A place now known as Golden, Colorado. Some 143.5 million years bygone.

During this late Jurassic period, before the great inland sea of the Cretaceous, Colorado consisted of mostly low plains with large slow moving rivers crisscrossing the landscape. Dinosaurs, both big and small, lived, thrived, died and were eventually fossilized near the banks of these life giving water ways.

One of the largest was Stegosaurus, a herbivore that weighed nearly 4 tons and measured up to 35 feet long. His short front legs allowed him to feed on low growing shrubs, while his plated back and strong long legs and deadly tail “Thagomizers” helped him to survive predatory attacks. His main threat came from Allosaurus, who weighed up to 3 tons and was 40 ft long from head to toe. This fore runner of the famous T-Rex, was the apex predator on land during most of the Jurassic period. Today they meet:

An older but still strong Stegosaurus, after rutting with a rival over a female, has wandered away from the safe haven of the herd to feed. With his head still pounding from the concussive blows both given and taken in the losing scuffle, he is unaware that the distance from which he has put himself from his comrades leaves him vulnerable should a large hungry predator be present. One is…

A full grown Allosaurus needs to eat. Dead still in a small stand of what are now considered Poplars, he waits, as Stegosaurus slowly ambles his way, unknowingly into an ambush.

Trees part! Allosaurus sprints on two legs, surprisingly fast for such a huge beast, towards his prey.  A loud SNAP!  Half way up of one of the 45 foot trees alerts Stegosaurus, but by then he knew danger was ever so nigh. With Allosaurus already almost upon him, Stegosaurus pivots on powerful hind legs and whips his deadly tail toward the advancing predator. A glancing blow opens up Allosaurus, but no crucial organs or veins have been severed. Bleeding from his side Allosaurus lashes out with powerful and strong 3 clawed arms to grab his foe for a bite on the neck. Stegosaurus’s bony back plates take the vicious slashing and keep the snapping jaws away from the soft neck and throat. They circle, roaring, yelping and screeching, the terrifying cacophony of dinosaur battle rings across the plains, stopping everything…

Scavengers however, slowly make there move; Bipedal Compsognathus, “Compys” about the size of a turkey, know their meal ticket may also be punched, so they surround the combatants, hopping up and down like school children at a playground donnybrook.

Allosaurus now knows he cannot eat unless he gets to the soft underbelly of Stegosaurus. But with all the armor at his use, the Stegosaurus defense is quite formidable. He needs to topple this huge beast and get him on his side. But he is now bleeding badly from Thagomizer punctures so, while still strong, he needs to act. As Stegosaurus briefly looks down, he to exhausted from his previous fight and his primal fear, Allosaurus rushes in! This is the moment caught in our art piece, RIGHT NOW IT IS HAPPENING! In 2 lightening fast steps he lowers his head for a ram into the Stegosaurus midsection, as we can see, Stegosaurus simultaneously swings both his own head butt attempt, and his tail toward the threat. But it is too late… The powerful ram delivered by Allosaurus tips Stegosaurus off of his normally stable stance, and he topples screaming, to the ground. Allosaurus then takes his bite, not a merciful killing bite to the neck, But a ravenous bite to the belly, and he feeds ferociously as the life of Stegosaurus agonizingly refuses, but eventually gives way to nothingness.

Even at it’s most terrifying, such is the beautiful way of Nature. One living organism giving life to another, and subsequently many more. The remnants of which dissolving into the Mother Earth, helping to sustain and build her abundant Flora. Life giving actions such as this have been happening for literally hundreds of millions of years. And in our case here, Nature has preserved the beautiful fossils of two impressive and gallant fighters. A gift for us to study, muse upon and celebrate through art, as they remind us how insignificant our race really is compared to what has transpired…