Living Dinosaurs?

   With miles and miles of unexplored forest in places like the African wilderness, there is bound to be at least one new (or rediscovered) species to be found. There are legends of the sauropod-like Mokele-Mbembe, the ceratopsian Emela-Ntouka, and the tyrannosaurid Kassai Rex. While these could actually exist, it is unlikely. A more plausible location that prehistoric animals could thrive in is the sea. With up to 80% of Earth's remaining undiscovered species likely to come from the sea, a sea monster isn't impossible, not really unlikely. What inspired this post was a strange picture I found of a Liopleurodon-like creature, on top of civil war era photos of pterosaurs.

This is the Liopleurodon. Some would like you to believe it reached 80 feet, as in Walking With Dinosaurs, but that's false (closer to that size is the monster of aramberri. The juvenile found was 15 meters!). In reality, it was closer to the size of an Orca, around 30 feet. What strikes me about this picture is the accurate size...

While this isn't the actual photo, it is a re-creation. The original was fairly famous, but being that it was extremely old and handled frequently, it sadly fell apart. The soldiers had allegedly shot and killed a large, bald "thunderbird", now thought to be a pterosaur.

Another re-creation

I am fairly two-sided on this one. I will begin with why it could be real: the creature in the photo appears to be a rhamphorhynchus. If someone was going to have claimed to kill a pterosaur, wouldn't they choose a well known one like a pteranodon or pterodactylus (often called a pterodactyl)? Why something so small and unknown?

Why it could be false? It's head doesn't hang limply like that of a dead animal.

This was also quite a famous one back in the day.

Imagining An Underwater Jurassic Park

   It's pretty much confirmed that Jurassic Park 4 will take place on land, but an idea that has been kicked around amongst fans recently is that of an underwater Jurassic Park. I, too, have looked at the prospect of an underwater Jurassic Park. I have come to the conclusion that the film would either be a critically acclaimed masterpiece, or it would be a critical flop that taints the whole series.

   There would be an opportunity to present the fans with a number of new animals, like the Livyatan, Basilosaurus, Liopleurodon, Megalodon, Ichthyosaurus and Plesiosaurus.

   While it could potentially change the critics' opinions on the series being stale, there is an even greater chance that it would be perceived as a drastic unneeded and unwanted change. Sure, a 50 foot Megalodon attacking a boat would be cool, but it just wouldn't make sense for a number of reasons.
 

    First, you must consider that there has to be a way to get DNA. While the idea of frozen aquatic parasites has been used in Jurassic Park: Builder, it would be criticized if used in the film. A lot.
   Second, couldn't the people just leave the water? Seriously. Get out of the water. Simple.
   Third, what would they be doing in the water in the first place? Searching for missing people, perhaps?
   Furthermore, what would keep the creatures in place? Wouldn't they just swim away? If they were contained, then the only way you could get killed would be swimming in their habitats.
   Lastly, you would have no chance of surviving an attack. If a T-Rex partially crushes your car, you can escape. However, if you're underwater and a Megalodon bites your submarine, you're dead. Dead from the neck up, dead from the neck down. If the pressure didn't crush you, the Megalodon would eat you or you would drown.

    While it would be cool to see giant pliosaurs and stuff, it just wouldn't make sense. If people want to see a giant shark on a rampage, they should watch Jaws. The majority of people want to see dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, not fish.
     

Jurassic Park 4: 10 Dinosaurs That Should Make A Cameo

   In this list, I won't be naming dinosaurs that should terrorize our protagonists throughout the film, but rather dinosaurs that should appear on screen for a few seconds, not really having anything to do with the plot, similar to the Ceratosaurus in Jurassic Park III. Here we go...
    10. Stygimoloch

This strange little kangaroo sized dinosaur is similar to The Lost World's Pachycephalosaurus. However, it is unique because of the crown of horns around its thick skull. The small herbivore could catch the audience's attention for the few seconds it was on screen.

   9. Kosmoceratops

Another creature with a strange arrangement of horns, the ceratopsian Kosmoceratops was certainly a unique dinosaur. The horned beast would provide a nice little bit of fascination for the audience.

   8. Anurognathus

   

   This little flying bug eater could have an extremely short appearance, perhaps just simply flying past the camera. After all, it's not really that interesting. Nice for a cameo, though.

