I, KingdomHeartsNerd, own nothing; Prehistoric Park, and all related materials, belong to Impossible Pictures; the only thing I own are the OC workers and the names that I have given to unnamed people in the show.
A/N:- Yes, the last chapter was based on Walking With Beasts: Sea Monsters The 7th Deadliest Sea.
There is something missing from our world. The amazing animals that time has left behind. But what if we can bring them back? What if extinction didn't have to be forever? We're going back in time on a safari with a difference, as wild life adventurer Nigel Marven plunges into pre-history to rescue creatures on the brink of extinction. His plan is to bring them back to the safety of the present and give them a second chance.
This time, Nigel and Suzanne are going back in time to Prehistoric Australia to rescue a species of Kangaroo not seen for 50,000 years.
Welcome to the ultimate wild life sanctuary. Welcome to Prehistoric Park.
It has been three weeks since Nigel's last adventure in which he had rescued four Sea Scorpions and two Orthocones from the Ordivician. Speaking of Which...
Two large boxes, each ten foot long and eight foot wide, were lowered into the massive tank. Both the boxes were full of water that had been taken from the tank.
"Ah, Nigel," Greeted Bob as Nigel climbed out of his jeep "Good timing."
"Are they in yet?" Asked Nigel, glancing over to the tank.
"We're putting them in now," Bob replied. His words has piqued Suzanne's interest too, and she walked over to Nigel's side. The two large boxes rattled and Bob pressed a button. The bottoms of the cages opened and both the Orthocones fell out of the bottom; immediately submerged in water, the two of them dove downwards, into the dark tank, and were gone from sight.
Nigel is preparing for his next adventure, which will involve vet Suzanne. He intends to go back 50,000 years to rescue a giant Kangaroo, called Sthenurus, from the brink of extinction.
"Bob," Nigel greeted as Bob arrived in his jeep "I need an exhibit to be made before I return."
"An exhibit for what?" Questioned Bob.
"A ten foot Kangaroo," Replied Nigel "It can jump high, so the walls will need to be rather tall, or it's exhibit will need to be in a ditch."
"I'll get on it." Bob assured Nigel "Are you bringing back one, or more?"
"Just one, I think," Nigel replied "But you know me, I usually end up bringing back a few more than expected, so I could return with two."
The Time Portal flared into life and Nigel and Suzanne - who was filling in for Ben, who had fallen ill - climbed in. Nigel put his foot down and the jeep began to move; it passed through the Time Portal and emerged into Prehistoric Australia.
The jeep screeched sideways, but it was no use. A large herd of Diprotodon, commonly known as Giant Wombats, or Rhinoceros Wombat, filled the field in front of them. The jeep clattered into the side of one of the Diprotodons and stopped.
Diprotodon superficially resembled a rhinoceros, but without a horn. Its feet turned inwards like a wombat's, giving it a pigeon-toed appearance. It had strong claws on the front feet and its pouch opening faced backwards and it's feet were covered in hair, giving it a coat similar to modern day wombats.
The Diprotodon were about about 3 metres long - 9.8 feet - from nose to tail, stood 2 metres tall - 6.6 feet - at the shoulder and weighed up to 2,786 kilograms - 6,140 pounds - when fully grown.
"Look at them," Nigel breathed as the Diprotodon merely bellowed and moved to a new section of the grass to graze.
"They're the size of human beings." Suzanne gasped.
One of the Diprotodon bellowed and the group began to head towards the nearby water hole. Suzanne, and Nigel, who had now managed to start the jeep again, followed. A young Diprotodon, barely two weeks old, leaned down to the water.
There was a rustle behind the youngster, and a large snake, six metres in length, shot out from the undergrowth and grabbed the youngster; dragging it back into the undergrowth it constricted the youngster.
Nigel, despite coming for a giant Kangaroo, now wants that snake too.
"I have an idea." He informed Suzanne "Give me your shoe. If this snake is what I think it is, then I have a way of getting it back to Prehistoric Park, and for once, I do not have to put myself in danger. Wonambi barriei are dangerous, but cannot eat humans; their heads are tiny, so they can only eat small prey, like that baby Diprotodon."
Suzanne handed her shoe to Nigel and he leaned over to the jeep; picking up the remote, which activated the Time Portal from the jeep, he placed it inside the shoe along with the two activated ends of a smaller time portal he had brought with him from the park, and threw it to into the path of the snake.
