Brachiosaurus brancai

Length: 82 feet
Height: 50 feet
Weight: 80 tons

## **Coloration:**

*Male -* Mainly a pale green and gray mottling, with pale
 yellow striping on the body and a red crest. The reddening of the crest
 is a sign of maturity.

*Female and juvenile (both sexes) -* Brown and gray mottling, with some individuals having darker brown striping.

## **Preferred Habitat:**

Brachiosaurus can be found in wide-open
spaces where there is sufficient tree coverage, often close to a
water-source such as a lake or a river, where it likes to bathe.

## **Social Structure:**

Female Brachiosaurus live in small groups of
 5-10 individuals dominated by a single matriarch. These herds are
well-spread out so that they do not overgraze. Males are often solitary,
 seeking out the female groups when it is time to breed.

## **Description:**

Giant quadrupedal herbivore. Brachiosaurus is by
far the largest dinosaur on Isla Sorna - indeed the largest animal
cloned by InGen. Despite its enormous size and weight, Brachiosaurus is
 surprisingly graceful when in motion. Its long neck allows the animal
to reach heights of up to 14-15 meters (even higher when the dinosaur
rises up on its hind legs), enabling it to feed on treetop foliage
inaccessible to all other herbivorous dinosaurs. As well as its huge
size and long neck, this sauropod is also distinguished from
Brontosaurus and Mamenchisaurus by its considerably longer forelegs than
 its hind legs, resulting in its distinctive downward-sloping back.
Unlike Brontosaurus and Mamenchisaurus - whose tails are long and
tapered at the end - Brachiosaurus' tail is relatively short and stiff.
 Brachiosaurus' head is tiny and high-crested, with nostrils on the
forehead. Its teeth are chisel-shaped.

## **Behaviors:**

Brachiosaurus is a peaceful animal which can often
be seen grazing in harmony together with various different species of
herbivorous dinosaur, such as hadrosaurs and the other two species of
sauropod. Brachiosaurus keeps in constant contact with others of its
kind through a variety of musical honks and bugles, as well as
infrasonic booms which can travel incredible distances. The song-like
calls are also used to settle disputes between individuals and to warn
others of approaching danger.

Fights between Brachiosaurs are practically non-existent, with
disputes normally being settled by their calls. In extreme
circumstances, particularly between evenly-matched males competing for
mates, they will fight, standing side by side and shoving one another
until one backs down.

It is its massive size which makes this sauropod so dangerous - when
agitated, it pays little attention to where it steps and it is capable
of lifting itself onto its hindlegs to stomp the ground with its
forelegs, potentially pulverizing a predator with its weight. Adult
Brachiosaurus typically have little to fear from carnivores
Ceratosaurus-sized or smaller. Even Tyrannosaurus tend to avoid them;
with the pack hunting Allosaurus being the biggest threat to the
adolescents. Adults may be pursued by packs of Giganotosaurus, but it is
 rare for Sorna’s biggest game hunter to kill a full-grown, healthy
adult – instead the Giganotosaurus will bite chunks of flesh from the
Brachiosaurus until their hunger is fulfilled, leaving shortly
afterwards. The Brachiosaurus is able to survive these wounds and as a
result many of Sorna’s oldest individuals are riddled with the healed
scars from Giganotosaurus bites.

After mating, female Brachiosaurus will congregate together, often
amongst Brontosaurus and Mamenchisaurus, to lay their eggs in mass nests
 in dirt or sand, close to forested areas. The adults then quickly move
 away to avoid the risk of crushing the eggs and hatchlings with their
 large feet. Some may remain at a distance in order to discourage
predators; however the football-sized eggs are greatly sought after and a
 majority of the eggs and hatchlings are taken by small nest raiders
such as Gallimimus, Herrerasaurus, Segisaurus, Troodon and Velociraptor,
 thus helping to keep the numbers of these gigantic dinosaurs under
control. The hatchlings that survive remain hidden in dense forest, in
constant danger from the myriad carnivore species. Their only defense is
 to eat and grow as fast as possible, and when they have grown large
enough, the young Brachiosaurs move out of the forests to join the
feeding groups of adults on the plains. Although still vulnerable to
carnivores, they benefit from the protection the larger individuals
provide. Only one in a hundred juveniles ever reaches full-adult size.