Short Stories, Non-fiction
Date Published: October 8, 2019
“Gualicho takes a bite out of the ornithopod’s back as it runs away from her, causing it to stumble and fall. She jumps on top of the body and rips open its neck with her teeth. The ornithopod becomes still and limp.
Satisfied, Gualicho begins to feast. But, after only two bites, she senses something is wrong. She lifts her head and sees a Mapusaurus making its way toward her.”
Blending fiction with fact, 50 Dinosaur Tales imagines the way 50 newly described dinosaurs from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous lived in their natural habitats.
Also included is a list of fun facts for each dinosaur story, and facts about 108 additional dinosaurs.
If you want to hear more about new dinosaurs as soon as they are discovered, listen to the weekly podcast I Know Dino.
It’s good to be alive. Ledumahadi mafube looks at her
surroundings. There is enough vegetation everywhere,
so she can always eat her fill. She’s one of the largest
animals around. No real threats for her to worry about.
Ledumahadi is a sauropodomorph about 14 years
old and an adult in her species. She is about 13 ft (4 m) tall at
her hip and weighs around 26,000 lb (12 tonnes). Her toenail
alone is bigger than many of the animals that live in the area.
Ledumahadi mafube:
“A giant thunderclap at dawn”
Ledumahadi mafube, courtesy of Nobu Tamara via Wikimedia Commons
3
50 DINOSAUR TALES
She’s large and stout, especially her front legs, so
Ledumahadi walks on all fours. However, she likes to stand
in a peculiar manner by flexing her limbs instead of using her
legs like columns. This gives her a sort of crouching position,
which looks a little awkward but is perfectly comfortable.
Ledumahadi walks. It’s a hot day. The land is very
flat, so she can see far into the distance.
Something glimmers. Ledumahadi sees water, which reminds her that she is thirsty. She takes quick steps and soon finds herself standing on the shore. There is not much water, and Ledumahadi can see the rocks at the bottom, but she doesn’t mind. She plants her feet firmly in the ground and bends her legs, lowering herself to the cool liquid. She laps it up greedily. Once she has her fill, she looks for her next activity. Not too far away is a tall conifer. Most of the leaves have been stripped away by other animals, except for the top of the tree. Fortunately, Ledumahadi is immense, so she knows that she can easily reach the top for a tasty snack. Ledumahadi makes her way to the tree. Standing at the base is a small Heterodontosaurus tucki. It’s only about 5 ft (1.5 m) long, and most of the length is in its tail. Heterdontosaurus gives Ledumahadi a curious look. Ledumahadi doesn’t pay the little dinosaur 4 SABRINA RICCI much attention and stands up on two legs. She leans on the trunk of the tree with her two forelimbs and stretches her long neck. She opens her mouth and bites a mouthful of leaves. As she chews, she looks down. Heterdontosaurus is staring at her, watching her eat. It looks hopeful, waiting for some of the leaves to fall to the ground. No such luck. Ledumahadi is hungry and efficient. She keeps her mouth closed as she eats, so she does not lose any of her food.
Heterdontosaurus keeps looking at her, expectant. It opens and closes its mouth, to signal hunger. Ledumahadi finishes chewing. She sees a large branch full of leaves, but it’s nearly out of her reach. Ledumahadi grabs the few leaves within her range and pulls them back. She clips the leaves with her teeth, and the branch swings back into place. The movement startles a small lizard in the tree. Ledumahadi watches it run from her branch, down the trunk, and onto the ground. Heterdontosaurus lunges and picks up the lizard in its mouth almost as soon as it’s on the ground. Then the pint-sized animal darts away so fast that Ledumahadi doesn’t see where it goes. No matter. Ledumahadi moves her head back to the top of the tree and continues to eat. 5 50 DINOSAUR TALES Facts ♦ Ledumahadi mafube was a sauropodomorph that lived in the Early Jurassic in what is now South Africa. ♦ Ledumahadi was quadrupedal but had flexed limbs instead of columnar arms and legs (like its later sauropod relatives). ♦ Ledumahadi weighed 12 tonnes and is one of the earliest known giant sauropodomorphs. ♦ The genus name Ledumahadi means “a giant thunderclap” in Sesotho. ♦ The species name mafube means “dawn” in Sesotho.
Something glimmers. Ledumahadi sees water, which reminds her that she is thirsty. She takes quick steps and soon finds herself standing on the shore. There is not much water, and Ledumahadi can see the rocks at the bottom, but she doesn’t mind. She plants her feet firmly in the ground and bends her legs, lowering herself to the cool liquid. She laps it up greedily. Once she has her fill, she looks for her next activity. Not too far away is a tall conifer. Most of the leaves have been stripped away by other animals, except for the top of the tree. Fortunately, Ledumahadi is immense, so she knows that she can easily reach the top for a tasty snack. Ledumahadi makes her way to the tree. Standing at the base is a small Heterodontosaurus tucki. It’s only about 5 ft (1.5 m) long, and most of the length is in its tail. Heterdontosaurus gives Ledumahadi a curious look. Ledumahadi doesn’t pay the little dinosaur 4 SABRINA RICCI much attention and stands up on two legs. She leans on the trunk of the tree with her two forelimbs and stretches her long neck. She opens her mouth and bites a mouthful of leaves. As she chews, she looks down. Heterdontosaurus is staring at her, watching her eat. It looks hopeful, waiting for some of the leaves to fall to the ground. No such luck. Ledumahadi is hungry and efficient. She keeps her mouth closed as she eats, so she does not lose any of her food.
Heterdontosaurus keeps looking at her, expectant. It opens and closes its mouth, to signal hunger. Ledumahadi finishes chewing. She sees a large branch full of leaves, but it’s nearly out of her reach. Ledumahadi grabs the few leaves within her range and pulls them back. She clips the leaves with her teeth, and the branch swings back into place. The movement startles a small lizard in the tree. Ledumahadi watches it run from her branch, down the trunk, and onto the ground. Heterdontosaurus lunges and picks up the lizard in its mouth almost as soon as it’s on the ground. Then the pint-sized animal darts away so fast that Ledumahadi doesn’t see where it goes. No matter. Ledumahadi moves her head back to the top of the tree and continues to eat. 5 50 DINOSAUR TALES Facts ♦ Ledumahadi mafube was a sauropodomorph that lived in the Early Jurassic in what is now South Africa. ♦ Ledumahadi was quadrupedal but had flexed limbs instead of columnar arms and legs (like its later sauropod relatives). ♦ Ledumahadi weighed 12 tonnes and is one of the earliest known giant sauropodomorphs. ♦ The genus name Ledumahadi means “a giant thunderclap” in Sesotho. ♦ The species name mafube means “dawn” in Sesotho.
About the Author
Sabrina is a writer and podcaster. She loves nerdy things, like technical specs and dinosaurs, especially sauropods. Sabrina and her husband Garret produce the weekly dinosaur podcast, I Know Dino (iknowdino.com).
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