The snake, a Wonambi barriei - which became extinct as a result of activities, namely firestick farming, of the Australian Aborigines - shot out from the undergrowth and constricted the shoe; the force of the constriction meant that the button on the time portal remote was pressed down. The small time portal flared into life and engulfed the Wonambi barriei, sending it back to Prehistoric Park. The Portal, which was on a timer, began to flicker. A second Wonambi, the mate of the first, slithered forward too. It hissed at the shoe and moved forward to constrict the shoe. The time Portal flickered shut and the Wonambi constricted it; once again, the portal flared into life and the second Wonambi disappeared like the first.
"Yes!" Breathed Nigel "That's a breeding pair - hopefully - for Prehistoric Park."
Suzanne retrieved her shoe, and she and Nigel climbed back into the jeep; Before they could do anything else, they had to go back to the park to see how the two Wonambis were settling in to life in the twenty first century. Activating the large Time Portal, Nigel and Suzanne returned to Prehistoric Park.
Back at Prehistoric Park, Bob has received two visitors; two inspectors who have come to see Prehistoric Park for themselves.
"Nigel told me he intended to bring back a snake from Prehistoric Australia," Began Bob to the camera as he stood outside a cage. The cage, made entirely of glass, had been made to look exactly the same as the habitat of the Wonambi, complete with trees, grasses and even a small pond.
Gerald Archer and Kate Katington, the two inspectors, were stood by Bob's side, staring into the cage.
"What are we supposed to be looking at?" Questioned Kate "What is in here?"
"Nothing yet," Bob replied "But Nigel usually surprises us and brings back something we're not expecting."
As if on que, the small time portal, on the back wall of the cage flickered into life; the first Wonambi tumbled through; the time portal, on the wall opposite to the wall that Bob was staring through, flickered closed again.
"What is that?" Asked Gerald "A giant snake?"
"It's a Wonambi barriei." Stated Nigel, as he and Suzanne arrived; the time portal flickered open again and the second Wonambi tumbled into the exhibit and the portal flickered shut "A species of snake that went extinct 50,000 years ago. It became extinct as a result of activities, namely firestick farming, of the Australian Aborigines."
Nigel watched as the two Wonambis slithered into the large undrgrowth at the back of the exhibit "I couldn't resist; Suzanne and I watched it take a baby Diprotodon; it's not poisonous and kills by constricting its prey. Because of the size of its head it cannot eat anything bigger than it's mouth, so you can feed them on rats, Bob."
"Good," Bob replied "Something that is easy to feed; this is probably one of the easiest creatures you've brought back, Nigel."
"You say that now, Bob." Suzanne muttered "Wait until the female falls pregnant and the male becomes territorial to make sure that the female and the eggs are safe."
"How did you get these if they're extinct?" Gerald asked.
"I'll show you if you like." Nigel replied "Come with me." Nigel led Gerald and Kate to the time portal and typed in some coordinates; it flickered into life and filled the gap between the two fences.
"This," He continued "Is the time portal; it can go to any period in prehistory. I can use it to bring back creatures from extinction. There are three time portals; this one, one made for underwater, and a small one made for things like the Wonambi."
"How did you get it?" Gerald wondered.
"A friends of mine, Thomas Portalus, made it for me." Nigel replied "With this, I have been able to bring many creatures back from extinction - and I'm not done for today. The Wonambi wasn't my main target; I'm trying for a Sthenurus; a three metre long kangaroo."
"You say you can bring anything back?" Kate asked.
"Yes," Nigel began "Take a look around the park. Bob can show you around. I have to get back to Prehistoric Australia."
Nigel prepares to return to Australia with Suzanne. His target this time, a three metre long Kangaroo, called Sthenurus.
The jeep emerged from the Time Portal, with Nigel and Suzanne in it. The herd of Diprotodon was still lingering near the water hole.
"I would love to take them back to Prehistoric Park," Nigel informed Suzanne "But I have no way of getting them through the Time Portal. Sthenurus is our target this time, so if we wait for a bit," He looked to his watch "About an hour or so, we should find one; this is the perfect habitat for a Sthenurus."
After an hour, neither Nigel nor Suzanne had seen anything but the Diprotodon; then a roaring came from nearby and several of the Diprotodon began to bellow.
"What's that?" Suzanne questioned, tapping Nigel on the shoulder and pointing to the trees; a Thylacoleo carnifex emerged from the trees. It was extremely robust with powerfully built jaws and very strong forelimbs. It possessed retractable claws, a unique trait among marsupials. This allowed the claws to remain sharp by protecting them from being worn down on hard surfaces. The claws were well-suited to securing prey and for climbing trees. The first digits, which made up thumbs, on each hand were semi-opposable and bore an enlarged claw. This was used to grapple with, and slash at, its intended prey as well as providing it with a sure footing on tree trunks and branches. The hind feet had four functional toes, the first digit being much reduced in size but possessing a roughened pad similar to that of possums, which may have assisted with climbing.
