| Ornithomimus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biological information | |
| Time period : | Late Cretaceous period. |
| Lifestyle : | Omnivore |
| In the series | |
| Brought back : | 13, later had 12 chicks. |
| Appearances : | "T-Rex Returns" "A Mammoth Undertaking" "Dinobirds" "Saving the Sabretooth" "The Bug House" "Supercroc" |
Ornithomimus (name meaning "Bird mimic") was a genus of ornithomimid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now North America.
Portrayal in the series
Ornithomimus were highly social omnivores that lived in flocks of around 15 to 20. Despite the vast numbers of individuals in a flock, they would still flee from danger. Ornithomimus were swift and agile animals, capable of outrunning the fastest predators.
When brooding, Ornithomimus females would break off from the rest of the flock to make a nest. Each Ornithomimus would lay around 10 eggs but the mother would sacrifice at least 2 eggs to feed predators. Ornithomimus chicks were covered in downy feathers which would molt by adulthood. (PP: Saving the Sabretooth)
Despite their close resemblance to ostriches, Ornithomimus behaved more like ducks. They preferred to live near lakes and ponds rather than forests or open plains. In fact, their mouths had the texture of sandpaper and were used more like sieves than beaks. (PP: Dinobirds) As was stated; they have more in common with Daffy Duck than emu.
Ornithomimus chicks have downy feathers and, like many modern birds, would imprint on the first thing they see after hatching. They would even imprint on other species. (PP: Saving the Sabretooth) They wouldn’t go far out of the sight of their flock, however, and would stay in close knit groups with the other chicks. As they develop, they would lose their downy coat of feathers, and develop a greyish-blue colouration.
They shared their environment with larger herbivores, such as Triceratops, though how they interacted with each other is never specified in the. They also shared their environment with Nyctosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, with the latter being shown several times throughout the series to have hunted Ornithomimus.
In Prehistoric Park
"T-Rex Returns"
The flock of Ornithomimus spooked by Nigel. (T-Rex Returns)
On his first trip to the Late Cretaceous, Nigel Marven found a lone Ornithomimus in a clearing surrounded by undergrowth. The Ornithomimus emerged, and, to Nigel's surprise, a whole flock of them raised their heads above the bushes. The flock fed on the vegetation until Nigel intentionally spooked them in order to get ahold of an individual. Nigel managed to catch a small, fleeing Ornithomimus and covered its head with a sock (a technique used on ostriches to calm them down). When the rest of the flock ran past Nigel, he let go of the individual he was holding and turned around to see what had frightened them; a trio of Tyrannosaurus rex.
Days later, when Nigel was attempting to transfer a female Tyrannosaurus rex to Prehistoric Park, the flock reappeared and distracted the Tyrannosaurus. One individual was too slow and was caught by the Tyrannosaurus to be fed to her chicks. The rest of the flock however ran into the time portal which led to the present-day Prehistoric Park. Head keeper Bob Arthur was surprised at the amount of Ornithomimus coming through, as the species wasn’t even planned for Prehistoric Park. Eventually, Bob moved the flock into a large enclosure, where they all ran out of the transport vehicle to become accustomed to their surroundings.
"A Mammoth Undertaking"
In the second episode, Head Keeper Bob was having problems with the Ornithomimus flock. He assumed they would behave in a similar manner to ostriches, and was expecting them to eat the grass. The Ornithomimus, however, were not feeding. Bob later learned that Ornithomimus were more akin to ducks and decided that he should move them into an enclosure with a pond so that they could find their own food. Bob managed to move the flock into their new enclosure, but it took a while for them to calm down and find the pond. They later settled down and began feeding.
"Dinobirds"
The Ornithomimus mother checking up on her eggs. (Dinobirds)
Bob was checking on the Ornithomimus flock to see if they were enjoying their new pond. He was glad to see that they Ornithomimus were. However, he noticed that one female was acting unusually, staying near the undergrowth away from the rest of the flock.
When Nigel momentarily returned from his trip to Early Cretaceous China, Bob informed him about the Ornithomimus. Nigel realized that the behavior the Ornithomimus was exhbiting was similar to what modern birds exhibit when they start brooding. Head vet Suzanne McNabb later gave the Ornithomimus an ultrasound scan and discovered that the Ornithomimus was indeed broody.
Later, the mother Ornithomimus laid a clutch of eggs. Nigel went to investigate but was spotted and warded off by the protective mother.
"Saving the Sabretooth"
The Ornithomimus mother laid two sacrificial eggs out of instinct outside of the nest for predators. However, with no such dangers at Prehistoric Park, Suzanne took matters into her own hands and rescued the two eggs. She would later give them to Bob to incubate.
Ornithomimus chicks. (Saving the Sabretooth)
Later, Nigel and Suzanne went to the Ornithomimus enclosure and found out that the rest of the eggs had hatched. They played around with the Ornithomimus chicks and found out that they had downy feathers, possibly to keep them warm. Meanwhile, Bob checked up on the two sacrificial eggs and found out that they hadn't hatched yet. Suzanne thought they wouldn't hatch but Bob was not keen to give up on them yet.
After Nigel returned from the Pleistocene, against all the odds, the sacrificial eggs hatched. As Bob was the first thing they saw, they instinctively imprinted him. They followed Bob everywhere he went, even near the pen of Matilda, the park's female Tyrannosaurus, albeit, they did distance themselves from the fence when she approached it.
"The Bug House"
Bob managed to get the Ornithomimus chicks into the Ornithomimus Pond with their real mother. Surprisingly, they did not try to follow him through the fence, despite being small enough to.
"Supercroc"
Bob trying to move the escaped Ornithomimus. (Supercroc)
During the Mass Break-Out, a panicking titanosaur knocked down the fence surrounding the Ornithomimus Pond, letting the Ornithomimus run loose. Bob attempted to keep the Ornithomimus calm and move them along but was interrupted by Matilda the Tyrannosaurus. The rest of the flock were seen feeding near the park's resident Elasmotherium before Matilda arrived and spooked them. Sometime after the break-out was resolved, the Ornithomimus were returned back to their enclosure.
Behind the Scenes
- Ornithomimus is the first animal, not only to have more than one of its own kind in Prehistoric Park, but also to be the first animal to have conceived in the present day.
- Originally, the Ornithomimus Nigel caught at the start of T-Rex Returns was planned to be the only one returned to the park, and have the rest of its flock stay in the Cretaceous. This idea was scrapped, but was later given to Theo the Triceratops.
- Ornithomimus are the only animals besides Tyrannosaurus to have been given an important role in every episode.
Errors
- Adult Ornithomimus were covered in feathers, unlike in the show. They also had wings and possibly a tail fan. The exact purpose of the feathers is unknown, but they were likely for warmth and display.
- They couldn't pronate their hands without breaking them in real life, so their arms were more like bird wings, other than still retaining clawed fingers.
Gallery
- See also: Images of Ornithomimus
References