started to rush towards me! I was 
luckily near the house and ran 
inside, but I now fear I may be 
mobbed if I attempt to leave. I may be 
trapped now. I wonder if this 
behavior was driven by an attempt 
to protect each other, or simply to 
get an easier meal by rushing in 
when food is about to be 
"served"...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After roughly a week surveying 
the mountain range, I descended 
into the swampy basin. For a long 
time the forests seemed very 
quiet, until the bushes moved in 
front of me to reveal a wide 

brown figure: a Desmatosuchus! I 
recognized it instantly thanks to 
its long, curved spikes on its 
shoulder. Backing up to a 
distance, I eventually observed 
the animal shoveling through dirt 
with its nose to find mushrooms to 
eat. I considered taking the fruits 
of its labor for my own dinner but 
the spikes helped to dissuade me! I 
do not expect these animals to 
have many predators thanks to 
their large size and heavy armor.

Inspired by the peculiar 
rectangular osteoderms and 
spines I had seen on 
Desmatosuchus, I premeditated a 
hunting expedition. Stalking a 
target, I eventually found the 