The fern prairie neighboring Denver lies quiet, expect for the faint sound of snarls and grunts. Amongst the ferns lies a deceased juvenile Diplodocus, one of the few of its kind in these parts. Its fate was taken into the hands of an adult Allosaurus, who has taken its life away for sustenance. The predator feeds in solitude as a rainstorm pushes through Denver towards her. After an unanticipated delay, the wet season has finally settled on the Great Morrison Prairie to shower it's residents of all biological kingdoms. This storm will be bigger than many wet season kick-offs before it; Above, a Harpactognathus flees to the trees to shelter from the coming rains
The very short story and art piece above were based entirely on scientific evidence with realistic speculation. Together, they give an insight into a possible scenario in which non-avian dinosaurs and humans share the planet. In this case, it zooms in to one single region (for simplicity's sake): The Great Morrison Prairie, which is of course based on the Morrison Formation fossil bed.
All of my research and speculation within this project is contained within the one-page essay below.
---The Story of the Great Morrison Prairie---
The Great Morrison Prairie is a semi-arid expanse of fern prairies and riparian conifer forests that spans across the western frontier of the United States. Most species native to the area have a low population density and instead live in an ecosystem of high species diversity. The result is a colorful and dynamic landscape. Outside of native American tribes, the Morrison Prairie saw little change until the mid 1800s. Around this time, a new species was forcing it’s way into the region: Americans from the east.
As the determined travelers pushed towards the Pacific, some settled down and started farming for a living, and this took its toll on the environment. Deforestation of the conifer forests led to a significant loss in forest biodiversity due to displacement. Space needed to be cleared for farmland, and nearly three-fourths of the Great Morrison Prairie had been turned into farmland by the year 1900. This restricted the migration of some herbivores and the range of some carnivores. Non-native crops from farms got a foothold in the Morrison and grew into an increasing problem over the late 1800s. Even the soil suffered as topsoil from plowing eroded away. Many dinosaur species suffered the changes in their specific biomes, but many others were able to grow and adapt to the ever growing presence of the new United States residents.
Allosaurus fragilis is a species that was not severely impacted by the presence of the new and more destructive humans in it's environment. Of the thirteen species of sauropod across the Morrison Prairie, adult Allosaurus have been recorded preying on ten species. For an adult Allosaurus, this means that prey isn’t typically difficult to locate, even when prey animals migrate. As deforestation grew larger across the Morrison Prairie during the late 1800s, high-browsing and middle-browsing sauropods followed the trees in order to sustain themselves. Having a wide range of common prey animals, Allosaurus as a species fared well during times when the Morrison Prairies’ biodiversity was under pressure. Predation occurrences with species that were not common Allosaurus victims, such as Haplocanthosaurus priscus, were reported to have gone up. This also includes thyreophorans, which were amongst the most infrequent Allosaurus victims (rates only increased slightly).
Not all animals fared well during the changes settlers set into motion. The U.S. settlers feared the unknown landscape ahead of them once they made it out this far, particularly the forests. From their perspective, anything could be hiding amongst the trees, like the vampires and other cryptids fantasized at the time. A large amount of deforestation took place solely to make permanent settlers feel less uneasy about the environment around them. Predatory theropods of all species, particularly the largest and most threatening, were massacred to protect the settlers. Only the most abundant predators, like Allosaurus fragilis, fared well. Ceratosaurus nasicornis, a theropod that inhabits the forests of the Great Morrison Prairie, suffered the most. It measures six meters and 524 kg on average and preys primarily on aquatic vertebrates. Deforestation (as well as the construction of dams) prompted Ceratosaurus to look towards other prey items. Some individuals with wider menus of prey adapted well to the new changes, but others starved. Combine this with the desire to kill large carnivores and Ceratosaurus nasicornis was nearly wiped out.
The Morrison Prairies biodiversity suffered in other ways in the late 1800s. Railway crew needed fresh meat during their months of work, and the Morrisons large herbivores were a common food source. Their size did not protect them from bullets of men. Many quoted this phrase: “You could bring down an adult long-neck, take and take, eat and eat all you can until you fall over sick, and the body will stay intact to be picked at by flesh-eaters.” Sauropods were common victims of hunts due to their abundance, along with thyreophorans. Stegosaurus ungulatus in particular saw a decline in numbers into an Endangered status due to its comparatively lower population in the Morrison than most of the sauropods. Stegosaurus would later suffer from poaching for its osteoderm plates and thagomizers, which were seen as valuable by many and sold for high prices. Other species faced this problem as well: Othneilia, Dryosaurus and Othneilosaurus are small ornithopods that sport a nearly full covering of downy feathers. These were highly valued and the three species saw a decline in population numbers as a result.
