Chapter seven
APPROACHING DINOSAUR!
STEGOSAURUS
Name meaning: Roof Lizard
Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Stegosaurus was a series of large, triangular, horn-covered bony plates along its back and tail. There exist various theories as to their arrangement and use. Paleontologists had long thought that Stegosaurus had two parallel rows of plates, either staggered or in pairs with each other, and that these served a defensive purpose, affording protection to the animal's backbone and spinal cord.
Behavior: Stegosaurus traveled in herds
Diet: Stegosaurus was a plant eater, probably feeding on soft vegetation.
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"Relax, Hobbes, they're plant-eaters." Calvin said.
"That's not what I'm worried about." Hobbes said, looking at the foot long spikes on the end of their tails.
"Oh come on! They're not going to hurt us. Now let's see."
Calvin clicked around on the control.
"Ok." He said. "The Aerial Probe is that a-way!"
Calvin pointed right into the middle of the passing Stegos.
"I'm not going in there." Hobbes said.
"Oh come on!" Calvin said. "These jumpsuits are protective. they'll save us if there's a wild one in there."
Calvin ducked, and rushed past the Stgos.
Hobbes seemed hesitant.
But then, he rushed under the mass of Dinosaurs.
"There." Calvin said. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"
Hobbes rolled his eyes, and sighed.
Calvin grinned and looked down at the remote.
Aerial Probe Location
100 feet west.
"Great." Calvin said. "We're almost there."
Calvin turned to the west.
Hobbes did the same.
There it was!
It was hovering in the air just a few feet away, filming the Stegosaurus!
"There it is!" Calvin jumped up and grabbed the machine.
The probe shut down when Calvin grabbed it.
Calvin held the probe up to the antenna on the remote, and hit a button.
A light shot out of the remote, and sucked the probe into it.
"there." Calvin said. "Now we just have to find th MTM."
"How do you plan on doing that?" Hobbes asked.
Before Calvin could answer something flew past Calvin.
It looked like... black tar?
Uh-oh.
Calvin and Hobbes spun around.
The Dilophosaurus was stepping out from behind the undergrowth, growling at the Time Traveling duo.
"what the heck is that thing?" Hobbes asked.
"A Dilophosaur." Calvin whispered.
Hobbes froze.
"You don't mean that thing that in Jurassic Park that spit tar at the fat guy stealing the embryos, do you?" He asked.
Calvin nodded, slowly.
In a blur of orange, Hobbes vanished.
Calvin followed.
So did the Dilophosaur.
Calvin and Hobbes rushed back through the undergrowth with the sound of the Dilophosaur following them.
Calvin and Hobbes rushed out of the growth and stumbled back upon the Stegosaurus herd.
The sudden appearance of the kid and cat spooked the animals.
The females and babies separated from the herd, and the males started making threatening gestures with their tails.
"I hope these things are smart enough to attack the thing after us!" Hobbes yelled.
"Their brains are the size of walnuts." Calvin said.
"Figures." Hobbes sighed.
Just as the Dilophosaur leaped from the growth, a Stegosaurs swung it's tail at Hobbes.
Hobbes ducked.
Another Stego charged Calvin.
Thinking quickly, Calvin leaped on top of the Stego's strong neck in a back flip.
"Hey, it actually worked!" Calvin said, surprised.
The Stegosaurus tried to buck Calvin off, but Calvin was able to steer the stupid animal over to where the confused Dilophosaurus was trying to get to Hobbes.
"Attack!" Calvin yelled.
Calvin leaped off the Stego, and landed in front of the Dilophosaurus.
The predator stared down at Calvin in shock.
"Hello." Calvin said.
Calvin then bent over and covered his head.
The Dilophosaur looked up.
There was a tail with four spikes hurling toward him.
SMACK!
The Dilophosaur went flying away, and crash landed in a tree.
It picked itself up. Dazed, but unhurt.
The Stegosaurs were moaning in shock and fear, and waddled away as fast as they could.
That left Calvin and Hobbes alone with the jumbled Dilophosaur.
The Dilophosaur stumbled backward, for a second then ran off into the undergrowth.
They were safe. For the moment.
"Wow that was a close one."
"Too close." Hobbes said.
Calvin sighed.
"Well, we better get the MTM back."
"How are we going to do that?" Hobbes asked.
Calvin and Hobbes rushed back up to the beach.
