Chapter 5: New Giants
In this chapter, we examine the new giants, the heavyweights of the Warrior Cat world. It was only in recent years we've unearthed the biggest warriors that ever lived. Animals on a huge scale it is difficult to comprehend. Just how and why did these titans grow so massive? And can any animal attack such a huge beast? One of these new giants has eclipsed all other. At 35 meters long, it was as long as Diplodocus yet this warrior was 7 times as heavy.
The first glimpse of this new giant was made in Argentina in the 1990's. In Patagonia, a bone was pulled from the ground, it was a single vertebra but it was as tall as a twoleg. Other bones followed. They belong to the biggest warrior to ever walk the earth. It lived in South America 95 million moons ago, in a world very different from our own. A world that is only now giving up its secrets.
An egg was cracking as something was trying to get out of it. Beams of light shined into the leg as fluid that kept the animal preserved was leaking out. The egg soon cracked open as a baby Serpopard was born. The start of a new life, but on these plains danger was never far away. The baby Serpopard came out of its egg as it had some unwelcomed attention. This was a huge stork, attracted the easy prey of a nest site. The baby Serpopard looked up as the stork loomed over it. It soon leaned down with the beak of its as it began trying to grab the baby Serpopard. The small offspring squeaked as it desperately tried to stay out of the predators reach. The stork continued pecking the ground as it wanted this meal unaware another predator was prowling the same sight. The stork picked up the Serpopard before dropping it as it picked it up again before dropping. It was getting hard to keep doing this. Still the 2nd predator prowled closer. The stork soon dropped the Serpopard thinking that the fall would kill the hatchling. It dropped it but the baby Serpopard remained unharmed. The stork turned its head to see another predator come within its sights as it soon took off knowing it didn't want to be the prey of this animal. The 2nd predator looked around and stopped.
Throughout the 1990's extraordinary warriors were uncovered in Argentina. At one location, a nest sight was so full of eggs the twolegs could barely avoid crushing them underfoot. Some eggs contained exquisitely preserved warrior embryos. Then in 1999 at the same location, a complete adult warrior skeleton was uncovered, it appeared they found the parent.
The 2nd predator looked over the nest sight as it was looking at the baby Serpopard. Snorting a bit, it soon picked up the baby by the tail as the animal squeaked a bit as it was high up. The predator had something in mind as it turned head to the left. With one simple flick of the head, it soon slammed the baby Serpopard to the ground killing it. The predator soon picked up the dead hatchling as it ate it. But first impressions could be deceptive, this isn't the parent, this is a Skorpiovenator, a predator. The Skorpiovenator soon moved onto another nest as it continued to sniff the nest around looking for any other hatched Serpopards to prey on, rolling some eggs around. The skeleton found at the nest site was almost certainly a nest raider, preying on the hatchling. The Skorpiovenator turned its head as it began looking around. It soon heard the clicks of two more baby Serpopards as they were being noisy. An easy sign of being prey, the Skorpiovenator worked its way to the baby Serpopards as it scooped one of them using its head as it swallowed the hatchling down as it went for the second one. The hatchling's real parent and the owner of the enormous vertebra is Argentinofelis. The herbivore loomed over as it was staggering as it made the Skorpiovenator look like a mere ant to the giant. A plant eating giant that dwarves everything around it. The Skorpiovenator turned as ran off as the giant continued to wander the nest sight. From the bones that were found, we've calculated that Argentinofelis was a colossal 35 meters long and weighed as much as 75 tons. The adults looked at the newly hatched as they were only the size of their heads but in a couple of decades, they would be as large as they are. When born, the hatchlings weigh a paltry 5 kilograms and need to fend for themselves immediately. The hatchling bleated out as they were left on their own by their massive parents.
From studying the embryos and looking at the bones of the adults, we know the growth of these giants was phenomenal. Over 40 years they grow from 5 kilograms to an astonishing 75,000 kilograms. At their peak, it's been estimated they grow up to 40 kilograms every day. The warrior embryos are so well preserved we can see they already have their teeth in preparation for a lifetime of eating.
