WWD: Thescelosaurus neglectus
Added 2023-08-19 10:42:49 +0000 UTCAnother one of the series' recycled animals and probably the laziest one yet; it's the Othnielia from the Morrison Formation episode, and they didn't even bother to change the colour. It isn't even identified on-screen or in any media (the American dub states they're Hypsilophodon, but that doesn't make any sense given the vast gulf in time and space), leaving its identity unclear, although given the time and locale Thescelosaurus is the only reasonable identity (by default, as the only smallish ornithopod from the region; "smallish" because it is quite large by modern land animal standards, some got up to fifteen feet long).
Thescelosaurus was one of the most common dinosaur species from the Hell Creek Formation and is known from numerous complete skeletons; it was behind only Tyrannosaurus, Edmontosaurus, and Triceratops in commonness. The fact it was much smaller than these three animals implies that Thescelosaurus was actually the most common non-avian dinosaur of the region (since big animals tend to be fossilized far more often), although there's probably more than one species present. It's easy to assume this would've been the principle prey for Dakotaraptor and juvenile Tyrannosaurus. Skin impressions from yet undescribed fossils indicate at least parts of its body were covered in scales and spurs were present on its forelimbs, suggesting violent intraspecific battles between males in a manner similar to modern gamefowl cocks.
This was one of the very last non-avian dinosaurs to ever roam the Earth, and one fossil assigned to the genus has been uncovered in the "Tanis" quarry of Hell Creek, a site that supposedly represents the exact day that the asteroid collided (supposedly showing marine animals swept far inland by the blast, violently launched debris, and fossilized molten debris). Whether or not this is true is still under further investigation, since it is quite an extraordinary claim.
