Post by Dakota on Aug 17, 2007 16:54:28 GMT -5
Full title: De Historia Gallimimi- Of the History of the Gallimiminus
by Quickstride
While the most celebrated residents of the Rainy basin are the carnivores, there are other types of saurians who live there as well, one of these being the Gallimimus, who lives in a few nomadic tribes throughout the basin. What follows is a history of the species on Dinotopia and how its culture in the basin came about. It is based on archaeological evidence from both the island and the World Outside, though admittedly due to insufficient information some parts are more theory than proven fact.
In the Mesozoic era Gallimimuses were desert animals, and probably lived solitary lives or in mating pairs or perhaps in family groups. Females tended to be larger than males, as in modern birds of prey. Sometimes they would form loosely knit flocks, but only if conditions permitted. There are two known species: Gallimimus bullatus, the Greater Gallie, and G. mongoliensis, the Lesser or Mongolian Gallie, a smaller species. Like all the others, these species escaped to the World Beneath when extinction threatened.(Side note- many coelurosaurs originally had feathers, but on Dinotopia most have scales instead. My theory is that exposure to certain sunstones while they were underground for so long caused them to lose this feathering.) When they emerged on Dinotopia, Galimimuses moved into three kinds of habitat: the desert, the plains, and the rainforest. G. Mongoliensis, the smaller species, was able to move about the forest more easily and so settled there. In the lush forest Mongolian Gallies began to form small family units. G. bullatus, however, split into two subspecies: G.b. bullatus, which was already adapted for the desert and so lived there, and G.b. campestris, the Plains Gallie, which like the many other ostrich dinosaurs thrived in this open area. It was here that behavioral changes took place that would affect the basin gallies later. The Plains Gallies, for unknown reasons, started to act much like modern ostriches. Males started to equal in size and then surpass females, and would form flocks in which there was one male and several females. Eventually, when Desert Gallies and Plains Gallies started to mingle, these differences in behavior (or perhaps by this time culture) would have to be resolved.
As they spread across the island, Plains and Desert Gallies started to meet, and interbreed. They also imported to each other different traits. The more socialble Plains Gallies had a system in which the males would fight for flocks of females. Though these battles were rarely fatal, it helped insure the strongest Gallie would win mates. Desert Gallies, on the other hand, didn't live in such flocks and had just one mate and as the females were larger they would often fight each other for a mate like the males. The resulting hybrids eventually became socialble creatures in which an alpha pair would lead the group, and subordinate pairs as well as single animals made up the rest of the flock. It was this hybrid that made its way to the basin, and that would influence the culture there.
As was stated before, the basin Gallies tended to form family groups. The influx of hybrid blood into some of the population (there are still many Mongolian Gallies around the island not influenced by the other species) only furthered this. Eventually a tribal culture formed, headed by a chieftain and his mate with various family units beneath them. In the ancient gallie culture the most worthy of the chieftain's offspring usually took over the tribe, but this stemmed from the days of the Plains Gallies when only the fittest were allowed mates. However, as their culture developed a series of trials were devised which the heirs had to pass in order assume leadership, and if they all failed this oppurtunuity was opened to other young gallies of the tribe. Of the tribes still left today, almost all now open the trials to everyone equally.
Unlike raptors, who consider the entire pack "family", Gallimimuses have very strong relations with their "natural" families. There is a great devotion to all within the tribe, but always a special feeling towards family members that is rather difficult to put into words.
Ancient Gallimimus religion is one based on the idea of Fate (or fates) that dictate how things will be. This Que sera sera ("whatever will be, will be") attitude probably developed from the fact the gallies were considered prey animals and it helped them to deal with wondering why they were hunted as they were by the great carnivores. This is not to imply the ancient Gallimimuses were not curious about the whys and hows of life- rather, they simply accepted what they could not understand as "how it is meant to be." Interestingly, this idea has mingled with several religions from the outside world, creating many diverse variations, from many different polytheistic religions to even very nature based versions of Christianity and other monotheistic faiths. It is not uncommon today to see many different religious practices within the same tribe, though as saurians and above all Dinotopians they try not to impose their different beliefs on one another and rather just "live and let live."
One ancient tribe, the Emerald Sunstone Tribe, eventually gave rise to my Forbidden Mountain relatives, the Black Feather Tribe, and contributed greatly to the feathered Mountain subspecies, G.b. pennatus, but that is a story I'm working on and too long to start here. Hope that was helpful, I started out on Rainy Basin Gallies and got a little carried away...
