| Nyctosaurus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biological information | |
| Time period : | Late Cretaceous period |
| Lifestyle : | Piscivore |
| In the series | |
| Brought back : | None |
| Appearances : | "T-Rex Returns" "Supercroc" |
Nyctosaurus (meaning "night lizard" or "bat lizard") is a genus of nyctosaurid pterosaur that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period.
Portrayal in the series[]
Nyctosaurus is shown to a large pterosaur with an estimated wingspan of around 4 meters (13 feet). It possessed a toothless beak and a large, L-shaped head crest that was used primarily for display, much like the tail feathers of a peacock, and is grey in color, with a blue undertone and a pale blue crest tipped in dark grey or black. Some individuals also have orange splotches around their eyes, though whether if this is a sexual dimorphic trait, a species-level trait meant to differentiate the Maastrichtian Nyctosaurus from the Campanian Nyctosaurus, or just individual variation remains unknown.
Nyctosaurus is shown to be a social animal, living in flocks of up to nine individuals. It was a piscivore, meaning it primarily ate fish. Nyctosaurus would catch fish by dipping their lower jaw into the water and skimming the water until they feel a fish touch their beak. Then, they would then clamp their beak shut and fly away to enjoy their fresh catch. However, whilst feeding, Nyctosaurus would be at risk of predators like Deinosuchus, who will lurk under the water and wait until a Nyctosaurus got close to the water's surface so it can snatch its meal. (PP: Supercroc)
In the series[]
A flock of Nyctosaurus. (T-Rex Returns)
"T-Rex Returns"[]
A flock of five Nyctosaurus was briefly seen flying over Nigel as he was exploring a river bank near a waterfall. Nigel then goes on to claim how very soon this would all be gone, the Nyctosaurus along with it.
"Supercroc"[]
Nigel observed a flock of at least nine Nyctosaurus from the beach from his Jeep. After one flew close over his head, he decides to join them by using a microlight and flies alongside them as they caught fish by skimming the water's surface. As he watched the Nyctosaurus catch fish, a Deinosuchus suddenly leapt out of the water and plucked one of the Nyctosaurus out of the skies. Nigel would be left in awe by the sight and would later split off from the Nyctosaurus flock to follow a Deinosuchus down a river. While following the Deinosuchus down the river, what could have been a Nyctosaurus was briefly seen flying in the background (refer to trivia section).
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- 2 Nyctosaurus appeared in Prehistoric Park during the opening titles even though Nigel never brought one back to the park in the series.
- Nyctosaurus isn’t the only creature in this situation, as a herd of Parasaurolophus is also seen in the opening titles. This could imply that after his adventure, Nigel went back and rescued 2 Nyctosaurus. This could also just have been a non-canonical way to put a pterosaur with the title in order to enhance the "prehistoric" feel.
- However, rescuing a Nyctosaurus would prove to be a challenge, as pterosaurs are light and can fly. If Nigel were to capture one using the net gun or tranquilize one, he could very well risk the pterosaur's life, especially if he caught or shot one while it was flying. The pterosaur could suffer life-threatening bone fractures or even die on impact if that were the case since it had light, hollow bones.
- The best Nigel can do is transport the eggs, but even then, it would be a risky endeavour.
- However, rescuing a Nyctosaurus would prove to be a challenge, as pterosaurs are light and can fly. If Nigel were to capture one using the net gun or tranquilize one, he could very well risk the pterosaur's life, especially if he caught or shot one while it was flying. The pterosaur could suffer life-threatening bone fractures or even die on impact if that were the case since it had light, hollow bones.
- Nyctosaurus isn’t the only creature in this situation, as a herd of Parasaurolophus is also seen in the opening titles. This could imply that after his adventure, Nigel went back and rescued 2 Nyctosaurus. This could also just have been a non-canonical way to put a pterosaur with the title in order to enhance the "prehistoric" feel.
- Nyctosaurus is the only creature to appear in multiple time travel expeditions.
- Despite being mostly a background creature, it was the first extinct non-dinosaur seen on screen (excluding the opening credits).
- While Nigel was going down the river in his kayak, an unknown flying creature was briefly seen in the background. It could have been a Nyctosaurus, though it was probably just a bird that had flew into the shot when the scene was filmed.
Errors[]
- In real life, Nyctosaurus went extinct 19 million years before the KT extinction event.
- They also became extinct 2 million years before the events of Supercroc, about 84 million years ago.
- A suitable replacement for them in both the above mentioned episode and T-Rex Returns would have been the larger Pteranodon.
- Nyctosaurus are much bulkier than they were portrayed in the series, due to the airs sacks it possessed all over the body.
- Nyctosaurus lacked pycnofibers in the series while in real life, it would have had a coat of pycnofibers covering its body.
- The bottom point of the crest would have been equally as long as the top part of the crest.
- The non-extended fingers on the wing should be too small to see.
- There is no longer good evidence to support the idea that Nyctosaurus, and pterosaurs in general, skim fed. This would have likely caused the jaw to break due to the force of the beak being smashed into the water.
- Nyctosaurs appears to be larger in the series. In real life, they have a wingspan of only two metres, which is also reflected in the information provided by the DVD release's bonus content. However, this could be just a matter of perspective, and not actually a case of a four metre Nyctosaurus, as most scenes featuring Nyctosaurrus have them placed closer to the camera than Nigel.
External links[]
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