Right. The Sinoceratops. A herbivore that shares many traits with its more famous cousin, the Triceratops. This is a docile animal that you could make into a solid favorite with a little effort. Of course, we're all expecting more than a "little effort" but, I'm sure you get what I mean. |
Sinoceratops is a genus of ceratopsid dinosaur in the Jurassic World Evolution series. Originating from Late Cretaceous Asia, Sinoceratops fossils are first unlocked on Isla Matanceros then excavated in the Xingezhuang Formation. The Sinoceratops was first added to the game with the Fallen Kingdom Dinosaur Update.
History
Sinoceratops was recreated by InGen for Jurassic World on Isla Nublar. Several members of the species remained alive on the island in the aftermath of the park's abandonment, and many were encountered on the island during the 2018 mission to save the dinosaurs from the impending eruption of Mount Sibo.[1]
Many Sinoceratops were successfully transported from the now-destroyed Nublar to the Lockwood Estate in northern California, where they and the other dinosaurs were intended to be auctioned off on the black market. However, Claire Dearing and Owen Grady managed to put an end to the auction, and the surviving dinosaurs, including several Sinoceratops were released into the wilds of northern California.[1]
Four years after the incident in Lockwood Manor, several Sinoceratops were seen socializing with African elephants. Some were captured by illegal breeders alongside Triceratops and Nasutoceratops, while others were taken to a sanctuary created by BioSyn.[2]
Characteristics
A relatively large ceratopsian dinosaur that existed in China around 73 million years ago and easily identifiable thanks to the large horn on its snout, Sinoceratops is similar in size to relatives such as Chasmosaurus, measuring up to over 8 meters in length and weigh as much as between 2 to 5 tons. Its name translates to "Chinese Horned Face", derived from its appearance and its environment. Significant as the first known ceratopsid found outside of North America, Sinoceratops has a short, pudgy body; a short, hooked rhinoceros-like horn on its nose, no horns above its eyes, and a short, round, curved neck frill with a crown-like appearance formed by forward-curving hornlets. The eye-catching frill above its neck helps it to attract mates. The dinosaur's base cosmetic genome has a moss green body with a cream colored underbelly, along with cream and orange markings on its frill.
Unlocked early in the main campaign, Sinoceratops has relatively high requirements compared to the other early game dinosaurs, one of the few with a social group exceeding. However, it is otherwise relatively easy to take care of. It may serve as an alternative or companion to Triceratops as a player's early game ceratopsian of choice.
Behaviour
Like all other ceratopsians, Sinoceratops will engage in a death duel with large and medium carnivores such as Giganotosaurus and Allosaurus if provoked.
Sinoceratops is a very social animal and requires at least one more of its own kind to maintain a healthy comfort level. It also has a high maximum social and population limit for a ceratopsian. Sinoceratops is capable of living somewhat peacefully alongside small carnivores such as Dilophosaurus and Velociraptor, only occasionally engaging in non-fatal territorial fights.
Paleontology
Sinoceratops was the first ceratopsid to be discovered in China by Xu Xing et al, when a partial skull was excavated from the Xingezhuang Formation, Shandong in 2008 to 2010[3] – a significant find, showing that ceratopsian dinosaurs may have migrated from North America to Asia. Three specimens of Sinoceratops have been found in the Xingezhuang Formation in Shandong, China. Further specimens have been found in the same location, allowing researcher Xu Xing to name the genus Sinoceratops formally. Sinoceratops belongs to the Centrosaurinae branch of ceratopsids, which contained other species such as Styracosaurus, and was one of the largest of the group, measuring 5 to 6 m (16 to 20 ft) long and weighing 2 t (4,409 lb). Its discovery is significant, as it is the only known ceratopsid that lived outside of North America.
As opposed to its in-game depiction, the hollow frill parts of real-life Sinoceratops were covered with skin rather than exposed. The frill was also taller in real-life.
Paleoecology
Sinoceratops lived China during the Late Cretaceous period approximately 83 to 66 million years ago, gravitating towards wetlands, marshes and rivers where low-lying vegetation such as ferns and plants was more plentiful. It shared its environment with numerous dinosaurs including the ornithopod hadrosaurs Tsintaosaurus, Huaxiaosaurus, and Shangtungosaurus, the titanosaur Zhuchengtitan, and the small ceratopsian Zhuchengceratops. The apex predator at the time was the massive predator Zhuchengtyrannus, which was almost as large as Tyrannosaurus in size, showing species parallels with ecosystems and food chains in North America around the same time. However, once fully grown, Sinoceratops was able to defend itself from attack.
Available genomes
Fossil icon | Dig site | Quality | Number available |
---|---|---|---|
Xingezhuang Formation | ★ ★★ ★★★ ★★★★ |
2 6 12 8 |
Skins
Behind the scenes
The Sinoceratops was created using the 3D model that was created for 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom by Industrial Light & Magic, as well as audio files provided by Universal Pictures to create the most authentic representation of the dinosaur.[4]
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bayona, J. A. (Director). (2018). Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom [Film]. Universal Pictures.
- ↑ Trevorrow, Colin. (Director). (2022). Jurassic World Dominion [Film]. Universal Pictures.
- ↑ Xu, X., Wang, K., Zhao, X. et al. (2010). First ceratopsid dinosaur from China and its biogeographical implications. Chin. Sci. Bull. 55, 1631–1635. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
- ↑ Krupa, Daniel (May 16, 2018). HOW JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION MADE ITS T.REX - IGN FIRST IGN. Retrieved June 14, 2018
External links
- Sinoceratops on Wikipedia