A short summary of ideas:
TEMPERAMENT
Each species is classified as either docile, neutral, or aggressive.
Docile
Docile species include most hadrosaurs, ornithomimids, and the smallest of carnivores. Dinosaurs with a docile temperament cannot attack the fences that contain them. Instead, these dinosaurs will suffer health complications if they remain stressed for long periods of time.
Neutral
Neutral species include some smaller carnivores, sauropods, and armored herbivores. Dinosaurs with a neutral temperament will attack the fences that contain them if they are distressed.
Aggressive
Aggressive species are the most dangerous to breed, and include mostly apex predators. Dinosaurs with an aggressive temperament will attack the fences that contain them when stressed, but will also periodically test fences to see if they are electrified, even when not stressed. The shock of an electrified fence is enough to deter them, but if the fences are not electrified or have lost power for whatever reason, the dinosaur may seize the opportunity to try and break free.
HABITAT SATISFACTION
Each dinosaur possesses a score of how well the paddock she inhabits provides for her physical and psychological needs. This score increases if the dinosaur has access to food and water, an appropriately-sized social group, a proper mix of terrain to roam, and enough space to not feel overcrowded by other dinosaurs.
To compensate for deficiencies or maximize the score to gain additional benefits, the dinosaur’s diet can be considered as well by using the appropriate paleobotany items and prey animals for each species.
Habitat satisfaction directly affects the dinosaur’s level of comfort: below a certain threshold, a poor score gradually increases the amount of stress the dinosaur feels. However, habitat satisfaction above and beyond what a dinosaur needs to simply feel content can prolong the dinosaur’s lifespan, increase her resistance to disease, and, if she has an aggressive temperament, reduce the frequency with which she will test the fences of her paddock.
Penalties:
No access to food/water
If a dinosaur’s most basic physiological needs are not met by her surroundings, you can be certain that she will feel distressed. Even if she is not currently hungry or thirsty, her survival instincts will drive her to seek out sources of food and water elsewhere, before it becomes a problem--even if every other aspect of her habitat is perfect. Likewise, a hungry or thirsty dinosaur will not feel driven to escape from her enclosure if she knows that food and water are available within it.
Social group too small/large
Most dinosaurs are social animals. Each species has a minimum and maximum number of individuals that will join together to form a social group. If there are too few or too many individuals to form a cohesive social group, a penalty to habitat satisfaction is incurred, the severity of which increases as the deviation from the given range increases. Some dinosaur species, mainly apex predators like Spinosaurus, are solitary and generally will not tolerate others of their kind.
Not enough forest cover/open ground/wetland
Each dinosaur requires that her territory contains a minimum amount of forest cover, open ground, and wetland to roam, measured in square kilometers.
Paddock too small
Every individual dinosaur added to a paddock increases the total area that it must contain to prevent overcrowding, meaning larger enclosures can comfortably house more dinosaurs than smaller ones. Large species like tyrannosaurs or sauropods will increase the space required by far more than other smaller species. Dinosaurs have no upper bound on the total population that they will tolerate as long as there is enough space for everyone in the paddock. An inadequate amount of space will lower the habitat satisfaction of every individual in the paddock, but the severity of the penalty is proportional to how the total paddock size and additional space required compares to the amount of space that the individual would require on its own.
Bonuses:
Paleobotany (herbivores)
Herbivores benefit from sharing their paddocks with the same flora that they would have lived alongside during the Mesozoic era. Prehistoric plants grown in a paleobotany lab can then be transplanted into paddocks for the dinosaurs to enjoy. Each species has their favorite types of plants that they will benefit from the most. These plants will supplement a dinosaur’s diet, but will not act as a replacement for feeders, due to the sheer amount of food each dinosaur must consume regularly. Unlike the terrain paint brushes, paleobotany items are placed individually. Each plant in a paleobotany lab has a growth time and success rate, just like the process of creating a dinosaur in a hatchery. Once a plant is done growing, it can be placed anywhere on the island, which will free up the plant bed in the paleobotany lab to grow another plant. Paleobotany plants that have been placed in the park are too sensitive to relocate; they must be removed and regrown.
Prey animals (carnivores)
Some carnivores are not completely satisfied with scavenging their meals; they benefit from having their paddocks stocked with prey to hunt. Some carnivores are satisfied with hunting goats or fish dispensed by feeders; larger ones much prefer other dinosaurs to hunt. Each species has a favored prey, usually a specific kind of dinosaur. However, carnivores will not attempt to make a kill for every meal; the presence of prey is enough to satiate them.