The baby Argentinofelis were busy feeding on some ferns as they wanted to get big fast to avoid predators. The adult Argentinofelis were busy feeding themselves as one of them took a bite from a conifer tree and swallowed the leaves down. But becoming a giant simply takes more than turning tons of food into muscle. It is the success and survival of a species over millions of moons. One way to increase the chances of survival is by having lots of offspring. A huge female Argentinofelis squatted down as she laid an egg. And the best way of doing that is by simply laying eggs. The other females squatted down as they too laying eggs. Lots of them. The nest sight in Patagonia stretches for an astonishing 15 kilometers and contains tens of thousands of eggs. And the site was used continuously for hundreds of thousands of moons.
The hunters were moving in to snatch up the hatchlings as it was clear that this site was a buffet that you can simply eat from and get more. For killers like Skorpiovenator, the nest site provides a feast. One Skorpiovenator snatched up a baby Argentinofelis while rolling another one over. But with thousands of hatchlings, they have little impact on the success of the species, and pose no threat to the adults. The adult Argentinofelis simply waved their massive tails around as it was a sign to ward them off and with the Skorpivenator's scattering, it was a success. But wherever we find giant plant eaters, there is a giant killer lurking nearby. Soon the paw of a massive predator was pressed as it was spying the giant serpopards.
And sure enough, another startling discovery was made in Argentina. In the same region, a nearly complete skeleton of an enormous predator was unearthed amazingly well preserved. The skull alone was over 1.5 meters long and when a second, even larger specimen was found, it became clear that this was bigger than any predator that had been found before. Bigger than T. Rex.
It was clear that giant predators roamed South America as well and the Argentinofelis might have met its match. The predator was alone and to take on such a behemoth, it was going to need some back up.
In fact, wherever giant plant eaters have been discovered, it appears that a giant predator lived alongside them. From the Americas to Europe to Asia, we see the same relationship repeated. But there was one place on earth that remained a mystery. For decades, Africa was the forgotten continent, a huge gap in our understanding of planet warrior cats. Then, in 2000, a cluster of bones was unearthed in North Africa. The bones were huge; one single leg bone was as tall as a twoleg. It seemed this, too, was a land of giants. And that could only mean one thing. There must also be a giant killer.
A herd of Ouranocanis were busy feeding nearby a river. They were merely small dogs in this world of titans. 95 million moons ago, this was a dry and difficult place to survive. Food and water were hard to come by and often only found in one place… along the banks of a river that has earned the name "River of Giants." The paws of huge Serpopard came down as this was a huge herd of them. This is Paralititan, a 45 ton animal and undisputed heavyweight here. The herd was coming to the river as it wanted to drink. The herd was made of small juveniles to massive adults. For an animal this size it's not easy to keep cool, so being near water is vital. The herd soon arrived at the river as they began to drink from the river. The adult lowered its head as it began drinking; the juveniles were doing the same thing as they were really thirsty. One of the adults looked into the river as it realized that rivers could potentially be dangerous places. One of the adults was taking a nice long drink as a crocodile leaped up trying to bite it on the neck. Fortunately the Paralititan managed to drag its head out of the way before the crocodile managed to get a grip but the herd looked on as several crocodiles surfaced. They knew they needed to withdraw so they turned around and began walking away. However one of the juveniles sinks through a muddy ash patch as it couldn't move its limbs very well. The crocodiles began to haul themselves onto land as they were going to launch an attack on the struggling juvenile. This was not a good place for a young animal to get stuck. The juvenile called out as it wanted the herd to come to its aid. The herd however was very reluctant to come and help the juvenile out of the predicament it got itself in and waited for it to rescue itself. And it wasn't just these crocodiles the herd was worried about. This river holds much, much, bigger threats. Soon the swimming of an enormous crocodile was being captured as it knew that was the reason why the Paralititan was very reluctant to help. It soon surfaced as it began to haul itself onto land.
It may look familiar, but this was no ordinary crocodile. With a skull nearly 2 meters long, it's more than twice the size of any modern croc. This was Sarcosuchus. The Sarcosuchus pulled itself onto land as the smaller crocodiles scattered at its presence. It was a true monster. Weighing as much as 8 tons, it is the undisputed king of crocodiles. It stared down to the juvenile Paralititan as it was getting ready to pounce. A cold blooded killer. The juvenile continued calling out but the herd were ignoring its cries. And if it can drag its prey into the water and drown it, even better. But even for a deadly predator like this, the River if Giants holds dangers. The Sarcosuchus hissed a bit before closing its eyes and blinking a bit. It was getting ready. However even it wasn't the biggest predator around.
