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The Gigantspinosaurus you have here doesn't quite live up to its name. Don't get me wrong... it's big. But manageable. Just watch out for those shoulder blades. They'd ruin anyone's day.

Gigantspinosaurus is a genus of stegosaurian dinosaur that originated from Late Jurassic Asia. Gigantspinosaurus fossils can be discovered in the Ziliujing Formation in China, which unlocks for expedition teams on Isla Sorna.

Characteristics

Weighing around 700kg and growing up to 7.7 meters in length, Gigantspinosaurus is a medium-sized stegosaurid dinosaur notable for the enormous spikes on its shoulders, which help to protect it from predators – in fact, its name translates to "Giant-Spined Lizard". It also has a paired row of small plates running down its back and four spikes on its tail. Compared to other Stegosaurs, Gigantspinosaurus possessed smaller dorsal plates, but larger shoulder spines, with a relatively large head and a strong jaw that helps it to chew the plants and shrubs it feeds on. The base genome seems to be a coffee brown with a pale underbelly and darker brown stripes.

Behaviour

Gigantspinosaurus is the last dinosaur found at the Ziliujing Formation and is harder to keep comfortable than Chungkingosaurus and Huayangosaurus. They require a minimum herd of at least four, or else they'll become quickly uncomfortable.

Paleontology

Gigantspinosaurus was an unusual stegosaur. Although it looked fairly similar to Kentrosaurus, it has characteristically huge shoulder spikes. These spikes would've been a formidable form of defense or used as a display feature for mates. The abundance of primitive stegosaurs such as Gigantspinosaurus and Huayangosaurus mixed with more advanced genera such as Chungkingosaurus and Tuojiangosaurus in the Dashanpu formation of China suggest the stegosauria evolved in Asia before migrating to Africa, Europe and North America.

The first Gigantspinosaurus fossil was discovery took place in Pengtang, China in 1985, when paleontologist Ouyang Hui unearthed a partial skeleton featuring a lower jaw, tail and feet, as well as some skin impressions. The bones were originally thought to be that of a Tuojiangosaurus but following the excavation of a second Gigantspinosaurus specimen from Fuquan the previous year, it was finally classified as a new genus in 2006. The holotype was discovered in the Upper Shaximiao Formation.

Paleoecology

Gigantspinosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic period around 160 million years ago alongside a myraid of dinosaurs such as the larger predator Yangchuanosaurus, the sauropods Mamenchisaurus and Omeisaurus, as well as other stegosaur relatives including Tuojiangosaurus, Chungkingosaurus, and Chialingosaurus. Fossil finds from the regions where Gigantspinosaurus has been located indicate a wet environment with rich marine life, with the fossil discovery locations suggesting that it preferred a wet environment with plenty of vegetation.

Available genomes

Fossil icon Dig site Quality Number available
Stegosaurusfossilicon
Ziliujing Formation
★★
★★★
★★★★
2
6
12
8

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