Behaviors, enrichment, staff safety, and plantlife

[sammysaurus11]

Loving all of the paleo research that undoubtedly went into the designs/descriptions/species requirements, and eventually I think it would be really great if species that we know to be social/herding to actually follow that behavior within their enclosures. For example, for triceratops and various hadrosaurs, they all travel as individuals throughout their pens and don't stay together in any sort of cohesive group- all of their travel is random. In reality, we know these animals traveled in herds as herbivores like bison and caribou, and in-game I think that they should follow these dynamics, especially with large group sizes.

I also think that carnivore enrichment could and should be expanded for meat and fish eating dinosaurs- maybe there could be 'feeding events' like in real zoos that can be strategies for drawing in crowds in which live enrichment can be released into enclosures. For example, releasing large fish into spinosaurus enclosures with a viewing area so zoo-goers can watch them hunt for fish, or releasing large rodents or goats/sheep into the velociraptor enclosure so they can participate in hunting behaviors. In real life, without opportunities to participate in natural hunting behaviors (or play behavior correlates), many large carnivores become distressed, depressed, and/or destructive as a result. This type of behavior could add some more challenge to the game in logistics planning.

Along with this, eventually I would like some sort of system for keepers and carnivorous dinosaur care- even though its a game, I can't help but imagine being the keeper walking a wheelbarrow through an enclosure housing multiple T.rex or 8+ velociraptors who have their needs page logging that they're searching for food...even in real zoos, keepers have very minimal interactions without fences and layers of safety between them and large carnivores, and I think including this as a mechanic can add some more worth to the staff skill levels. Like, at least 1 or 2 three-star employees would be required per large or numerous carnivores, as anyone in real life would need training and experience for dealing with highly dangerous animals.

Last, just because I'm biased as a botany major with huge love for paleobotany, I can't stop cringing at how so many angiosperms are considered as proper environmental vegetation for ANY of these creatures before the pleistocene. More gingkos, cycads, ferns, tree ferns, horsetails, conifers, etc. please!!! Then, herbivores could actually graze on their environmental vegetation!

Great game, and a lot of appreciation here from someone about to complete undergrad with the paleontology minor.

[KomodoChiya]

This is completely unrelated to this post but as someone who wants to get into palaeontology how did you get to doing it?

[angriplatypus]

Originally posted by KomodoChiya:

This is completely unrelated to this post but as someone who wants to get into palaeontology how did you get to doing it?

First, I'd recommend starting your own thread. But to answer your question, I'd recommend first (depending on where you are in school) it often helps to have a basic background in organismal biology, but studies related to paleontology are vast and a lot of disciplines could be applicable. You don't really need any experience to get started, but it helps a lot, and you would need to study all of this eventually if you really want to go down this route.

Second, real paleontological research often isn't what people expect it to be. I highly recommend getting involved in paleontology research as early as possible to test whether it's actually for you. A good place to start is tracking down a local university or accredited museum, and checking their faculty page to see if they have any paleontologists on staff (for a university, usually in the biology or geology departments). Look them up on google scholar and visit their lab website to see if it's a topic you're interested in. Then if you are, I would reach out and offer to volunteer as a research assistant. Some may even have funding for this, especially if you're an undergraduate at their university. I strongly recommend volunteering to help with lab-based research, not just the flashy field work. Most everyone loves field work, but relatively few have the patience to deal with the tedious reality that is most scientific research, and THAT is what makes or breaks you in terms of whether or not you actually want this as a career. You REALLY have to love everything about being a paleontologist in order to stick with it. The academic load is immense, jobs are few and far between, all are very competitive, and the pay is not very good. Dinosaur research is especially scare, and I would say the majority of paleontologists don't actually work on dinosaurs. But you can make it happen if you really want!

[sammysaurus11]

Originally posted by KomodoChiya:

This is completely unrelated to this post but as someone who wants to get into palaeontology how did you get to doing it?

To be honest with you, it was somewhat accidental. I was already going to school for plant biology/botany, and my university just happened to offer a paleobotany class with an incredible paleobotanist professor. I fell in love with it and just went with it and starting taking more paleontology-related courses.