A volcano was erupting as smoke billowed from its top. It was clear the area was ashy and filled with plants that thrived in the area. Smaller dogs scurried beneath the huge titans. Across the world from Africa to Argentina, Giant Serpopards roamed far and wide. This herd of Argentinofelis are now on the move, traveling across a swamp covered with volcanic ash. It's a dangerous place to be if you're living in the shadows. The beasts leave their massive paw prints as the ash gets mixed with the swamp creating small pools. Some of these pools can be several feet deep. For the small Gasparinicanias, they knew they could be crushed underfoot if not careful but the paw prints were also traps. One of the Argentinofelis was crossing the swamp as the paws broke through the thin ashy surface, breaking into the mud and mixing in. A Gasparinicania walked over as it fell into the paw print and began sinking. Another Gasparinicania headed over where it would meet the same fate. More continued to fall into the paw prints as they drowned and bleated for help. These giants are so massive; they turn the sand beneath their paws into quicksand, creating death traps with every step. The Gasparinicania wailed before sinking completely as the herd continued to travel.
It was a danger that was graphically revealed in 2010, when an astonishing set of paw prints were unearthed. Paw prints that contained a deadly secret. After months of pain staking examination, some of the findings in the paw prints were to contain bones of other animals. One exposed the bodies of 5 lizards, 10 small warriors, 2 crocodiles and a turtle. In total 18 animals were buried in a single step. But becoming this big isn't easy, it requires some serious eating. Argentinofelis weighed 75 tons. A 6 ton African elephant needs to eat for 18 hours a day to keep going. Argentinofelis weight more than 10 times as much so how did they get enough food?
The whole herd has stopped as it began feeding. One of the massive herbivores lowered its head as it began plucking up ferns and not taking time on just one but getting the most of it. Another one was eating the conifer trees as it was stripping them bare. They turned themselves into the most efficient eating machines the world has ever known. Everything about them is designed to get the most food in and the most calories out of it with the least effort taken to get there. Another Argentinofelis reared onto its hind legs as it began plucking the tree. Their long necks give them access to more food without moving but the way they eat was the crucial bit. One of them reared on its hind legs feeding from the tops of the conifer tree. These giant herbivores don't waste time chewing. They rip and gulp down leaves whole which are digested by bacteria and gizzard stones in their massive guts. Not chewing means it doesn't need a big heavy head with big teeth and muscular jaws. One of the Argentinofelis snorted sending some Gasparinicania heading in another direction as it fed on the ferns. This also meant its neck can grow so long, able to reach food in places no other animal can reach. Another Argentinofelis was feeding as the group of Gasparinicania began to turn and run. The Argentinofelis didn't mind but for the small Gasparinicania, danger was near. Being so big means you're off the menu for most predators. But here, there is a killer in a completely different league. The Gasparinicania soon disappeared as the giant herbivores were on their own. A massive paw print slammed down of a giant predator.
Over 10 meters long and weighing around 4 tons. This is Mapufelis, a newly discovered killer on the block. The huge Mapufelis prowled around the huge Serpopards which made the Argentinofelis feel tense as a predator was prowling around. The herbivores lifted their heads and turned them to see the massive Mapufelis prowl through the herd looking for a target. The herbivores knew that one of these hunters was no match for a fully grown Argentinofelis. Soon the Mapufelis left but one the Argentinofelis roared out in fear as the herd turned their heads. It was clear that this giant killer wasn't alone. Two more Mapufelis appeared as there were three of them in this pack.
For years it was thought that an adult Argentinofelis would be too big for any predator to tackle. But in 2006 a new discovery suddenly made even the biggest warriors a lot more vulnerable. As they dug into the Argentinian dirt, they just didn't find one predator buried here. The skeletons of at least 7 Mapufelis of different ages and sizes were found together, it suggested that this was a group.