Most of the species that were hit hard by the changes in their environment have since made a rebound through conservation efforts and regulatory laws. Some species, like Stegosaurus ungulatus, are still making a recovery. The Conservation Era (1832-1960) saw the creation of Morrison National Park to preserve lands and their animals that had not been disturbed at the time. Despite the many environmental movements of the 1900s, the Great Morrison Prairie itself is still facing issues today. The climate change that Earth has seen since the 1800s may prove to disrupt the wet-dry cycle of the western interior. As the atmosphere warms, it can hold more moisture. This could create an excess of rainfall and floods in the Morrison. This also means that the dry seasons will be getting hotter and dryer. Even plantations and their high water demands can hurt the Morrison and cause a water-scarcity issue during dry seasons. American civilization must learn to live in peace and balance with the Great Morrison Prairie. Only then can this realm fully recover.
The Great Morrison Prairie is a semi-arid expanse of fern prairies and riparian conifer forests that spans across the western frontier of the United States. Most species native to the area have a low population density and instead live in an ecosystem of high species diversity. The result is a colorful and dynamic landscape. Outside of native American tribes, the Morrison Prairie saw little change until the mid 1800s. Around this time, a new species was forcing it’s way into the region: Americans from the east.
As the determined travelers pushed towards the Pacific, some settled down and started farming for a living, and this took its toll on the environment. Deforestation of the conifer forests led to a significant loss in forest biodiversity due to displacement. Space needed to be cleared for farmland, and nearly three-fourths of the Great Morrison Prairie had been turned into farmland by the year 1900. This restricted the migration of some herbivores and the range of some carnivores. Non-native crops from farms got a foothold in the Morrison and grew into an increasing problem over the late 1800s. Even the soil suffered as topsoil from plowing eroded away. Many dinosaur species suffered the changes in their specific biomes, but many others were able to grow and adapt to the ever growing presence of the new United States residents.
Allosaurus fragilis is a species that was not severely impacted by the presence of the new and more destructive humans in it's environment. Of the thirteen species of sauropod across the Morrison Prairie, adult Allosaurus have been recorded preying on ten species. For an adult Allosaurus, this means that prey isn’t typically difficult to locate, even when prey animals migrate. As deforestation grew larger across the Morrison Prairie during the late 1800s, high-browsing and middle-browsing sauropods followed the trees in order to sustain themselves. Having a wide range of common prey animals, Allosaurus as a species fared well during times when the Morrison Prairies’ biodiversity was under pressure. Predation occurrences with species that were not common Allosaurus victims, such as Haplocanthosaurus priscus, were reported to have gone up. This also includes thyreophorans, which were amongst the most infrequent Allosaurus victims (rates only increased slightly).
Not all animals fared well during the changes settlers set into motion. The U.S. settlers feared the unknown landscape ahead of them once they made it out this far, particularly the forests. From their perspective, anything could be hiding amongst the trees, like the vampires and other cryptids fantasized at the time. A large amount of deforestation took place solely to make permanent settlers feel less uneasy about the environment around them. Predatory theropods of all species, particularly the largest and most threatening, were massacred to protect the settlers. Only the most abundant predators, like Allosaurus fragilis, fared well. Ceratosaurus nasicornis, a theropod that inhabits the forests of the Great Morrison Prairie, suffered the most. It measures six meters and 524 kg on average and preys primarily on aquatic vertebrates. Deforestation (as well as the construction of dams) prompted Ceratosaurus to look towards other prey items. Some individuals with wider menus of prey adapted well to the new changes, but others starved. Combine this with the desire to kill large carnivores and Ceratosaurus nasicornis was nearly wiped out.
The Morrison Prairies biodiversity suffered in other ways in the late 1800s. Railway crew needed fresh meat during their months of work, and the Morrisons large herbivores were a common food source. Their size did not protect them from bullets of men. Many quoted this phrase: “You could bring down an adult long-neck, take and take, eat and eat all you can until you fall over sick, and the body will stay intact to be picked at by flesh-eaters.” Sauropods were common victims of hunts due to their abundance, along with thyreophorans. Stegosaurus ungulatus in particular saw a decline in numbers into an Endangered status due to its comparatively lower population in the Morrison than most of the sauropods. Stegosaurus would later suffer from poaching for its osteoderm plates and thagomizers, which were seen as valuable by many and sold for high prices. Other species faced this problem as well: Othneilia, Dryosaurus and Othneilosaurus are small ornithopods that sport a nearly full covering of downy feathers. These were highly valued and the three species saw a decline in population numbers as a result.
Most of the species that were hit hard by the changes in their environment have since made a rebound through conservation efforts and regulatory laws. Some species, like Stegosaurus ungulatus, are still making a recovery. The Conservation Era (1832-1960) saw the creation of Morrison National Park to preserve lands and their animals that had not been disturbed at the time. Despite the many environmental movements of the 1900s, the Great Morrison Prairie itself is still facing issues today. The climate change that Earth has seen since the 1800s may prove to disrupt the wet-dry cycle of the western interior. As the atmosphere warms, it can hold more moisture. This could create an excess of rainfall and floods in the Morrison. This also means that the dry seasons will be getting hotter and dryer. Even plantations and their high water demands can hurt the Morrison and cause a water-scarcity issue during dry seasons. American civilization must learn to live in peace and balance with the Great Morrison Prairie. Only then can this realm fully recover.
