White-Footed Gallimimus
"They're uh, they're flocking this way!"
~Tim Murphy
Species:
Gallimimus bullatus
Common Name:
White-Footed Gallimimus
Family:
Ornithomimidae
Seen in:
• Jurassic Park (1993)
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Vocalizations:
Description:
Gallimimus is a species of ornithomimid dinosaur native to modern-day Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous. It belonged to a group of dinosaurs called theropods, largely known for being carnivorous, though Gallimimus was interestingly an omnivore.
With a name meaning "Chicken Mimic," this dinosaur walked bipedally on its elongated muscular legs. It fed on a variety of foods with its long toothless beak. Modern research has determined that Gallimimus and other ornithomimids had complex feathering throughout their bodies, including pennaceous feathers on their arms forming wings. They would have resembled with modern day flightless birds, particularly ratites.
The White-Footed Gallimimus was one of the two breeds of Gallimimus cloned by InGen for the park & resorts Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, with the White-Footed strain bred for the former. It receives its common name due to its white-colored feet and hands. Their skin is primarily a caramel beige with brown banding on their tails and a dark brown saddleback pattern cut with light striping on their neck and shoulders.
The White-Footed Gallimimus was one of the seven species planned for the initial Phase of Jurassic Park. During the 1993 incident, Dr. Grant, Lex and Tim stumbled across a flock evading predation from the park’s female Tyrannosaur. Gallimimus is a cursorial animal, its anatomy designed for high-endurance, high-speed running.
Size Estimates:
3.2m Tall
5m Long
Did you know?
In the first film, it can be noticed that smaller, younger individuals sport horizontal white stripes over their bodies, a characteristic that all adults lack. This is a characteristic known as ontogeny, where an animal's morphology changes as it reaches maturity.
Habitat & Geographical Ranging:
Considering the cursorial lifestyle of Gallimimus, it is no surprise that this dinosaur prefers open grassland habitats. Their Jurassic Park Paddock was located near the interior of the island, meticulously constructed within a mountainous valley where they could run freely through the vast plains.
White-Footed Gallimimus were briefly seen fleeing from InGen vehicles on Isla Sorna during the 1997 InGen roundup. Some individuals took refuge within the coniferous forests surrounding the game trail. They are known to inhabit the northeastern portions of the Island. White-Footed Gallimimus were intended to be transported to Jurassic Park: San Diego, but were freed from containment before they could be shipped.
With that being said, the White-Footed Gallimimus strain may now be extinct. This Gallimimus breed was only known to inhabit the Costa Rican islands of Isla Nublar and Sorna. The Black-Footed Gallimimus would replace this breed on Isla Nublar during the operational days of Jurassic World. By 2001, no White-Footed Gallimimus were spotted on Isla Sorna.
Individual Variation:
Many different variations of the White-Footed Gallimimus exist.
While all females sport banding across their tails, the torso can heavily vary in patterning. Some individuals feature dark vertical stripes and mottling of varying color tones.
Although unconfirmed, the possible juveniles of the breed sport a completely unique patterning. Juveniles feature white horizontal stripes and dots across their caramel colored bodies, completely lacking any dark brown banding or markings. This is believed to be a case of ontogeny.
Despite not being seen in the films, we do have a rough idea of what a male White-Footed Gallimimus would look like. Similar to females, males have banding on their tails and a mottled saddleback pattern. Instead of brown, this patterning is blue with hues of green. Additionally, they have red striping above their shoulders.