Calvin clicked on the remote for a second then, a couple of suits zapped out of it.
Hobbes stared at them.
"Are those scuba suits?" Hobbes asked.
"Yes." Calvin said.
"If you think I'm going into that prehistoric lake with who knows what in it, then you my friend are badly mistaken."
"Fine. Stay up here, and keep the Dilophosaurs company."
"Be with you as soon as I can get this thing on."
Calvin and Hobbes slipped on the suit.
Amazingly, the suits, and the air helmets turned invisible as they put them on.
"nice touch." Hobbes said.
"thanks."
"Your welcome."
Calvin and Hobbes walked downward into the lake.
Once they were completely over their heads, Calvin hit a button on the invisible suit.
Rockets shot out of them, and Calvin roared off. Hobbes followed suit.
Calvin and Hobbes went deeper into the lake.
"Calvin," Hobbes said over the radio. "How are we going to find the MTM? The bottom of the lake is so dark."
"There's a tracker on my watch here." Calvin said over the crackle of the radio. "I prepared it for just such an emergency."
"Man, you thought of everything." Hobbes replied.
"Be prepared. That's my motto!" Calvin said.
Jut then, the remote Calvin was carrying beeped, and a message shot out.
APPROACHING REPTILE!
LIOPLEURODON
Name meaning: Smooth-sided tooth
Liopleurodon is a relatively common and well preserved fossil from several marine deposits throughout Europe. It was a type of Pliosaur, or short-necked plesiosaur.
It had four paddle-shaped limbs, which made it a powerful swimmer. At almost 25 m. long, Liopleurodon was the biggest carnivore that ever existed. It had an enormous 3 meter long mouth which contained teeth twice as long as those of Tyrannosaurus. These were arranged in a distinctive rosette at the end of its snout. The remains of Liopleurodon attacks are also preserved in the fossil record. half-eaten ichthyosaurus and teeth marks in Plesiosaur flippers are clear evidence of their voracious appetites.
Behavior: Liopleurodon was a solitary hunter
Diet: Meat, stupid
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"Oh no." Calvin whispered.
"What?" Hobbes asked. "What's a lilly-floor-a-don?"
"It's a giant swimming lizard."
"Terrific." Hobbes said.
Just then Calvin saw something out of the corner of his eye.
Hobbes aw it too.
It was a giant flipper.
"Great." Hobbes said. "Now a giant swimming iguana is going to kill us. Could this day get any more terrifying?"
"There could creepy ghosts in it, and it could be midnight." Calvin said.
"How comforting." Hobbes said.
It was then that Hobbes saw a giant pair of jaws flying toward Hobbes.
"Now activating panic mode." Hobbes said.
Calvin and Hobbes both screamed and jetted away from the jaws.
The Liopleurodon dove after them.
Calvin and Hobbes flew away from the giant creature as fast as they could.
Do you know what Calvin did? He released the Aerial Probe to video tape it.
Hobbes was tempted to stop right there, and wring Calvin's neck, but decided not to.
Calvin and Hobbes continued their wild dash away from the Liopleurodon, while the Aerial Probe taped it.
Just then, Calvin's watch beeped.
"THE MTM!" Calvin screamed. "It's directly below us!"
"GET IT!" Hobbes shouted.
"Spilt up!" Calvin yelled. "Whoever isn't being chased by the Liopleurodon can go get the MTM!"
"RIGHT!" Calvin and Hobbes each turned in opposite directions.
The Liopleurodon turned on a dime, and started after Calvin.
Hobbes dove straight downward.
The deeper he went, the darker it got.
By the time he could touch the bottom, Hobbes had decided he could see better with his eyes closed.
How on Earth was he going to find the MTM in such darkness?
Hobbes desperately groped about the mud, looking for the MTM.
He was just about to give up, when he heard a sound.
It was a beep.
Hobbes spun around.
There was a hologram shooting out of the mud.
Hobbes desperately dug into the mud, until he uncovered the MTM.
Hobbes was so busy digging up the MTM, that he didn't see the APPROACHING REPTILE warning that had popped out of it.
Hobbes grabbed the MTM out of the mud, and hugged it.
He had never been so happy to see one of Calvin's inventions in his life.
It was then that Hobbes saw a row of teeth in front of him.
Sharp, jagged, teeth
"AAAAAAAAAA!" He screamed.
