Stegosaurus

Tier: 5
Type: Terrestrial herbivore
Passive growth time: 4 hrs 6 min

Band size: 4 sub adults/adults, 1-9 juveniles/adolescents
Hierarchy: Matriarchal

Mating bond: Polyandry
Nest size: 1-3 offspring per pair

Diet tags: Herbivore, forager & frugivore
Preferred food: Berry bushes, acorns, roots, pinecones, melons & flowers. Licks salt rocks for extra salt in diet

Behavior

No other dinosaur spells out intimidation quite the way Stegosaurus does, in the form of large tipped plates along the back of their neck with dangerous spikes along a thick powerful tail. Stegosaurus are not very intelligent animals with a larger tolerance for carnivores. These animals are very well aware of their strength and large size. Peaceful for the most part Stegosaurus much prefer soaking up the sun, foraging by the water and scratching their hides against trees. Their herds are made up of mostly females with the matriarch leading the herd. Males do not typically stay with the females, but instead form bachelor herds, their brighter plates seen through the most dense forests.

Recommended behaviors

╸Stegosaurus do not enjoy the company of ceratopsians and will usually migrate to avoid them.
╸Stegosaurus are not the brightest dinosaurs, they can often be seen doing silly things that do not make much sense.
╸Stegosaurus are extremely protective of their own young.
╸Stegosaurus groups will often migrate around with their smaller cousin, the Kentrosaurus.

Mating

During mating season males are insanely aggressive, harassing other females and males in frustration. For unmated females, mating and courtship is a dangerous affair. If a female is not ready she will swing her tail at him as a sign of denial. If the male gets too pushy and tries to harass her out of her compliances, he will be met with a harsh punishment from the rest of the female group, often ending up chasing the male away limping. Males have been known to end up dead in fights against each other when trying to win her partnership over.

Nesting & offspring

Once mated and ready to nest females will move closer together and nest relatively closeby. Males rarely stick around leaving the females to nest. Once Stegosaurus are hatched females will raise them together until close to adolescence then they will all separate. Young Stegosaurus enjoy to play-fight, pushing smaller siblings over and chasing each other. Typically females once mature will venture off together leaving the males behind to find an open bachelor herd or to pair up with their smaller cousins, Kentrosaurus.