Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs (恐竜) appear as a group of minor stage enemies in the original Strider and most of its ports. There are a total of 4 types of dinosaur represented in the game: the Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, Brontosaurus and Pteranodon.

Part of one of his experiments to manipulate the more primitive tribes of Earth, Grandmaster Meio ressurected the ancient and long-extinct dinosaurs and brought them into the Amazon forest, where a tribe of Amazoness lives in their own secluded society. His plan was for the tribe to worship him as a god that commands "big" and "strong" creatures, by stimulating one of the core beliefs of the "collective unconscious" in them. Not satisfied with the results, since the dinosaurs wouldn't follow his orders, Meio created the mechanical Lago in order to rule over them.

The dinosaurs have come to dominate exclusively over the dense forest of the Amazon, though it appears the Amazoness have found ways to co-exists, most notably being able to tame and use the Triceratops as stead.

Information

Tyrannosaurus

Stats
Type	Dinosaur
HP	8 HP
Score	400 PTS

Appears in Stage 4 (Amazon) and Stage 5 (The Third Moon)

The Tyrannosaurus (ティラノサウルス) is the most dangerous of the dinosaurs found in the Amazon, thanks to its large size and aggressiveness. Created specifically for its size, the Tyrannosaurus charges ahead attempting to ram Hiryu or crush him under its big steps, while also attempting to bite him when close enough. While it takes several attacks to bring one down, hitting it will interrupt its attacks.

During Hiryu's infiltration of the Third Moon, he's faced by a group of gray-colored Tyrannosaurus while fighting off Mecha Pon. These come indefinitively at him as long as Mecha Pon is active, but act otherwise identical.

Triceratops

Stats
Type	Dinosaur
HP	5 HP
Score	200 PTS

Appears in Stage 4 (Amazon)

The Triceratops (トリケラトプス) is a four-legged herbivore with three horns found scattered throughout the forest area. They have been tamed by the Amazoness to serve as stead, as they can be seen wearing a saddle and used by the warrior women to travel in the forest. They usually just charge ahead, while the Amazoness riding it attacks throwing her axe at Hiryu.

If Hiryu eliminates the Amazoness riding one, he can himself use the Triceratops as a transport to advance through the forest.

Pteranodon

Stats
Type	Dinosaur
HP	1 HP
Score	50 PTS

Appears in Stage 4 (Amazon) and Stage 5 (The Third Moon)

Pteranodon (プテラノドン) is a flying winged reptile that soars over the skies of the Amazon forest. Traveling in large numbers, they simply fly into Hiryu if he comes into their path. Since they can only be found flying high above in the sky, they can only be seen if Hiryu stands on a Brontosaurus.

The Pteranodon is also one of the three animal types Grandmaster Meio can summon in battle, creating them in groups of two which proceed to fly straight at either the right or left side of the screen.

Brontosaurus

Stats
Type	Dinosaur
HP	N/a

Appears in Stage 4 (Amazon)

The Brontosaurus (ブロントサウルス) is a four-legged herbivore and the largest dinosaur present in the Amazon forest. Unlike the other dinosaurs, the Brontosaurus is completely harmless and doesn't attack Hiryu, instead only strolling along in the background. Hiryu can climb onto them, allowing him to avoid most of the ground enemies, but making him vulnerable to the Pteranodon flying above.

There are only 2 Brontosaurus visible in the area, the second of which is instantly killed by Lago, reduced to bones by his powerful fire breath.

Notes

• The large, long-necked dinosaur in this stage is officially known as Brontosaurus, which at the time of the game's development was an outdated and informal name for the Apatosaurus. Following a study in 2015, the Brontosaurus specimens were found to be different enough from Apatosaurus to merit ressurecting it as a separate genus. This division, however, is not accepted by all paleontologists.
• The Tyrannosaurus is the only stage enemy to be missing in both the Mega Drive and PC Engine versions of the Amazon stage, while still appearing in the final stage.