A giant killer that appears to hunt in gangs; the two Mapufelis turned and began their assault along with the one that was scouting the herd earlier. They were more than capable of taking on the very biggest warriors. The Argentinofelis looked over as it saw the two Mapufelis approaching straight for the herd; it needed to warn the others about it. It soon roared a warning to the rest of the herd as they raised their heads from feeding; they looked out as he bellowed for the herd to get out of there as three predators were approaching. Not even a fully grown Argentinofelis was safe from this group. The best defense for these giants was there sheer size. An Argentinofelis reared up on its hind legs making it as tall as a huge apartment building as it soon slammed down onto the ground. The Mapufelis turned as he bellowed; the predators knew they wanted to get around him to get the best individuals of the herd that were trying to flee the huge predators. Fortunately for the Argentinofelis, most of them were safe as the Mapufelis pack was being rather choosy, only interested in sick or old individuals. Soon they set their sights on a large old male as two predators approached it. It reared up but not as high as it slammed down. It scared them both away but the 3rd Mapufelis saw this as an opportunity as it rushed in. It soon slammed its jaws to the side of behemoth as the Argentinofelis bellowed out as the Mapufelis slashed its teeth as it tore out a chunk of meat. It soon turned away satisfied. The other two were scaring the rest of the herd away as they were going to attack the one that the pack member had slashed apart.
Mapufelis teeth are perfectly designed like blades to slice off chunks of flesh. The predators roared as they began their attack on the old male. One of them bit down into the right flank of the massive herbivore as it began to try to pull it apart. But with prey so large, a single bite isn't always fatal. The Mapufelis tore off a large chunk of flesh as the herbivore roared out in pain. It appears that the Mapufelis could just "Snack" feeding from their victims without actually killing them. The Mapufelis puts down a chunk of meat it tore from its prey as it began to feed. Another one came over as it wanted to feed. The one who had ownership of the meal turned its head and roared for the other one to get its own. It soon left as the predators fed. The victim would survive to provide more food at a later date. The herd began falling back but not before they were take one of their hunters down. The Mapufelis was wandering into the center of the heard as it was now getting ready to finish off the giant herbivore. But even in a group, these giant killers were never far away from danger. The Mapufelis was moving to the center of the Argentinofelis group as attacking an animal more than 10 times your weight carries grave risks. The Mapufelis looked up as the Argentinofelis was rearing up on its hind legs. The Mapufelis knew he had to make a run for it as he did but the Argentinofelis slammed down crushing the Mapufelis under its own massive weight. The blow was strong enough to crush the predators bones and organs. The rest of the herd fled as the remaining two Mapufelis looked on. All they needed to do now was follow and wait.
Even with the threat of predators hunting in gangs, the phenomenal size of these giants would usually be enough to keep them safe. But, a giant needs to grow. It's the younger, smaller animals that are in greatest danger from giant predators like Sarcosuchus and here, in Africa, there is nowhere to hide.
The huge Sarcosuchus took a few strides forward to the stuck Paralititan. It soon blinked a few times as the young animal was struggling to move its limbs. The Sarcosuchus blinked and closed its mouth. It soon opened it its jaws clamping around on of the legs. The young Paralititan bleated out as it was under attack. The adults looked on as the predator had its jaws clamped around one of its legs. Things are about to get even worse for the young Paralititan. The adults moved away as the second predator showed up hearing the roars and cries of animal being attacked. Around the River of Giants there's another predator, Carcharodontofelis. The predator looked around the herd as it spotted the young animal and the Sarcosuchus. This was a predator that was looking for the easiest kill, the weak, injured and young, the Paralititan was all 3. The Carcharodontofelis soon bit into the neck of the Paralititan as it began to pull. The Sarcosuchus struggled as it tried to maintain its grip on the animal as the Carcharodontofelis tugged dragging the Sarcosuchus and the Paralititan juvenile which felt like it was going to be ripped into pieces. The Sarcosuchus was being dragged as it wanted to hold onto this meal. In such a deadly game of tug-o-war, there could only be one winner. The Carcharodontofelis soon dragged the Paralititan free from the Sarcosuchus' grip as the young animal bellowed. The predator soon released it as the young animal collapsed. The Carcharodontofelis pinned it down with its paw as it was preparing to eat but it soon looked up seeing something it shouldn't. The Adult Paralititan were coming as they wanted their offspring. The kill still wasn't certain, the Carcharodontofelis could tackle this youngster but a herd of 45 ton adults is another matter. The herd continued to close in on the predator as the young Paralititan dragged itself to safety. The Carcharodontofelis knew it couldn't take on a large, healthy adult Serpopard as it decided to turn and flee. Injured but alive, this young Paralititan has had a lucky escape.
