HOME | DD

Description
When Australia separated from Antarctica it created two events. First, the new positions of the continents redirected ocean currents and started the first Ice Ages. Second, the weather patterns and heat forced the conifer and tropical forests to the edges of the continent, and thus created the Outback. The vast distances and scarce water made it difficult for life to travel, survive, and reproduce. The Anjeasaura (named for an Australian fertility goddess) is the largest species in its self-named family, the Anjeasauridae. They are descendants of the tiny Laeallynasaura, and a few species retain their nocturnal habits. The family is unique for two reasons. Its leaping lifestyle is an efficient way to traverse the scorching Outback sands and grasslands (the pelvic vertebrae hold massive muscles for this, as well as make the base of the tail strong enough to balance on), and its reproductive strategy is unique amongst any dinosaur or bird. Instead of birthing an egg with an undeveloped zygote and yolk inside, the Anjeasaura's uterus allows the zygote to develop into a true embryo. Once the head and notochord form, the mother's hormones "pause" (or rather slow down) the embryo's growth to construct the shell. She then lays the eggs in a small nest-hole with a cone of twigs and vegetation over them. While this does save time for the egg to fully hatch, the extra development time limit the number of offspring possible. Usually only one, or at most three, Anjeasaura are born every two years. They are fiercely protected by the troop until until adulthood. Troops migrate to follow both the food and water, and after mating season, the females must return to specific stone and sand deposits to make their eggshells (much the same way elephants visit salt mines). A few troops even gnaw away at Ayer's Rock for this very purpose.

Description
When Australia separated from Antarctica it created two events. First, the new positions of the continents redirected ocean currents and started the first Ice Ages. Second, the weather patterns and heat forced the conifer and tropical forests to the edges of the continent, and thus created the Outback. The vast distances and scarce water made it difficult for life to travel, survive, and reproduce. The Anjeasaura (named for an Australian fertility goddess) is the largest species in its self-named family, the Anjeasauridae. They are descendants of the tiny Laeallynasaura, and a few species retain their nocturnal habits. The family is unique for two reasons. Its leaping lifestyle is an efficient way to traverse the scorching Outback sands and grasslands (the pelvic vertebrae hold massive muscles for this, as well as make the base of the tail strong enough to balance on), and its reproductive strategy is unique amongst any dinosaur or bird. Instead of birthing an egg with an undeveloped zygote and yolk inside, the Anjeasaura's uterus allows the zygote to develop into a true embryo. Once the head and notochord form, the mother's hormones "pause" (or rather slow down) the embryo's growth to construct the shell. She then lays the eggs in a small nest-hole with a cone of twigs and vegetation over them. While this does save time for the egg to fully hatch, the extra development time limit the number of offspring possible. Usually only one, or at most three, Anjeasaura are born every two years. They are fiercely protected by the troop until until adulthood. Troops migrate to follow both the food and water, and after mating season, the females must return to specific stone and sand deposits to make their eggshells (much the same way elephants visit salt mines). A few troops even gnaw away at Ayer's Rock for this very purpose.