-Quickstride
by Quickstride
While the most celebrated residents of the Rainy basin are the carnivores, there are other types of saurians who live there as well, one of these being the Gallimimus, who lives in a few nomadic tribes throughout the basin. What follows is a history of the species on Dinotopia and how its culture in the basin came about. It is based on archaeological evidence from both the island and the World Outside, though admittedly due to insufficient information some parts are more theory than proven fact.
In the Mesozoic era Gallimimuses were desert animals, and probably lived solitary lives or in mating pairs or perhaps in family groups. Females tended to be larger than males, as in modern birds of prey. Sometimes they would form loosely knit flocks, but only if conditions permitted. There are two known species: Gallimimus bullatus, the Greater Gallie, and G. mongoliensis, the Lesser or Mongolian Gallie, a smaller species. Like all the others, these species escaped to the World Beneath when extinction threatened.(Side note- many coelurosaurs originally had feathers, but on Dinotopia most have scales instead. My theory is that exposure to certain sunstones while they were underground for so long caused them to lose this feathering.) When they emerged on Dinotopia, Galimimuses moved into three kinds of habitat: the desert, the plains, and the rainforest. G. Mongoliensis, the smaller species, was able to move about the forest more easily and so settled there. In the lush forest Mongolian Gallies began to form small family units. G. bullatus, however, split into two subspecies: G.b. bullatus, which was already adapted for the desert and so lived there, and G.b. campestris, the Plains Gallie, which like the many other ostrich dinosaurs thrived in this open area. It was here that behavioral changes took place that would affect the basin gallies later. The Plains Gallies, for unknown reasons, started to act much like modern ostriches. Males started to equal in size and then surpass females, and would form flocks in which there was one male and several females. Eventually, when Desert Gallies and Plains Gallies started to mingle, these differences in behavior (or perhaps by this time culture) would have to be resolved.
As they spread across the island, Plains and Desert Gallies started to meet, and interbreed. They also imported to each other different traits. The more socialble Plains Gallies had a system in which the males would fight for flocks of females. Though these battles were rarely fatal, it helped insure the strongest Gallie would win mates. Desert Gallies, on the other hand, didn't live in such flocks and had just one mate and as the females were larger they would often fight each other for a mate like the males. The resulting hybrids eventually became socialble creatures in which an alpha pair would lead the group, and subordinate pairs as well as single animals made up the rest of the flock. It was this hybrid that made its way to the basin, and that would influence the culture there.
As was stated before, the basin Gallies tended to form family groups. The influx of hybrid blood into some of the population (there are still many Mongolian Gallies around the island not influenced by the other species) only furthered this. Eventually a tribal culture formed, headed by a chieftain and his mate with various family units beneath them. In the ancient gallie culture the most worthy of the chieftain's offspring usually took over the tribe, but this stemmed from the days of the Plains Gallies when only the fittest were allowed mates. However, as their culture developed a series of trials were devised which the heirs had to pass in order assume leadership, and if they all failed this oppurtunuity was opened to other young gallies of the tribe. Of the tribes still left today, almost all now open the trials to everyone equally.
Unlike raptors, who consider the entire pack "family", Gallimimuses have very strong relations with their "natural" families. There is a great devotion to all within the tribe, but always a special feeling towards family members that is rather difficult to put into words.
Ancient Gallimimus religion is one based on the idea of Fate (or fates) that dictate how things will be. This Que sera sera ("whatever will be, will be") attitude probably developed from the fact the gallies were considered prey animals and it helped them to deal with wondering why they were hunted as they were by the great carnivores. This is not to imply the ancient Gallimimuses were not curious about the whys and hows of life- rather, they simply accepted what they could not understand as "how it is meant to be." Interestingly, this idea has mingled with several religions from the outside world, creating many diverse variations, from many different polytheistic religions to even very nature based versions of Christianity and other monotheistic faiths. It is not uncommon today to see many different religious practices within the same tribe, though as saurians and above all Dinotopians they try not to impose their different beliefs on one another and rather just "live and let live."
One ancient tribe, the Emerald Sunstone Tribe, eventually gave rise to my Forbidden Mountain relatives, the Black Feather Tribe, and contributed greatly to the feathered Mountain subspecies, G.b. pennatus, but that is a story I'm working on and too long to start here. Hope that was helpful, I started out on Rainy Basin Gallies and got a little carried away...
-Quickstride
Is it just us?