“The Lost World” was a very interesting read from start to finish. The dinosaur
information in this novel is well laid out and is written in such an intelligent way that it all sounds
factual and well researched. A caveat to this book report is that unfortunately I had lost my
notes on Theropods and therefore could not write about whether any of the awesome
information that was presented on Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptors such as territory
marking and feeding frenzy was supported by the lectures.
The novel depicted dinosaurs very descriptively and allowed various dinosaur
characteristics and behaviors to be shown. The first of the behaviors that I wish to analyze is the
use of tail wagging from apatosaurus. This was shown in the Fourth Configuration chapters The
Valley and The Red Queen. This tail wagging was demonstrated to be used as a defense
mechanism against predators. While this was not specifically mentioned in the lectures for this
use, the lectures presented the tail as a counterbalance to the long neck. In the novel this was
proposed as the opposite. The long necks were rarely used for the believed function of reaching
leaves high up. Instead, the apatosaurus would keep their heads low in the novel because the
stress of having their necks extended high would be a great stress on its structure, cause
digestion problems and make it difficult to get oxygen. It is also presented in the lecture that the
long necks and tails were probably for thermoregulation instead of a survival tactic against prey
while the literature presents that apatosaurus take frequent water breaks to drink from the
water’s edge.
Another interesting behavior that was shown in “The Lost World” was the communication
of Parasaurolophus. The low tones of the Parasaur were described as unearthly in the novel
and were included in various sections such as: Third Configuration Chapter The Road and
Fourth Configuration Chapters The High Hide, Mating Calls, Parasaurs and Trail. The call of a
parasaur was shown to be a mode of audible communication between the species that seemed
to be a call that would be able to travel from a long distance and reciprocated. A deeper and
more infrequent tone was also replicated by Dr. Levine in one of the chapters and proved to be
a mating call for some of the more mature parasaurs which led to the whole herd to travel to his
location. The parasaurs also used their call to communicate when to urinate and defecate which
was interesting. This behavior is supported by the fossil evidence presented in the course with
the theories that the specific nasal cavities of this ornithopod to be able to be used as
resonating chambers for use as communication and to attract mates.
A third behavior that was described by the novel was the great care that the Maiasaurua
exhibited in the Fourth Configuration Chapter: Nest. In this section of the book Dodgson,
Baselton, and King happen upon the first nesting site on their mission to steal fertilized dinosaur
eggs. They saw a large nesting ground with multiple mounds covered in grass. The crew had a
map with the nesting site marked showing that this species of dinosaur returns to this location to
have their young. The novel explains that the naming of Maiasaura by paleontologist Jack
Horner, meaning “good mother reptile” due to their never before seen nesting behavior and
caring for their young. The lectures stated that this species of Ornithopod, as well as
Parasaurolophus, showcases site fidelity and has a complex parenting structure to take care of
their young. The text describes the Maiasaura as leafing the nests to keep the eggs warm and
moving carefully around the mounts to not mess with the nests, as the crew attempts to steal
the eggs.
Another behavior of a dinosaur of which I personally would like to see is the headbutting
of the Pachycephalosaurus. When the protagonists first got into the high hide in the Fourth
Configuration Chapter: High Hide they saw many species of dinosaur, one of which was the
Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis with a large domed forehead. Dr. Levine describes that it is
assumed that this species of dinosaur uses their cranium for butting to claim territory and
compete for mates. This is proven when King, attempting to make it to the docks and escape,
met up with a herd of Pachycephalosaurus that felt challenged after he nudged forward into
them to get them to move. At first they were unfazed then began to charge at the vehicle
damaging it and then continued to charge at him once he retreated from the vehicle. The
information from the lecture states that the domed feature on the Pachycephalosaurus are used
for headbutting to support interspecies competition yet there is no fossil evidence of small
fractures that would indicate damage and repair of the skulls. Also there is speculation that the
physics of large dinosaurs headbutting each other would cause a lot of structural damage to
their skulls. So the fossil record information does not really support this behavior.
One last behavior to be examined is the defensive use of frilled skull of the Ceratopsian
Triceratops. In the Fifth Configuration Chapter: High Hide the protagonists again were in the
high hide but this time this noticed a group of Triceratops aggravated by the appearance of
velociraptors that attempted to attack a young ceratopsian. The herb banded together and faced
the velociraptors and brandished their frilled skulls and horns at the predators to protect the
young. When a lone velociraptor came upon the defending triceratops they quickly recoordinated to keep the young behind them as faced the predator. They showed a complex
group defense tactic that warded off the velociraptors. The fossil evidence presented in the
lectures had no mention of coordinated defense tactics but does mention the use of the
squamosal shelf of bone as being used for protection and interspecies fighting. This is
evidenced by bony overgrowths from healed damage found on fossils. These massive creatures
could challenge themselves for territory and be used as a sort of display. This novel was very
interesting and laid out a lot of dinosaur information in an attention way that was perfect for this
course.