*You are in the forested plains of Africa,

The air in the Late Jurassic Tanzanian forest was thick, humid, and smelled intensely of ferns and pine. You stood frozen in the dappled shade, trying to make yourself as small as possible behind a massive conifer.

The ground began to tremble—a low, rhythmic thumping that you felt in your chest more than you heard. Then, the treetops about fifty yards away parted, not by wind, but by a neck the size of a tree trunk.

It was a Giraffatitan.

Its hide was a mottled earth-brown and slate-grey. The sheer verticality was overwhelming; the head was comfortably grazing at least 35 feet above the ground. You felt microscopic, especially when it turned its massive head, with its distinctive cranial crest arching over its eyes, directly toward your hiding spot. Its eye was dark and intelligent, yet impossibly calm, showing no fear or aggression.