After a talk with
@Plateosaurus, I decided to expand on their
Chased by Dinosaurs concept… (credit for their suggestions, BTW!)
Chased by Dinosaurs: The Great Flood
Nigel Marven and Dr. Phil Currie of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology travel back to Dinosaur Provincial Park of 75,000,000 years ago. It is the last week in which there will be six months of sun before six months of darkness will follow.
Nigel and Phil then reveal why they're there: in the 1990s, Phil rediscovered a mass grave of
Albertosaurus at the nearby Horseshoe Canyon Formation. He also notes that similar mass graves have been found in the area as well as at other paleontological hotspots. Nigel theorizes that the
Albetrosaurus displayed pack behavior similar to the
Giganotosaurus in Land of Giants, and thus died together as a result. Phil agrees to an extent, but also notes that some of his colleagues have counter-theorized that the mass graves are the result of flash floods. Besides, Nigel also saw the
Giganotosaurs hunting alone - so perhaps the pack structures are not so organized after all.
The duo are interrupted by a
Quetzalcoatlus mating pair flying low to the ground near their cliffside base camp. Nigel and Phil scale the nearby hills and find that the female is laying eggs. Before they can leave, however, a
Didelphedon voraz attempts to sneak into the nest but is chased off by the male, who then chases off the duo.
The experience does at least give the two an idea: using a pair of autogliders, they fly across the valley to find a massive mixed herd of hadrosaurs and ceratopsids waiting at the bank of a wide river. Beyond lies the forest; apparently summer is about to end, and Nigel infers that the herd is planning on crossing to the forest, where they will winter. After checking their maps, the two discover that they've crossed over to the nearby Horseshoe Canyon Formation to the north.
Nigel and Phil land nearby and set up a forward camp. Whilst waiting for the crew, Phil notices a baby
Hyparcosaurus mistakenly attempting to integrate with his
Cortythosaur cousins. Phil points out that distinct head crests make for an excellent way to distinguish one species from other, so the adults can avoid mix-ups like these. Eventually the baby is reunited with his mother thanks to the help of a sympathetic
Corythosaur matriarch.
Elsewhere, Nigel witnesses a territorial standoff between a
Pachyrhinosaurus and one of the herd's
Styracosaurus. Much like the hardosaurs, the ceratopsids also use their distinguishing marks not just to tell each other apart, but also for display. Eventually, despite being slightly smaller, the
Styracosaurus manages to scare off his rival by appearing much larger than he actually is - a fact helped by his spiked frill.
Nigel and Phil reunite to swap notes regarding the bonebeds. Phil points out that further south at Dinosaur Provincial Park, there are mass herbivore bonebeds with
Styracosaurs and
Pacyhrinosaurs among them, supporting the flashflood theory. Nigel also thinks that the herbivores are forming a temporary super-herd. This Nigel has seen in Africa in the present day:
zebras and wilderbeest temporarily merge into super-herds during migration, but otherwise stick to their own grazing ranges for the rest of the year. It wouldn't be surprising then, to see the herd break up after the crossing is done.
The crossing begins, but several rearguard hadrosaurus sentries sound an alarm as a pack of
Albertosaurs attempt to attack the herd. The ceratopsids quickly form a defensive ring around the herd, whilst the hadrosaurs attempt to flank the tyrannosaurs. The attack is driven off, while the two notice that the tyrannosaur's attacks do not seem to be well-organized. Phil becomes open to the possibility that the packs are also a temporary measure. But before either of them can continue the investigation. They get a storm warning from base camp. Reluctantly, the two leave and make it back before a thunderstorm, then a flood, breaks out.
Nigel and Phil return to the river bank to find several cetratopids floating due south. Phil is satisfied to know that both theories regarding the bonebeds now hold water. He does state however, he'd like to find out how extensive the
Albertosaur pack hunting system really is. Alas, time for that has run out since the long night is about to begin. However, Phil still thanks Nigel for the help. But before they can return back to base, the
Quetzalcoatlus from before make an appearance and chase off the duo so they can feast on the carcasses.
Species List
- Styracosaurus albertensis
- Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis
- Chasmosaurus belli
- Corythosaurus casuarius
- Hypraxcisaurus altispinus
- Albertosaurus sarcophagus
- Struthiomimus altus
- Quetzalcoatlus northropi
- Didelphedon voraz
Chased by Dinosaurs: Lord of the Sails
Nigel Marven teams up with Jeremy Wade, extreme angler and marine biologist. They travel to prehistoric Egypt's Bahariya formation to investigate the lives of
Spinosaurus and the fish it hunts.
The two leave their home base, the yacht
The Ancient Mariner, to travel upstream in a swampboat.
While en route, they are ambushed by a
Rugops. try to head off the abelisaur in deeper water, but a
Spinosaurus emerges to ambush their pursuer. With them no longer needing to find the piscivorous predator, the two decide to head up stream to find its food.
Later that night, Nigel and Jeremy try to catch dinner. Jeremy gets a big fish on the line and reels it in with Nigel's help. But instead of something edible, they have landed a giant
Mawsonia instead. The fish as it happens, is the ancestor of the legendary "living fossil" coelacanth. Knowing well that the giant's modern-day cousins don't taste very good, the two decide to let it go.
The next day, Nigel and Jeremy go diving to see if they can find more of the
Spinosaurus' prey items. During the dive, they follow schools of
Bawitius only to be accompanied by a
Stomatosuchus, which uses its suction and its wide jaws to devour an entire school whole.
After coming back ashore, the two find out that the giant lungfish
Neoceratodus are in spawning season. They follow a female who walks overland to a nearby pond, where they lay their eggs, just like modern lungfish. Nigel and Jeremy soon split up in order to cover more research.
Nigel manages to find a
Spinosaurus fishing in the river, right where it empties into the sea. The creature manages to land several
Onchopristis sawfish by imitating its crocodilian cousins' death shake move in order to kill the fish it wants to eat. However, Nigel notices another
Spinosaurus across the river - and he senses trouble.
Elsewhere, Jeremy returns to the
Mariner and catches a
Squalicorax shark. Jeremy notes that it isn't unusual for modern-day bull sharks to move upriver, so he's not surprised that
Squalicorax does the same. However, a weigh-in reveals that the
Squalicorax is only a juvenile. So it begs the question - where are the parents?
However, a roar soon attracts Jeremy's attention. He goes up to the beach and meets up with Nigel. They witness the two Spinosaurs engaged in a battle a bit further out to sea. Eventually, one Spinosaur manages to lose with massive scarring. This attracts the attention of several adult
Squalicorax, who proceed to tear the dinosaur apart in a feeding frenzy. When it's over, Jeremy notes that "sometimes you catch the fish... and sometimes the fish catch you." Nigel agrees, and begins to get an idea for his next adventure...
Species List
- Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
- Stomatosuchus
- Ochnopristis
- Squalicorax
- Bawitius
- Mawsonia
- Neoceratodus
- Rugops
