*. (TSR, Inc), pp. {{#regex:81, 90–91|%(,)(\S)%|$1 $2}}. ISBN 0-7869-0657-X.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet and Monte Cook (October 2000). *Monster Manual 3rd edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 55. ISBN 0-7869-1552-1.
8. ↑ Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). *Tomb of Annihilation*. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 194. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
9. ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). *The Grand History of the Realms*. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
10. ↑ Nigel Findley, et al. (October 1990). *Draconomicon*. (TSR, Inc), p. 7. ISBN 0-8803-8876-5.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Nigel Findley, et al. (October 1990). *Draconomicon*. (TSR, Inc), p. 8. ISBN 0-8803-8876-5.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Mike Mearls, *et al*. (November 2016). *Volo's Guide to Monsters*. Edited by Jeremy Crawford, *et al*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. {{#regex:139–140|%(,)(\S)%|$1 $2}}. ISBN 978-0786966011.
13. ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). *Serpent Kingdoms*. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 66. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.

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