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Lystrosaurus is an extinct genus of herbivorous dicynodont therapsids from the late Permian and early Triassic epochs (around 250 million years ago). It lived in what is now Antarctica, India, China, Mongolia, European Russia, and South Africa. 4 to 6 species are currently recognized, with the type species being L. murrayi, although from the 1930s to 1970s the number of species was thought to be much higher. They ranged in size from that of a small dog to 2.5 meters long.

As a dicynodont, Lystrosaurus had only 2 teeth (a pair of tusk-like canines), and is thought to have had a horny beak that was used for biting off pieces of vegetation. Lystrosaurus was a heavily built, herbivorous animal, approximately the size of a pig. The structure of its shoulders and hip joints suggests that Lystrosaurus moved with a semi-sprawling gait. The forelimbs were even more robust than the hindlimbs, and the animal is thought to have been a powerful digger that nested in burrows.

Lystrosaurus survived the Permian-Triassic extinction, 252 million years ago. In the Early Triassic, they were by far the most common terrestrial vertebrates, accounting for as many as 95% of the total individuals in some fossil beds. Researchers have offered various hypotheses for why Lystrosaurus survived the extinction event and thrived in the early Triassic.


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Behavior[]

As seen with Leonard on the Black Market, Lystrosaurus exhibit a generally very calm behavior. Even when trouble breaks out around them, such as when two humans fight violently near them or they are threatened by an aggressive dinosaur, Lystrosaurus shows no signs of fear or aggression. However, this calm is only apparent and as soon as an enemy comes within range, Lystrosaurus can attack at lightning speed and despite their small size and herbivorous nature, their jaws and tusks are strong enough to decapitate an Oviraptor with one bite or injure a human in the forearm.

History[]

Jurassic World: Dominion[]

Within the Amber Clave Night Market, a Lystrosaurus named Leonard was owned by Kayla Watts and kept within a cage she sat beside. Kayla later sold the Lystrosaurus to a man named Wigi to be used within the Market's fighting pit, where he was pitted against an Oviraptor, whom he easily grabbed and decapitated with his jaws the moment the fight began.[1] Later, Leonard was pitted against a juvenile Carnotaurus, but before the round began Owen Grady tackled Biosyn mercenary Rainn Delacourt into the pit, with Owen briefly coming face to face with the dicynodont before squaring off against Rainn. Leonard watched the two humans fight until Rainn fell between him and the Carnotaurus, who both attacked his arms (with the Lystrosaurus clamping its jaws on his left wrist) and inadvertently restrained him long enough for Owen to interrogate the mercenary until a juvenile Baryonyx broke out and bit into the man's head.

Gallery[]

Promotional Images[]

Jurassic World: Dominion[]

Behind the Scenes[]

In an interview with Empire Magazine, DeWanda Wise mentioned that she took a particular liking to the Lystrosaurus animatronic and gave it the nickname "Leonard".[2]

Trivia[]

  • Lystrosaurus is the first Paleozoic and Triassic animal to make a film appearance in the series.
  • It remains unknown whether Leonard is the only known Lystrosaurus created.
    • However, in a deleted scene, Wigi says that Lystrosaurus is "very rare", implying that Leonard is not the only, but just one of very few Lystrosaurus that were created.

References[]

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