Almost done.

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In their search for the giant ichthyosaur Thalattoarchon, Nigel and his team have come across one of its close relatives, Cymbospondylus.

Which is on a collision course with Lucas.

The entire team has gone tense at the sight of the predatory ichthyosaur. Lucas is the one most surprised by the sight, unable to do anything except float and breath.

The rest of the team, however, easily manages to overcome their shock. Unfortunately, it doesn't help them much.

"Is there anything we can do to help him?" asks Marcus.

"No," replies Nigel,"I left the cattle-prod in the boat. I don't think the ichthyosaur will attack, though."

"Why?"

"It's never seen a human before, so it won't know how to react. It'll probably swim around him first and see if he keeps his eyes on it. If he does, it might swim away."

"Okay, but I'm going after him!" replies Marcus, before promptly springing off the sea bed toward his friend.

Tristan and Nigel share a look of worry and exasperation before following him.

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Meanwhile, Lucas watches the giant ichthyosaur approach him. The giant reptile shows no sign of caution toward the human, which he finds worrying. Curiously, though, it seems to be looking past him, at something over his shoulder. Turning his head, Lucas is surprised to find himself looking at an ammonite. The cephalopod is still feeding in the rich water, seemingly unaware of the approaching predator.

Lucas' face in initially one of surprise at seeing the ichthyosaur, before turning to one of deep thought. Turning back toward the ichthyosaur, he notices it has changed course and is now moving toward his right, where the ammonite is. Acting on a hunch, Lucas gently pushes off the sea floor and heads to his left only one meter before sinking. Turning back toward the giant reptile, Lucas sees that it has not followed. Instead, it has stayed its course, leading it right toward the ammonite. The cephalopod is soon attacked, and, in a matter of moments is reduced to a red mist by the giant predator.

A little ways away, the rest of the team stares at the sight in confusion. The ichthyosaur attacked, but it avoided Lucas. Why?

"Why'd it do that?" asks Marcus.

"...I think it wanted the easier meal," remarks Nigel.

"Huh?"

"There are a bunch of ammonites around here, and these are creatures its familiar with. In fact, I can see a bunch of them where Lucas was just a moment ago. I think it might have seen them and used him as cover to approach them unseen. Look's like he's safe for now."

As the group begins to finally calm down, they are surprised when the area around them suddenly grows dark. Now worried, they look up to see a familiar sight: a large, predatory ichthyosaur.

Only this one is a little bigger than the Cymbospondylus.

And it has half a shark in its mouth.

"Is that.." begins Tristan.

"Thalattoarchon," replies Nigel, "our target. Looks like we're lucky. But why is it holding that shark?"

The giant carnivore offers no answer to Nigel's question as it begins to circle around the sea floor, as if it is waiting for something. But what?

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Back at the park, Bob is feeding one of the park's more well behaved residents.

Bob is on the bridge for Deinosuchus dip. He's dangling are large piece of meat in the air. Below him, one of the giant gators has surfaced and is eyeing the meat.

After waiting a moment, Bob releases the meat. It falls for a moment, before being snatched by the giant gator, who soon returns to the depths.

Bob can only smile at this.

"I might've had reservations about rescuing these beasts when Nigel first brought up the subject, but now, they've grown on me. Maybe it's because they aren't really that different from modern crocodiles. You see, crocodiles have dominated their niche in nature for so long that they've hardly changed in appearance or behavior. This means that these giant ones act no different from the ones we see today in zoos or at farms. And that means I don't have to modify my feeding plans for them beyond raising the amount of foo I give them."

Nearby, one of the mega-gators is basking on the lake shore, along with a few nile crocodiles. Plovers flit between the crocodilians' open mouths, picking at pieces of meat stuck between their teeth. The giant beasts pay them no mind, with some having fallen asleep.

For some residents, life isn't that hard in the park. And that makes Bob's job quite a bit easier.

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Back in Triassic Nevada, Nigel and co are still watching he Thalattoarchon swim around. It still hasn't eaten its kill.

The Thalattoarchon continues to circle around the ocean floor, only rising to breath. More Cymbospondylus have appeared, eager to enjoy the ammonite feast.

The team is still confused at to why the giant predator has not eaten its kill.

Then, they notice something spook the ichthyosaur, which suddenly swims down right next to them, before coming to a halt. Confused, they turn around, and are stunned to witness an amazing sight: a pod of colossal ichthyosaurs, following a giant swarm of fish.

"What are they?" asks Lucas, amazed by the sight.

"Shastasaurus, one of the largest ichthyosaurs to ever live. These guys are the whales of their time, bigger than anything else alive right now," answers Marcus.

The group watches as the giant continue to swim toward them, albeit rather slowly, due to their size.

As they get closer, the group notices smaller reptiles swimming near them, looking for food.

"Are those things thalattosaurs?" asks Lucas.

"They are," remarks Nigel. "They must be using the ichthyosaurs as shields from harm.

And they are not alone: flitting between the huge ichthyosaurs are another type of ichthyosaur, much smaller than their giant cousins.

"That's Phalarodon," remarks Tristan, "a type of mixosaurs. It seems they believe the thalattosaurs have the right idea.

Sensing an opportunity, Nigel and the team move in front of the herd, whose movements have caused the ammonites and Cymbospondylus to move forward, and begin setting up the portal. If they time it right, they'll have all of sent to the safety of the present.

Of course, that still leaves the issue of rescuing the Thalattoarchon

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AN: Read and Review. This is Flameal15k, signing off.