   7. Microraptor

  

   I know that it was officially announced that JP4 wouldn't have any feathered dinosaurs, but they could have just meant the main dinosaurs. The feathery little Microraptor could glide overhead during a scene. Nothing more. It would at least show critics that the JP4 team knows some dinosaurs had feathers.

   6. Megalania

  Though not actually a dinosaur, the prehistoric relative of the Komodo dragon could serve as a nod to the actual de-extinction of prehistoric animals (sadly not dinosaurs, their DNA is too decomposed but perhaps a reasonable facsimile), for which it may be up for contendership. It could do something as simple as crawl past the group of people, or try to attack them only to be killed by a larger lizard, like in King Kong. The Foetodon, a similar creature, was trying to kill Ann, but was eaten by the V-Rex, which gave chase, only to be killed by Kong. In JP4, perhaps it can be eaten by the Spinosaurus or T-Rex, which is then killed by the new predator... Sorry... Off topic...

   5. Nyctosaurus

This little pterosaur may appear to be completely normal, until you see the huge antler-crest thing on its head. A small flock of these flying by or sitting somewhere could show fans how diverse and unique dinosaurs were (even though they aren't technically dinosaurs) with their strange head ornaments and sexual dimorphism.

   4. Gigantoraptor

    

The name may sound menacing, but this gentle giant was anything but. Though tall enough to look into a second story window, much like it's smaller relative, Oviraptor, this dinosaur wasn't a hunter, but rather like a giant chicken. It certainly was interesting, though. It probably had little to no feathers, so no worries on exclusion due to feathers.

   3. Therizinosaurus

This huge, strange dinosaur would certainly capture the audience's attention. With its sauropod-like neck, potbelly, long gangly arms and three foot claws, this may have been the most unique dinosaur ever. It could appear munching on a termite colony, walking along, or running from/being eaten by something.

   2. Pterodaustro 

For some reason, this strange pterosaur has always appealed to me. Many paleontologists think it was similar to a flamingo, feeding on shrimp, and it likely had a pink color from doing such. They could appear by the ocean feeding, or perhaps nesting on a sea-side cliff. Since they aren't dangerous, they can roam free, like herbivores and compsagnathus.

  1. Amargasaurus 

This sauropod would again demonstrate the diversity among dinosaurs. With its long spines its neck, it has a far from average look that could usher in an era of non-traditional dinosaurs that began in Jurassic Park III with Spinosaurus. Sure, the T-Rex, Triceratops, Velociraptors and Diplodocus are cool and should still be prominently featured, but strange dinosaurs should be added to the mix as well. Also, as a bonus, if Giganotosaurus is the villain as I hope, a pack of Gigas taking out a herd of these would be pretty epic.

Making Carnotaurus A Threat In Jurassic Park 4

At this point, rumors are running rampant as to what dinosaur will be the infamous killer of the Jurassic Park series' latest installment. Among those being considered for the role among fans is one of my favorite therapods, the Carnotaurus.
While the horned therapod was in the books, it hasn't made it's way on to the cinematic series. In the book, Carnotaurus was a horrendously scary therapod. Not just because of the creepy horns, either. While not all that big when compared to larger therapods like the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Spinosaurus, it had a certain quality that they didn't... Chameleon-like camouflage. A 30+ foot carnivore invisible to humans spells disaster for the film's protagonists. Just think about it. Man eating dinosaurs are scary, but once you see them you have an idea of where to run. With the Carnotaurus, however, you could face a pack of hungry killers without even knowing it. Just imagine... Throughout the series, they could have been on both islands (Nublar and Sorna), just waiting for their chance to strike...

How Will Recent Discoveries Affect Jurassic Park 4?

A lot of discoveries have been made since 2001's Jurassic Park 3, and not all were about new dinosaurs. The Triceratops' butt spines, the fact that Torosaurus were actually just full grown Triceratops, and the sauropods like Diplodocus having spiny whip-like tails all are surprising news about the familiar dinosaurs we know and love. The changes are actually pretty unknown, so the creators of Jurassic Park 4 will probably take advantage of the ignorance and stick to the traditional look of the dinosaurs. Not only would it save money, but it would avoid confusing the fans as to why all the dinosaurs were colorful, had weird looking spikes on them, why the Velociraptors had feathers and were the size of a turkey, and why the long-necks weren't so slow and stupid and why they were killing the T-Rex that tried to attack them.
But you have to imagine it's an elephant in the room for critics. The material could simply come off as outdated. The dinosaurs would still look cool, but would be inaccurate. And while I don't think the producers will change anything, it's only human to think of it. Realism isn't a necessity for Jurassic Park 4. After all; it is an action movie, not a documentary.

