| This animal, though a herbivore, can intimidate most predators with its size. It's a biggie, named Dreadnoughtus. I'd give this dinosaur a wide berth. |
Dreadnoughtus is a genus of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur in the Jurassic World Evolution series. Originating from Late Cretaceous South America, it is one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered.
In Evolution, Dreadnoughtus is featured in the Cretaceous Dinosaur Pack, and can be unlocked in the Campaign Mode by progressing through the Science Division on Isla Tacaño, where its fossils can subsequently be excavated in the Cerro Fortaleza dig site.
Dreadnoughtus then returned in the base game of Evolution 2. The Dominion Biosyn Expansion later gave Dreadnoughtus a 2022 Variant, based on its appearance in Jurassic World Dominion. Both Dreadnoughtus variants then returned in the base game of Evolution 3.
History
During the Late Cretaceous period 65 million years ago, a herd of Dreadnoughtus were lingering around a lake with a flock of Pteranodon and Quetzalcoatlus nearby.[1]
Although Dreadnoughtus was not known to have been cloned by InGen, it appeared on the holographic globe in the Innovation Center. In 2018, its viable embryo was known to have been created and stored in a suitcase with embryos of other dinosaurs.[2]
By 2022, several Dreadnoughtus were present in the sanctuary that was created by BioSyn.[1]
Characteristics
Dreadnoughtus comparison
One of the largest sauropods in the Evolution series, weighing around 65 tons and measuring 28 meters in length, the titanosaurian sauropod Dreadnoughtus is not just one of the largest dinosaurs that has ever lived, it's also one of the largest animals known that ever walked the Earth. Dreadnoughtus has a bulky structure; a thick, elongated neck; and slender front legs. Its name alludes to the dreadnought, a type of battleship, and rightfully translates to "Fears Nothing". Despite its vast size and intimidating name, Dreadnoughtus is a herbivore, using its 11 meter long neck to reach leaves that most other sauropod dinosaurs can't get to, while also feeding on ground-level vegetation. These massive dinosaurs likely had no natural predators, although multiple teeth of small theropods were found with the specimens, indicating a Dreadnoughtus carcass was a popular destination for scavengers.
In Evolution, its base genome is a dark moss color. In Evolution 2, its base genome is a dirty light brown color. However, the Dominion Biosyn Expansion gives Dreadnoughtus its appearance from Jurassic World Dominion.
Gameplay
Evolution
Behaviour
One of the least social of all sauropods, Dreadnoughtus without any modifications to their social needs will live either alone, in pairs or in groups of three. They are impervious to most predators, except for the Indominus rex.
Like other sauropods, Dreadnoughtus eat exclusively from Tall Herbivore Feeders, but with the Claire's Sanctuary expansion pack, they can also eat from Tall Paleofeeders, showing a primary preference for Tree ferns and a secondary preference for Conifers and Ginkgo.
Available genomes
| Fossil icon | Dig site | Quality | Number available |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Cerro Fortaleza Formation | ★ ★★ ★★★ ★★★★ |
2 6 12 8 |
Skins
Evolution 2
Evolution 3
Paleontology
Reaching around 12.3 m (40 ft) tall, growing 26 m (85 ft) in length, and weighing almost 50 t (110,231 lb), Dreadnoughtus was potentially one of the largest animals to have ever lived on land, only outclassed by fellow South American titanosaurs such as Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan. Dreadnoughtus was first discovered in the Cerro Fortaleza Formation in southern Patagonia, Argentina by American paleontologist Kenneth Lacovara in 2005. The fossils found form one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons ever found, and the number and weight of the bones meant that they weren’t fully unearthed until 2009. Unearthed over the course of four years, two incomplete Dreadnoughtus skeletons have been discovered to date.
Dreadnoughtus was a surprise on its discovery in 2014, with 70% of the skeleton has been recovered; most of the body and tail well preserved, but also parts of the skull, which is usually lost in preservation due to their flimsy nature as the specimens were likely buried quickly by a flood or mudslide. It is the most well preserved titanosaur found in South America, however the skeleton found was not fully grown yet, suggesting that the dinosaur could grow even larger. The unusually high completion of the skeleton - including most of the tail and neck, forelimbs and hindlimbs, and more – means it is possible to calculate the weight of the Dreadnoughtus with confidence.
Paleoecology
Dreadnoughtus existed during the Cretaceous period around 100–75 million years ago, living alongside other large sauropods (such as Puertasaurus), ornithopods and theropods such as Orkoraptor in the forests and wide floodplains of Argentina. Although there were many predators in the environment during this period, Dreadnoughtus’ size means it is unlikely to have been hunted – but if it was attacked, it could use its powerful tail to defend itself. The Cerro Fortaleza Formation, where the Dreadnoughtus specimens were discovered, was likely a humid, swamp-like environment with a high level of rainfall.
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2022). Jurassic World Dominion [Film]. Universal Pictures.
- ↑ Bayona, J. A. (Director). (2018). Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom [Film]. Universal Pictures.
External links
- Dreadnoughtus on Wikipedia
