Isla Sorna[]
Length: 20 feet
Illustration by T-PEKC of JPLegacy
Height: 9 feet
Weight: 200 pounds
Isla Nublar[]
Length: 12 feet
Height: 8 feet
Weight: 150 pounds
On Isla Nublar, individuals tend to be smaller than their contemporaries on Isla Sorna, and they are far the most common prey species. The Gallimimus population is a staple food source for all of Nublar's predators.
Coloration:
- Adult and juvenile (both sexes): Shades of orange, with some individuals having striping or blotches.
Diet: Although generally classed as a herbivore, Gallimimus is in fact omnivorous. While it does mostly feed on plants, fruits, and seeds throughout most of the year, during the breeding season Gallimimus will compliment its diet with the eggs and hatchlings of other dinosaurs (generally hadrosaurs). Gallimimus will also consume any small animal that can fit in its beak and swallow whole; such as insects, mammals and lizards - when it can catch them.
Preferred Habitat: Gallimimus generally prefers wide open spaces where there are other large herbivores.
Social Structure: Gallimimus move about in large flocks. It also commonly mingles with other, larger herbivores such as hadrosaurs and occassionally ceratopsians.
Gallimimus is a long legged, gracile dinosaur, with long feet and an absent hallux to allow for swift running. The neck is long and the head is small. It has very large eyes, and an elongated toothless beak.
Gallimimus’ sense of sight is highly acute and thus these dinosaurs are often the first to detect predators. They produce a brief, high-pitched scream as a warning call. Many different species of herbivorous dinosaur tolerate the presence of the Gallimimus for this reason. Gallimimus is easily spooked; a sudden movement from even a non-dangerous animal could potentially cause the entire flock to stampede, causing animals nearby to fly into a panic and follow suit.
Gallimimus are among the fastest animals on Sorna, capable of running at speeds of up to 55-60 mph. They stampede en masse and are incredibly agile, making it difficult for a predator to select a single individual within the moving flock. This is not to say that Gallimimus is defenceless - the toes of its feet are armed with strong, sharp claws and a captured or cornered individual will attempt to strike at its attacker with its powerful legs and feet, much akin to a cassowary. A single blow can kill a raptor. In addition to this, Gallimimus will attempt to lash out with its clawed hands and bite with its sharp beak.
During the breeding season, Gallimimus migrate alongside the plains-dwelling hadrosaurs. They do not do this just to lay their own eggs however; Gallimimus flocks follow the migrating herds because they have long since learnt that a feast of hadrosaur eggs and hatchlings await them. This is the only time the Gallimimus become a true threat, and not all of the hadrosaurs are able to defend their nests. At least one egg and hatchling per nest are taken by a Gallimimus, aiding population control.
With this abundance of food Gallimimus mate later in the season, after the baby hadrosaurs have all hatched and are still confined to their nests. Males fight over females by kicking at one another with their hind legs – a risky affair that has the capability of causing severe injuries. After mating females lay their eggs in nearby forested areas where they are relatively hidden by predators and where they are not in danger of being trampled by the hadrosaurs. Nests are communal – many females lay their eggs in a single nest and one sits on them while several others take turns in standing guard and visiting the nesting hadrosaurs to snatch a vulnerable nestling. During the breeding season Gallimimus eat practically nothing but eggs and infant hadrosaurs, and thanks to all the protein the juvenile Gallimimus hatch and grow quickly, being ready to join the adults just when the hadrosaur infants are big enough to leave the nest with their herds.
For more information, see: Gallimimus bullatus (S/F)
