Ceratosaurus nasicornIs

Length: 30.5 feet
Height: 12 feet
Weight: 1.7 tons

**Coloration:**

*Male –* A red head and a paler, red-colored body with black stripes.

*Female and juvenile (both sexes) –* A brown body with pale stripes.

**Diet:**

 Typically meat from small to medium-sized animals.
Ceratosaurus is a very picky eater, and its aversion to feces means it
tends not to consume the intestines of its prey. When it does, however,
 Ceratosaurus will shake the intestines vigorously to empty their
contents before consumption. As a result of this dinosaur’s fussiness,
it often leaves a lot of waste meat left on a kill, most of which other
 carnivore species will take advantage. The meat always has to be fresh,
 preferably from animals it has killed itself. Rotting carrion is never
 considered.

**Preferred Habitat:**

 Dense forests and Jungles.

**Social Structure:**

 Somewhat sociable, Ceratosaurus is more
commonly found either alone or in small family groups consisting of a
mated pair and their sub-adult young.

**Description:**

 Medium, heavily-built bipedal carnivore. Prominent
 horn on snout, varying in size and shape between individuals and
absent in juveniles. This horn is fragile and used for display only.
Slightly raised ridges above each eye. There is a row of raised bumps
running along the spine from the top of the head to the tip of the
tail. Jaws capable of opening extremely wide and teeth are massive and
blade-like. Front limbs short with four fingers tipped with sharp
claws.

**Behaviors:**

 Ceratosaurus is a nocturnal hunter. It kills its
prey with a bite to the neck region, using its long teeth to sever vital
 arteries before backing off to wait for the victim to bleed to death.
 Unusually for a carnivorous dinosaur, Ceratosaurus will avoid
scavenging from rotting corpses as it prefers fresh meat. It cannot
stand the smell of dung and will even bury its own excrement as cats
do. This also helps Ceratosaurus to avoid unwanted attention from
larger predators.

A lone male Ceratosaurus seeking a mate will often go hungry for weeks
 while he searches out a female which is both alone and receptive. Some
 males may try to steal away females from other males, and this will
often lead to noisy squabbles. The male puts on an elegant display and
courtship dance for the female, emphasizing his body and bobbing or
moving his head from side to side to show off his nasal horn. Females
generally prefer the bigger, more assertive males with the most
prominent nose horns. Males and females are evenly-matched in size and
strength, and males tend to be very possessive over their mates. Females
 are just as capable of fighting back against a mate she deems unworthy
 of herself as aggressively as any male; and male/ female squabbles can
 be as loud, as noisy, and as bloody as any male-on-male fight.

After mating, it is the male who builds the nests for the eggs. After
 the eggs are laid and hatched the male will continue to tend to his
mate, bringing back kills for her and their offspring. This continues
until the chicks are grown enough to leave the nest and travel with
their parents. At which time, the female and the male may separate and
continue living solitary lives, or they may stay together and mate again
 at a later time, thereby forming a small social family group. The
young are normally encouraged to find their own way in the world upon
reaching sub-adulthood.

Lone Ceratosaurus are respectful of the territories of larger
carnivores and are generally docile unless provoked, preferring to
remain hidden during the day. A threatened Ceratosaurus may try to fight
 back, especially when parents are protecting their young. More often
than not, Ceratosaurus avoids confrontation with animals its own size or
 larger. Sometimes a lone Ceratosaurus may be followed by one or
several Herrerasaurus. These smaller carnivores know that the
Ceratosaurus will leave plenty of leftovers from its kills.