Longer explanations:
TEMPERAMENT
Each species is classified as either docile, neutral, or aggressive.
Docile
Docile species include most hadrosaurs, ornithomimids, and the smallest of carnivores. Dinosaurs with a docile temperament cannot attack the fences that contain them. Instead, these dinosaurs will suffer health complications if they remain stressed for long periods of time.
Neutral
Neutral species include some smaller carnivores, sauropods, and armored herbivores. Dinosaurs with a neutral temperament will attack the fences that contain them if they are distressed.
Aggressive
Aggressive species are the most dangerous to breed, and include mostly apex predators. Dinosaurs with an aggressive temperament will attack the fences that contain them when stressed, but will also periodically test fences to see if they are electrified, even when not stressed. The shock of an electrified fence is enough to deter them, but if the fences are not electrified or have lost power for whatever reason, the dinosaur may seize the opportunity to try and break free.
—Robert Muldoon
HABITAT SATISFACTION
Each dinosaur possesses a score of how well the paddock she inhabits provides for her physical and psychological needs. This score increases if the dinosaur has access to food and water, an appropriately-sized social group, a proper mix of terrain to roam, and enough space to not feel overcrowded by other dinosaurs.
To compensate for deficiencies or maximize the score to gain additional benefits, the dinosaur’s diet can be considered as well by using the appropriate paleobotany items and prey animals for each species.
Habitat satisfaction directly affects the dinosaur’s level of comfort: below a certain threshold, a poor score gradually increases the amount of stress the dinosaur feels. However, habitat satisfaction above and beyond what a dinosaur needs to simply feel content can prolong the dinosaur’s lifespan, increase her resistance to disease, and, if she has an aggressive temperament, reduce the frequency with which she will test the fences of her paddock.
Penalties:
No access to food/water
If a dinosaur’s most basic physiological needs are not met by her surroundings, you can be certain that she will feel distressed. Even if she is not currently hungry or thirsty, her survival instincts will drive her to seek out sources of food and water elsewhere, before it becomes a problem--even if every other aspect of her habitat is perfect. Likewise, a hungry or thirsty dinosaur will not feel driven to escape from her enclosure if she knows that food and water are available within it.
Social group too small/large
Most dinosaurs are social animals. Each species has a minimum and maximum number of individuals that will join together to form a social group. If there are too few or too many individuals to form a cohesive social group, a penalty to habitat satisfaction is incurred, the severity of which increases as the deviation from the given range increases. Some dinosaur species, mainly apex predators like Spinosaurus, are solitary and generally will not tolerate others of their kind.
Not enough forest cover/open ground/wetland
Each dinosaur requires that her territory contains a minimum amount of forest cover, open ground, and wetland to roam, measured in square kilometers.
Paddock too small
Every individual dinosaur added to a paddock increases the total area that it must contain to prevent overcrowding, meaning larger enclosures can comfortably house more dinosaurs than smaller ones. Large species like tyrannosaurs or sauropods will increase the space required by far more than other smaller species. Dinosaurs have no upper bound on the total population that they will tolerate as long as there is enough space for everyone in the paddock. An inadequate amount of space will lower the habitat satisfaction of every individual in the paddock, but the severity of the penalty is proportional to how the total paddock size and additional space required compares to the amount of space that the individual would require on its own.
Bonuses:
Paleobotany (herbivores)
Herbivores benefit from sharing their paddocks with the same flora that they would have lived alongside during the Mesozoic era. Prehistoric plants grown in a paleobotany lab can then be transplanted into paddocks for the dinosaurs to enjoy. Each species has their favorite types of plants that they will benefit from the most. These plants will supplement a dinosaur’s diet, but will not act as a replacement for feeders, due to the sheer amount of food each dinosaur must consume regularly. Unlike the terrain paint brushes, paleobotany items are placed individually. Each plant in a paleobotany lab has a growth time and success rate, just like the process of creating a dinosaur in a hatchery. Once a plant is done growing, it can be placed anywhere on the island, which will free up the plant bed in the paleobotany lab to grow another plant. Paleobotany plants that have been placed in the park are too sensitive to relocate; they must be removed and regrown.
Prey animals (carnivores)
Some carnivores are not completely satisfied with scavenging their meals; they benefit from having their paddocks stocked with prey to hunt. Some carnivores are satisfied with hunting goats or fish dispensed by feeders; larger ones much prefer other dinosaurs to hunt. Each species has a favored prey, usually a specific kind of dinosaur. However, carnivores will not attempt to make a kill for every meal; the presence of prey is enough to satiate them.
—Dr. Alan Grant