The backbone of this project is the research. Naturally, this is where I began. I found that the best to research my topic was to start broad and narrow my way down. So, I started with the Morrison Formation as an ecosystem, and I made my way down to individual species. Then, I looked at modern environmental issues of focus. After that, I homed in on issues from that category that would specifically effect a certain species or habitat in my Great Morrison Prairie. After my four-day research period, I moved on to drafting a scenario for essay and art piece.
I am a man of scientific accuracy. Therefore, I wanted my alternate-timeline-scenario to follow what is scientifically plausible/accurate yet remain imaginative. I drew inspiration from the environmental degradation that came with American expansion back in the 1800s. For the animals, I researched any evidence of an ecological niche for a given species in order to determine how they'd be impacted by America's westward expansion. For example, Ceratosaurus nasicornis is a theropod dinosaur that was believed to have inhabited riparian environments and feed on aquatic vertebrates. You can assume that this animal would suffer from the effects of deforestation and river pollution if it were alive today. Lastly, I needed to know what kind of ecosystem the Morrison Formation was. It turns out that it can be likened to a savanna, so I speculated on how it and its animals would suffer from environmental issues facing our savannas. Overall, the speculation for this project was a fun challenge. When it was complete, I began the essay.
Creating the essay was straightforward. I was challenged by one of the teachers to make a concise one-page essay to present my work. I believed I pulled it off well. I had a strict plan in mine: present you with the subject, explain what happened in the 1800s to the Great Morrison Prairie, share a species success story, share two different suffering species stories and close you out with the state of the Great Morrison Prairie today. This essay is how I handled my English portion, and I tied it to the U.S. expansion into the west for the Social Studies portion. By and large, I'm proud of it. Now, nearly all the digital work had been completed and it was time to start the tangible portion of the project: the art piece.
My goal for the art piece was to make a piece that would fit well into the "paleoart" category. To do this, I looked at paleoart from different artists and times to observe what grabs you in the pieces. Another goal of mine was to put realistic and eye-grabbing colors on the animals. My favorite aspect of paleoart is the limitless possibilities; I love seeing what people think an animals color was and how they might have lived. I created my own colors for Allosaurus fragilis, Diplodocus hallorum and Harpactognathus gentryii. Drafts of my work can be seen below.
I am a man of scientific accuracy. Therefore, I wanted my alternate-timeline-scenario to follow what is scientifically plausible/accurate yet remain imaginative. I drew inspiration from the environmental degradation that came with American expansion back in the 1800s. For the animals, I researched any evidence of an ecological niche for a given species in order to determine how they'd be impacted by America's westward expansion. For example, Ceratosaurus nasicornis is a theropod dinosaur that was believed to have inhabited riparian environments and feed on aquatic vertebrates. You can assume that this animal would suffer from the effects of deforestation and river pollution if it were alive today. Lastly, I needed to know what kind of ecosystem the Morrison Formation was. It turns out that it can be likened to a savanna, so I speculated on how it and its animals would suffer from environmental issues facing our savannas. Overall, the speculation for this project was a fun challenge. When it was complete, I began the essay.
Creating the essay was straightforward. I was challenged by one of the teachers to make a concise one-page essay to present my work. I believed I pulled it off well. I had a strict plan in mine: present you with the subject, explain what happened in the 1800s to the Great Morrison Prairie, share a species success story, share two different suffering species stories and close you out with the state of the Great Morrison Prairie today. This essay is how I handled my English portion, and I tied it to the U.S. expansion into the west for the Social Studies portion. By and large, I'm proud of it. Now, nearly all the digital work had been completed and it was time to start the tangible portion of the project: the art piece.
My goal for the art piece was to make a piece that would fit well into the "paleoart" category. To do this, I looked at paleoart from different artists and times to observe what grabs you in the pieces. Another goal of mine was to put realistic and eye-grabbing colors on the animals. My favorite aspect of paleoart is the limitless possibilities; I love seeing what people think an animals color was and how they might have lived. I created my own colors for Allosaurus fragilis, Diplodocus hallorum and Harpactognathus gentryii. Drafts of my work can be seen below.
Everything was finished. Now I just needed a single place to put it all. The original idea was a conversation website made with Weebly. I realized that this would've required more than what I wanted, so I went with a blog post made with Blogger that can be viewed below.
In the end, I am very happy with this project. It gave me a chance to finally do something different with paleontology; instead of just learning about dinosaurs, I looked at them in an entirely different way. I'm very proud of this one. What do you think?