Dryosaurus

Tier: 1
Type: Terrestrial herbivore
Passive growth time: 1 hr 38 min

Band size: 1-10 sub adults/adults, 1-18 juveniles/adolescents
Hierarchy: Horde

Mating bond: Monogamous
Nest size: 1-4 offspring per pair

Diet tags: Herbivore, omnivore, non-cannibalistic, insectivore, generalist, & ovivore
Preferred food: Melons, insects, acorns, tiger nuts, roots, critters & fresh eggs
Species specific rules: May hunt any Tier 1 & their offspring. If they kill a carnivore/omnivore in self-defense, they can choose if they want to claim the body or not. May only initiate contests against Tier 1 carnivores/omnivores for their bodies. If in any herd or mixpack, must follow purely Herbivore rules.

Behaviour in nature

Due to the size of a Dryosaurus group, they often prefer to spend their time in open fields or areas with proximity to water such as rivers or lakes/ponds. This helps them receive a broad view on their land, allowing them to search well for food and watch out for any predators. Dryosaurus’s swimming skills allow them to also retreat to the water temporarily when encountered with danger on land. Since some members of the group are usually on watch for predators, Dryosaurus usually has ample amount of time to retreat. In the meantime however, Dryosaurus groups tend to split up into different groups with different tasks, some involving taking care of the offspring while some are involved in retrieving food or tracing back their steps to previous critter ridden burrows.

Social behavior

Dryosaurus is a very vocal species, constantly calling out anything and everything they notice is dangerous, or simply acting vocal as a means of social interaction. Groups of Dryosaurus are very territorial towards other groups and will stand ground in case of conflict. Dominancy is then established during cases like these and is a chance to put one family above another in the hierarchy. This rewards enhanced rights to food, and safety within the group. Dryosaurus groups are collaborative, leading to cooperation with hunts as well as during the mating seasons, and finally they are especially communal when raising offspring.

Recommended behaviors

╸Some members of the Dryosaurus horde will keep watch while others attend to offspring or forage for food.
╸When danger is detected, Dryosaurus will emit repeated calls to alert the group of the imminent threat.

Courtship

Dryosaurus mating season tends to fluctuate throughout the year, held commonly during heavy rainy seasons. Generally the more dominant members of the group will get to have their pick of their partners before the rest during the mating season. During the mating season, Dryosaurus behavior does not see a very drastic change, besides the partners spending more time together and creating the correct conditions for a future nest, courtship behavior is generally on the lower end. This courtship behavior however includes small feats of strength and signs of dominance when selecting a mate. A mating bond will be prevalent during the mating season between the pair of Dryosaurus, as they will often hunt and rest together during the day.

Nesting & offspring

Dryosaurus will create their nests under bits of shade, usually under a tree or small cliff within big plains, this is to maximize protection of potentially harsh weather during the later months. In some cases Dryosaurus members who have not participated in the mating season will take care and tend to the offspring of the more dominant individuals, ensuring the offspring is safe, healthy, and well fed. Furthermore, Dryosaurus will teach their young how to hunt, enabling the offspring to learn by example and follow in the same footsteps of their adult counterparts. This is possible through a parent carrying food so that the offspring may chase the prey that the parent is holding. Offspring will often spend their time either playing around with each other or learning how to survive from their parents, often getting taken care of by a dedicated caretaker if the adults are looking for food or on watch for predators.