Possible Nightmarish Villain For Jurassic Park 4

First off, let me acknowledge the fact that I didn't come up with this idea myself. I found the initial theory at like 2 am last Monday. I merely improved it. Now let's get down to business.
I heard a rumor that, following the statement by Jack Horner suggesting that a new dinosaur described as "terrifying" would be the main antagonist of Jurassic Park IV, a small dinosaur may be the bad guy. A pterosaur as a matter of fact.
Now before you close this page out and decide not to see JP4 out of disappointment, let me say that this isn't just any flying rat. This is Jeholopterus.
Jeholopterus was a prehistoric vampire. Well maybe. According to some paleontologists, the creature's prominent upper fangs would have been used to puncture the thick skin of a dinosaur, while the small lower fangs would be used to squeeze the wound, pumping blood into the blood-sucker's mouth. Although it wasn't exactly the largest of the monsters, it certainly was terrifying (especially with it's creepy cat face and furry little rat body. Oh and the vampire thing.).
However, the size issue can be taken out by a little bit of exaggeration on the part of JP4's production team, much like was done with the Velociraptors. With a little change to the vampire bat dinosaur thing, making it a man-sized (or bigger) blood-sucking horror in large numbers, I can see something similar to the Terapus Mordax from the 2005 King Kong remake.

10 Terrifying Prehistoric Beasts That Could Be The Main Villain of JP4

   The fourth installment in the Jurassic Park series has been confirmed to be in production as we speak. That being said, speculation as to what the film's main antagonist would be began when it was stated that the villain would be a new one, and the most terrifying so far. The following 10 prehistoric monsters should all be up for consideration.

10. Quetzalcoatlus

Although you may not think that Quetzalcoatlus is that scary upon first sight, your opinion may change when you hear that the ancient pterosaur had a wingspan over 50 feet and had a beak the size of an adult human. The giraffe sized Quetzalcoatlus is certainly terrifying, but would likely be a disappointment as the main villain of JP4, hence it's low placing on the list.

9. Allosaurus

This 39 foot long (based on Epanterias), pack hunting, speedy and vicious Jurassic apex predator was certainly a force to be reckoned with. The Allosaurus was one of the most successful predators of all time. The "different lizard" is underrated and deserves the main spot in the Jurassic Park series for once, being that it's actually from the jurassic period. None of the main villains so far have been from the jurassic period (the T-Rex, Velociraptors, and Spinosaurus are all from the Cretacious). The only problem is that it might resemble T-Rex too much for some fans' liking. But then again if you were even slightly observant, you would notice the longer arms with 3 fingers, the lighter build, crests above the eyes, and different skull shapes.

8. Cryolophosaurus

Cryolophosaurus is the largest theropod ever to be discovered in Antarctica, attaining a size similar to that of the Allosaurus. With a unique look that distinguishes the "frozen crested lizard" from the rest, the Cryolophosaurus would be a great choice for the primary antagonist of Jurassic Park 4... If it were a little bigger.

7. Sarcosuchus

The largest crocodilian ever to live at 40 feet long, the SuperCroc would be the best predator in the series for a few reasons. It has the scary elements: giant crooked teeth, huge size, and the element of surprise when in the water. Also, it wouldn't just be restricted to land or water. It could dominate both, being that it has lungs.
But it could also suck for an equal amount of reasons. It wasn't really fast, it would seem out of place as a non-dinosaur in a movie about dinosaurs, and even though it could leave the water, it never went very far. Add that to the fact that it would probably pass up humans for fish and you have a cool-but-not-so-great-for-this-movie giant crocodile.

6. Deinocheirus

This specimen is known by only one thing: A pair of 8 foot long, three clawed arms found in the Gobi desert. This Prehistoric monster's arms are nearly twice the size of that which is currently thought to be the largest theropod, Spinosaurus'. A carnivore twice the size of Spinosaurus would be unstoppable, and it would put on a very interesting performance. This behemoth would rank number one... But we have really no idea what it looks like. It might have looked like this (A.)

