Mamenchisaurus constructus

Coloration:
Adult (both sexes) - A brown mottling with lighter brown back striping.

Juvenile (both sexes) - Lighter brown mottling all over.

Diet:
Low-to-medium growing plants, occasionally also leaves from trees. Its long neck allow Mamenchisaurus to feed on a variety of vegetation from a stationary position.

Preferred Habitat:
Wide open spaces with plenty of vegetation.

Social Structure:
Mamenchisaurus is less social than either Brontosaurus or Brachiosaurus, preferring to live in small groups or even alone.

Description:
Giant quadrupedal herbivore. Mamenchisaurus is a sauropod. Pillar-like limbs, heavy body, long neck and tail. Mamenchisaurus has the longest neck of any other dinosaur on Isla Sorna, which at 36 feet, is almost half the length of the entire animal. The tail is held off the ground, and is thicker at the end as opposed to the thin whip-like tail of Brontosaurus. The head is small and boxy, and the teeth are peg-like.

Behaviors:
Mamenchisaurus is a gentle giant which prefers to avoid confrontation. Although the young are vulnerable to many types of  predators, the adults are protected from most carnivores by their great size. Packs of Allosaurus and Giganotosaurus are by far the biggest threat. If under attack, a Mamenchisaurus will try to defend itself by rising up onto its hind legs and falling forward and pounding the ground with its front feet. The resulting tremors are often enough to warn off all but the most persistent of carnivores. Like Brontosaurus, Mamenchisaurus will also use its tail as a weapon. The main difference between the tails of the two species is the slight thickening of the vertebrae at the end of Mamenchisaurus' tail. As a result, the tail lashes out slightly slower, but the hits are considerably harder.

Mamenchisaurus is much less common than its three other sauropod contemporaries, and not as noisy. Its most common call is a deep bellow, and typical to sauropods, it also produces infra-sounds to communicate with other individuals over long distances. Being more solitary, Mamenchisaurus find mates using long-distance calls. Once a match has been found, the male and female will perform a ritual in which they walk close to one another, brushing their bodies and necks against each other, their tails intertwined. When the female is ready, she lowers her neck as a signal, and the male may mount her.

The mated females often congregate into small herds as they travel to  lay their eggs, often alongside Brachiosaurus and Brontosaurus. Female Mamenchisaurus lay fewer eggs than either of the other two species, which may account for this sauropod's relative scarcity on the island. After laying, the female Mamenchisaurus will remain near the nest site for longer than the other two sauropod species, discouraging predators long after the herds of Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus have left. Once the young hatch, the adults can do nothing for the tiny hatchlings, and so they move on, returning to their solitary lives.

The baby Mamenchisaurus seek safety and security amongst the groups of Brachiosaurus and Brontosaurus sauropodlets within the dense forests of Isla Sorna. Their numbers are very quickly diminished by predation, so they grow quickly to combat this, eating almost constantly. When they are big enough and require more space to move about, the juvenile Mamenchisaurus leave the forests behind and travel out onto the open plains of the Game Trail. Being still quite small and vulnerable to predators, the young will seek out an adult Mamenchisaurus to follow until they are old enough to strike out on their own. If a suitable adult Mamenchisaurus cannot be found, a Brontosaurus herd will do just as well, if not better due to the greater number of their herds. The Brontosaurus do not seem to mind the presence of the juveniles of another species, allowing them to graze and seek protection in the center of the herd alongside the juvenile Brontosaurus.

Mamenchisaurus is sometimes known to travel alongside herds of Triceratops and Styracosaurus for protection against predators such as  Allosaurus and Giganotosaurus. Most predators will not approach such a lethal and notoriously bad-tempered herd of animals, therefore the Mamenchisaurus is usually well avoided. It is not uncommon to see a herd of Triceratops or Styracosaurus encircling a lone Mamenchisaurus as they trek across the landscape.