Encounters like this has had left some tantalizing clues behind. Among the bones of the Paralititan we have found a Carcharodontofelis tooth, suggesting a predator prey relationship. They complete a global picture, a pattern that is repeated across the globe. In Asia we have Mamenchifelis and Sinraptor, in North America, Diplodocus and Allofelis and now Africa. For every giant plant eater, we find a giant predator living side by side. And it is in South America where we have the biggest of all. Argentinofelis and Mapufelis, two giants who's fates appear to be inextricably linked.
A stork circled overhead as it was looking down at what the latest victim was. It soon spotted something massive. A fallen giant as the storks continued to circle overhead. It was the old male that we have seen before abandoned by its herd. This Argentinofelis wounded by a gang of Mapufelis has succumbed to its wounds. The giant raised its head before falling down as it was clear it was attracting all sorts of attention. Scavengers were beginning to arrive like the Skorpiovenator. Out on the plains, other, keen eyed predators are quick to spot a stricken animal. The numerous small predators watched as the behemoth took its final breath before succumbing. The storks circled overhead as they patiently waited for their turn. The neck of the behemoth was moving but it turned out as it was a Skorpiovenator who had already began digging into the carcass as it lifted its head with a mouthful of meat. It was a prize worth waiting for, and it attracts carnivores for miles around. The Skorpiovenator were beginning to eat their fill as they were the first ones there but the bigger carnivores would come soon. Eventually a Mapufelis arrived as it roared scaring away the Skorpiovenator. Soon the Mapufelis dug its head in as it began pulling out chunks of meat from the Argentinofelis carcass. More Mapufelis arrived as the carnivores were tolerant about their own kind feeding as they continued feasting on the carcass. A Skorpiovenator approached but the Mapufelis roared at the small scavenger scaring it away. It was clear the Mapufelis were not only hunters, like virtually every other carnivore in the region, scavenged prey plays a huge part of their diets. The Mapufelis went back to feeding as a 3rd large carnivore approached. The cycle had its shares of predators during the day the Mapufelis would come and eat their fill while the Skorpiovenators would come in the night to pick on the carcass. We know enough about the biology of giant Serpopards to estimate of this 75 ton animal: 13 tons is bone, 4 tons is blood, 5 tons is hide and skin, 15 tons fat and 40 tons meat. Enough to feed a whole ecosystem for days. It would take days but the carcass was stripped down its bones as the Skorpiovenators and storks fought over the last scraps of meat on the last night and when the sun rose, that morning, the predators were nowhere in sight as the Mapufelis sniffed the pile of bones.
The Mapufelis was reliant on the giant Serpopards in life and death. When the Argentinofelis disappeared from South America 93 million moons ago, so did the giant predator Mapufelis. It was the same story in Africa, when Paralititan vanished, Carcharodontofelis followed. It appeared these extinctions were linked and this story is repeated time and again. When the giant Serpopards died out, the giant predators lost their main food supply, and they too were doomed.
The Mapufelis gave one last sniff before turning away as it went to go hunt for something else or wait for one of these massive titans to fall so there would be plenty of meat to go around. That time wouldn't come for another million years for the massive hunter as it walked away to drown itself in its own pity. The massive skeleton wouldn't survive intact as millions of moons would pass leaving fragments of what were once massive titans.
[A/N]: Thank goodness there is one more of these to go as I'm getting drained over these stories. I want to make sure I can get the last one out as quickly as possible as I don't want to put a burden on the reader. Let's get the ball rolling until the very end and keep the reviews up. I promise you, one more after this. Thanks.
A cat laying eggs would be a stretch and having lots of offspring would be the same story but if you are going to go big, you can't put that many resources into good parental care since you need tons of food to keep yourself going. So flood the ecosystem with so much food that the predators can't eat it all and hopefully some of the offspring will reach full size.
Plus most giants we find are very fragmentary as we only have a few bones of which unless you're Dreadnoughtus who's skeleton is about 45% complete as even preservation of a 50+ ton animal would be extremely difficult and you'll lose your skeleton to the elements.