A prehistoric anteater, similar to Therizinosaurus (real name, not kidding), or it could have been this (B.)

A sauropod eating, gigantic, vicious beast that would have been the most fearsome creature ever to walk this earth. I would prefer B.

5. Utahraptor

Everybody who watched the first jurassic park remembers the man sized velociraptors with their 1 huge claw on each foot. They were horrifying. Now imagine a raptor twice the size of that. Imagine a velociraptor with claws over a foot. That, my friend, is a Utahraptor. The currently described specimens are only slightly larger than the ones in Jurassic Park (which in real life were only the size of a turkey and were feathered.) at around 20 feet in length. However, these are thought to be juveniles. The larger ones reported are nearly 40 feet. That's close to the size of the biggest T-Rex found; Sue.
The only issue with this is the Velociraptors. You can't have Jurassic Park without Velociraptors. Two species of raptor in the same movie could get confusing... Unless... The Utahraptors are feathered and the Velociraptors aren't... Perhaps they could compete and have a showdown scene!!!

4. Yutyrannus

A very recent discovery, the Yutyrannus was found in 2012. It's name means "feathered tyrant", because it's fossils showed feather impressions. It is the largest known feathered dinosaur, exceeding 30 feet. Only one specimen has been found, but it was in phenomenal shape. Perhaps future fossils will show a dinosaur close to the size of it's cousin, Tyrannosaurus Rex, since that seems to happen when new large species are discovered. The feathered titan would certainly make a unique antagonist. If it were just a smidgen bigger...

3. Carnotaurus

The horned, knobbed, muscular, fast, cannibalistic and aggressive Carnotaurus had a name equally as frightening as it's appearance and behavior. The meaning of Carnotaurus is "flesh eating bull". Scary, right? It's vestigial arms were creepy too. But that was nothing compared to the fact that this allosaurid could have been the fastest large theropod ever to exist at over 30 feet long due to it's long and muscular legs. Combined with the possibility that the flesh eating bull was a pack hunter and you have a dinosaur like no other. One prominent feature is it's horns above it's eyes. The horns were likely sheathed in keratin-like material like those of modern day cows, making them even bigger than in the picture above. Carnotaurus was possibly cannibalistic, very territorial and vicious. This made Carnotaurus a true monster.

2. Carcharodontosaurus

The "shark-toothed lizard" was about 45 feet long, making it one of the largest carnivores of all time. Even bigger than T-Rex. It's long narrow skull filled with triangular teeth meant for slicing meat was a true detail of a predatory dinosaur that could kill anything it pleased. The African theropod was the second largest in it's region, behind only
the Spinosaurus, which it would have had little competition with due to their different food preferences. Although it resembled the Tyrannosaurus Rex a little bit, details could be added by the producers to differentiate them if this was meant to be the villain of JP4.

1. Giganotosaurus

A close relative of Carcharodontosaurus, Giganotosaurus is is well know for being one of the few theropods bigger than the most well known dinosaur, T-Rex. Not only was Giganotosaurus bigger than T-Rex, it was faster, too. The largest carnivore ever to exist in South America, it probably fed on the largest herbivore ever to exist in South America: Argentinosaurus. At over 115 feet long and over 95 tons, the titanosaur Argentinosaurus was no pushover. A single Giganotosaurus wouldn't stand a chance against a fully grown Argentinosaurus. However, a large pack of Giganotosaurus could bring one down. While it was harder to kill, it was more sustaining and thus preferable to the smaller Amargasaurus.

The pack hunting technique that Giganotosaurus employed made it the deadliest carnivore to ever walk this earth. A pack of Giganotosaurus could take down anything.
Since it looks somewhat similar to the familiar T-Rex, the "giant southern lizard" could be differentiated by a new coloration, keratin spikes and knobs, and perhaps a standoff with a T-Rex. Perhaps the T-Rex and Spinosaurus could be getting ready for round 2 when the pack of Giganotosaurus runs in and kills them both. For the reasons of pack hunting, strength, size, and speed, Giganotosaurus reaches number one in my list of dinosaurs that should be (and haven't already been) the top carnivore in Jurassic Park IV.