Idk if this is nerdy to do, but I also want to recommend a textbook from one of my courses that I think is an excellent and easy to read/understand walkthrough of the knowledge paleontologists need and use for paleontology and also anatomy geology etc., but its "Dinosaurs: How We Know What We Know" by Mary Higby Scheitzer, Elena Schroeter, and Charles Czajka. There might be a pdf rip online somewhere since it's kinda expensive, but it gives you more than just intro information on paleontology as a field and practice.

[angriplatypus]

Originally posted by sammysaurus11:

Originally posted by KomodoChiya:

This is completely unrelated to this post but as someone who wants to get into palaeontology how did you get to doing it?

To be honest with you, it was somewhat accidental. I was already going to school for plant biology/botany, and my university just happened to offer a paleobotany class with an incredible paleobotanist professor. I fell in love with it and just went with it and starting taking more paleontology-related courses.

This is pretty similar to what happened to me actually. I remember being in my first introductory biology classes, and was surprised at how many of the TAs were paleontologists. I had always had a fascination with paleontology, but it wasn't until then that it hit me "oh wait, this is an actual career that people do". Later on, when I was looking for labs to join to gain research experience, I found myself most drawn to the paleontology labs. I was lucky in that my undergraduate institution actually had a pretty large paleontology community, since I did not have that in mind at all when I applied there. Funny enough, I actually also ended up in a paleobotany lab, where I did most of my undergraduate research. I was lucky again in that I found I had the patience to stick with some of the more tedious parts of research. I think most people expect paleontology to be super exciting - and don't get me wrong, the highs of discovering a new fossil in the field are like nothing else - but the lows of day-to-day research task can be tough (especially when you're getting paid in peanuts), which is why I recommended getting a taste for what this kind of research is like before you commit to the discipline. But wow, do those highs make it worth it for me. Anyway, from there, I moved into vertebrate paleontology, just because I felt more comfortable with the the natural history of vertebrates than plants, which is what I'm doing now. But my experiences in paleobotany still very much color the way I think about the past.

[sammysaurus11]

Originally posted by angriplatypus:

Originally posted by sammysaurus11:

To be honest with you, it was somewhat accidental. I was already going to school for plant biology/botany, and my university just happened to offer a paleobotany class with an incredible paleobotanist professor. I fell in love with it and just went with it and starting taking more paleontology-related courses.

This is pretty similar to what happened to me actually. I remember being in my first introductory biology classes, and was surprised at how many of the TAs were paleontologists. I had always had a fascination with paleontology, but it wasn't until then that it hit me "oh wait, this is an actual career that people do". Later on, when I was looking for labs to join to gain research experience, I found myself most drawn to the paleontology labs. I was lucky in that my undergraduate institution actually had a pretty large paleontology community, since I did not have that in mind at all when I applied there. Funny enough, I actually also ended up in a paleobotany lab, where I did most of my undergraduate research. I was lucky again in that I found I had the patience to stick with some of the more tedious parts of research. I think most people expect paleontology to be super exciting - and don't get me wrong, the highs of discovering a new fossil in the field are like nothing else - but the lows of day-to-day research task can be tough (especially when you're getting paid in peanuts), which is why I recommended getting a taste for what this kind of research is like before you commit to the discipline. But wow, do those highs make it worth it for me. Anyway, from there, I moved into vertebrate paleontology, just because I felt more comfortable with the the natural history of vertebrates than plants, which is what I'm doing now. But my experiences in paleobotany still very much color the way I think about the past.

I really feel you with realizing that paleontology was like. an actual field that was accessible as a career path. Also, big agree with exposing yourself to the more tedious aspects of research and required background knowledge for paleo before going whole-hog for a career. I happen to love a lot of the tedium associated with research, but I tend to hit a wall when it comes to vertebrate anatomy, funnily enough! Some other good fields that prep for paleontology is evolutionary biology, functional morphology, geology, etc. as you're bound to find some paleontologists within those disciplines and associated classes! I also need to get better at this, but paleontologists aren't exactly A-list celebrities- a lot of times, you can just email paleontologists to ask about their & their colleagues work, how you can get involved, if anyone needs a research assistant, etc. the worst thing that can happen is they don't reply!

[FishDogFoodShack]

Animal enrichment and social behaviours are on the slate for update 15.