Stegosaurillness

Camera returns to Grant and the others walking down a path to the jeep and the stegosaur. A man comes around the jeep and waves.

Regis
"That's our vest, Dr. Gerald Harding. He's anesthetized the stego, which is why it's not moving. It's sick."

Grant and Harding were bent down near the Stego's head. Ellie comes over to them.

Grant
"Ellie, have a look at this tongue."

The dark purple tongue dropped limply from the animals mouth. Harding shows a light on it so she can see the very fine silveryblisters."

Ellie
"Microvesicles, interesting, yuck. What are her symptoms?"

Harding
"Imbalace, disorientation, labored breathing, and massive diarrhea, seems to happen about once every six weeks or so."

Ellie
"Six weeks? Do they feed continously?"

Harding
"Oh, yes. Animal this size has to take in a minimum of five or six hundred pounds of plant matter daily just to keep going. They're constant foragers."

Ellie
"Then it's not likely to be poisioning from a plant. Constant browsers would be constantly sick if they were eating a toxic plant. Not every six weeks."

Harding
"Exactly."

Ellie
"You have pupillary effects from the tranquilizer?"

Harding
"Yes. There's a miotic effect, pupils are constricted."

Ellie
"But these pupils are dialated."

Harding
"Well, I'll be d***."

Ellie and Harding stand to look at the landscape.

Ellie
"Whaat is the range of these animals?"

Harding
"About five square miles."

Ellie
"In this general area?"

Harding
"Their range is mostly north and east of here. But when they get sick they're usually somewhere around this particular area."

Ellie
"You see those low, delicate-looking bushes?"

Harding nodds
"West Indian Lilac. We know it's toxic, but the animals don't eat it."

Ellie
"Are you sure?"

Harding
"Yes. We monitor them on video, and I've checked droppings just to be certain. The stegos never eat the Lilac bushes."

Ellie, Harding, and Grant all start walking around the area seeing that the field was rocky in many places.

Grant
"Finding anything?"

Ellie
"Just rocks. We must be near the beach, because all these rocks are smooth. And they're in funny little piles."

Grant
"Funny little piles?"

Ellie
"All over. There's one pile right there."

Ellie then takes a closer look at the stones. She looks up and gasps.

Ellie
"Dr. Harding come over here! I think that I know what's wrong with the stegos. Therse are gizzard stones and the stegps are swallowing them to help crush through plant food before it reaches the stomack."

Grant
"Are you sure."

Ellie
"I think so, yes. They swallow these stones and after a few weeks the stones are worn smooth, so they regurgitate them, leaving these fine little piles, and swallow fresh stones. ANd when they do, they swallow berries as wll, and theat's how they get sick."

Harding
"My goodness! I've got to contact the control room and tell them!"

Harding runs off toward the Jeep.

Grant bens down in the rocks looking around. He then stops and turns around to Ellie with his eyes wide."

Grant
"Ellie, you might want to take a look at this."

Camera returns to the control room.

Harding
"--The stego--finally--handle on--now--"

Muldoon
"What's that about?"

Arnold
"they're down by the south point. That's why they're breaking up a little. I'll switch them to another channel, but they found out what's wrong with the stegos. Eating some kind of berry."

Hammond smiles
"I knew we'd solve that sooner or later."