This is the Albertosaurus, so named because it was first discovered in the Canadian province of Alberta. This animal is a smart predator that relies on its rows of sharp teeth. They exhibit pack behavior, which is very exciting to witness. As long as you're doing so from a safe place. |
Albertosaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid dinosaur in the Jurassic World Evolution series. Originating from Late Cretaceous North America, Albertosaurus is physically similar to Tyrannosaurus, though is smaller, faster, and more slender in comparison.
In Evolution, Albertosaurus is available in the Claire's Sanctuary DLC, where it is introduced in the campaign as one of the carnivorous species facing extinction on Nublar North, and can subsequently be relocated to Sanctuary. Upon completion of the Claire's Sanctuary story missions, Albertosaurus becomes available in the main campaign by progressing through the Entertainment Division on Isla Pena, where its fossils can subsequently be excavated in the Dinosaur Park and Horseshoe Canyon formations in North America.
Characteristics
Very similar in appearance to its infamous relative Tyrannosaurus, albeit comparatively smaller and thinner, Albertosaurus is a relatively large carnivorous tyrannosaurid theropod from the Late Cretaceous Period, found in North America. Like other tyrannosaurids, Albertosaurus has small arms, muscular legs, short bony crests above its eyes, a huge head with numerous large teeth, and a number of adaptations that allows its skull to withstand the forces it exerts on its prey. Believed to have been the apex predator of its time, Albertosaurus' rows of razor-sharp teeth make light work of the smaller, herbivorous dinosaurs it preys on while its sheer size ā approximately 9.5 meters long and weighing around 4 tons ā ensure other predators steer clear. Tyrannosaurids typically bit deeply into a carcass, then pulled back, and their serrated teeth were an indispensable tool in this motion. Tooth serrations lead, via what resembles a crack, to a round void known as an ampulla. These voids spread forces to a larger surface area on the tooth, lessening the risk of a crack developing. In addition to serrated teeth, Albertosaurus has a strong skull with a fused nasal bone and feet that can resist twisting motions as it tore at its prey. Based on the fossil evidence, Albertosaurus had a high mortality rate until it reached an age of around 2 years old, at which point it was the largest carnivore in its environment and no longer at risk of predation. At its peak, Albertosaurus grew by 112kg per year. Albertosaurus, like other tyrannosaurids, was highly sensitive to smell and sound due to its large olfactory lobes and ear canals.
Prior to the eruption of Mount Sibo, at least one Albertosaurus was brought to Claire Dearing's facility on Isla Nublar, along with Baryonyx and Carnotaurus, in order to research the disease threatening the island's dinosaurs with extinction. After the abandonment of Nublar, the Albertosaurus genome was available to the facility on Sanctuary.[1] In Evolution, the base genome of Albertosaurus is a light gray body with a blue stripe-like pattern all around and a lighter gray underside.
Gameplay
Evolution
Behaviour
Albertosaurus is a unique addition to the Jurassic World parks, and can often be seen sniffing the air, ground, and water of its environment. Like other carnivores, it can eat from both the Live Bait and Carnivore Feeders, though it can also hunt a wide variety of dinosaur species, except for sauropods. While content with solitude, Albertosaurus can tolerate another member of its kind in the same enclosure, as well as up to eighteen other dinosaurs of varying species.
Available genomes
Fossil icon | Dig site | Quality | Number available |
---|---|---|---|
Dinosaur Park Formation | ā
ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā |
1 3 6 4 | |
Horseshoe Canyon Formation | ā
ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā |
1 3 6 4 |
Skins
Alpine: Sanctuary Challenge Mode Any Difficulty Unlock
Jungle: Nublar North Challenge Mode Jurassic Difficulty Unlock
Evolution 2
Cosmetics
Skins
Patterns
Paleontology
Albertosaurus' name is derived from the location of its earliest discoveries ā Alberta's Horseshoe Canyon Formation. The first known Albertosaurus fossil consisted of a partial skull discovered and excavated in the Red Deer River, Alberta in June 1884 by by geologist Joseph B. Tyrrell of the Geological Survey of Canada. Five years later, a second skull was discovered by Tyrrell's colleague Thomas Chesmer Weston in 1889. The team at that time, not equipped with the proper tools to manage such a find, damaged the skull during its recovery. In 1892, the two skulls were originally assigned incorrectly to the existing Laelaps incrassatus species now known as Dryptosaurus. When the specimens were determined to differ too greatly from Dryptosaurus, they were finally established as a new species and given a new name, Albertosaurus, in 1904-1905 by American paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn.
In August 1910, a large group of Albertosaurus was partially excavated at another nearby quarry by American paleontologist Barnum Brown. Paleontologist Phil Currie resumed excavations in 1997 after he relocated the bone bed from photographic evidence. The number of individuals can be calculated from the number of unique skeletal elements found ā if this estimate is used, the bone bed contained 12 unique Albertosaurus specimens. If instead we count skeletal elements that occur multiple times in one animal, but differ in size, there could be as many as 26. The large number of unique individuals found could be evidence of pack behavior, or the animals may have been brought together by a drought or flood.
Due to abundant remains, especially from the Dry Island bone beds, Albertosaurus is one of the best-studied and understood tyrannosaurs. Its extensive range across multiple formations suggests that this was a common predator and the remains of juveniles and adults together indicate that they traveled together in family groups. Juveniles grew rapidly and may have reached adulthood at about 18 years, similar to humans. Typical Albertosaurus adults measured up to 9 m (30 ft) long and weighed 1.3ā2.5 t (2,860ā5,511 lb), while rare individuals of great age could grow to be over 10 m (33 ft) long and weighed 4 t (8,818 lb).
When compared to its later cousin, Tyrannosaurus, Albertosaurus is lightly built and more streamlined. This suggests it mainly chased down fast prey such as hadrosaurs, rather than tackling tougher prey such as ceratopsians or ambushing its prey. Additionally, some paleontologists have speculated that Albertosaurus could run as fast as 30 mph (48 km/h).
The skull was large and possessed fewer teeth than other theropods. Though its jaws weren't as powerful as its larger relative, Tyrannosaurus, it was capable of biting with a force of over 3,000 newtons and had similar characteristics such as fused nasal bones and maxillary bones adapted to resist lateral forces, allowing it to employ a "puncture and pull" method to tear apart its prey. Skin impressions showed that Albertosaurus was covered in scales, with large pebbly hexagonal scales on its back and smaller, diamond-shaped scales on its underside.
The remains of Albertosaurus are so extensive that the effects of certain diseases and parasites have been recorded on some individuals. The Albertosaurus featured in the game is heavier and slightly larger than the average size of its real-life counterpart. In reality, the dinosaur's lacrimal brow horns are more prominent and known from Albertosaurus close relative, Gorgosaurus.
Paleoecology
Living approximately from 73 to 66 million years ago, Albertosaurus was the apex predator of its ecosystem, preying on a wide variety of dinosaurs; mainly hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, and ornithomimids. Living in habitats that were semi-tropical and rich in plant life along the floodplains of Horseshoe Canyon, Albertosaurus lived alongside a wide array of other dinosaurs such as Pachyrhinosaurus, Saurolophus, Edmontosaurus, Struthiomimus, Troodon, and Atrociraptor.
Gallery
References
- ā Campaign Missions of Claire's Sanctuary
External links
- Albertosaurus on Wikipedia