Its hindquarters were also well-developed although to a lesser extent than the front of the animal. It had a relatively thick and strong tail and the vertebrae possessed chevrons on their undersides where the tail would have contacted the ground. These served to protect critical elements such as nerves and blood vessels if the animal used its tail to support itself when on its hind legs, much like present day kangaroos. Taking this stance allowed it to free up its forelimbs to tackle or slash at its intended victim.
"Its strong forelimbs, retracting claws and incredibly powerful jaws mean that it was possible for Thylacoleo to climb trees and even carry carcasses to keep the kill for itself - similar to the leopard today." Nigel informed Suzanne.
The Thylacoleo thundred forward; several of the Diprotodon bellowed again and began to run around as one of them, and elder who had not been able to keep up, was sent sprawling to the floor. The Thylacoleo roared and charged after the group of Diprotodon; as the Diprotodons headed towards him, the Thylacoleo leaped over the jeep, narrowly missed Suzanne, and skidded to a halt in front of the Diprotodons.
"Now's my chance," Nigel began "Hopefully the Thylacoleo will chase them through the portal and we can get a breeding herd of Diprotodons back to Prehistoric Park. Suzanne, hold this." He thrust the end of the Time Portal to Suzanne "Put it in the ground and hold on!"
Suzanne stuck it in the ground and turned the top; two metres away from her, Nigel did the same. The time portal flared into life. Nigel climbed into the jeep, started the engine and slammed his fist onto the horn; a loud beep echoed across the horizon and the Diprotodons began to panic again; the Thylacoleo, angrily roared and thundered after the Diprotodons. The Diprotodons reached the jeep.
"Come on." Nigel urged "If they don't move, Suzanne, then that Thylacoleo is going to get them!"
Nigel started the jeep and put his foot down causing the jeep to move aside and trapped between the Thylacoleo and the twenty first century, the Diprotodons wisely opt for the Portal.
"Bob's going to kill you." Suzanne noted as the thirtieth and last Diprotodon thundered through the Time Portal; she reached for the button to switch it off, but Nigel held out a hand.
"Wait, Suzanne." He ordered; she stopped for a moment. The Thylacoleo roared and thundered through the portal as well "That's all of them; except the injured adult over there. I'd love to take it back as well, but I have no idea if it's going to survive."
"Let me have a look." Suzanne suggested and Nigel smiled; he started the jeep up again and drove towards the injured Diprotodon, which was lying in the nearby grass.
Back at Prehistoric Park, Bob and the Inspectors are about to receive a nasty shock.
The Time Portal flickered into life and the Diprotodons thundered through; Gerald, Kate and Bob, who sighed, were stood on the balcony above the time portal on either side. The last Diprotodon passed through the portal, thundered into the holding pen and the door closed behind it as the Thylacoleo emerged from the time portal.
"Open another holding pen!" Bob bellowed; the door to one of the other pens swung open, and the Thylacoleo charged into the holding pen. Wandering along balcony to the holding pen containing all of the Diprotodons, Bob counted them.
"Twenty two." He finished and turned to the Camera "Where does Nigel expect me to put these? At least they're not cannibalistic, or carnivorous... unlike the other one, who's very carnivorous given the fact it was hunting them."
He wandered along the balcony to the holding pen that contained the Thylacoleo and looked down. A large chunk of meat thudded to the ground and the Thylacoleo dug into it.
"Is that safe?" Kate questioned as she stared down, awestruck at it.
"Knowing Nigel," Bob began "It's not. It's a carnivore, and those things," He gestured to the holding pen containing the Diprotodons "are larger than humans and it could easily take one of those down, so we wouldn't stand a chance."
"Does the Time Portal always remain open when it's not being used?" Gerald asked.
"No," Bob replied, looking over to it "Nigel's probably bringing the jeep back through so he'll keep the Portal open until he's returned."
Meanwhile, back in Prehistoric Australia, Nigel and Suzanne are transporting the injured elder Diprotodon back to Prehistoric Park.
"Is it stable, Suzanne?" Nigel asked as he strapped himself into the jeep.
"He'll be fine." Suzanne replied, checking her work "He's sedated and shouldn't awake until he's been looked after, but we'll need to get him back to the park, and quickly. Drive."
Nigel started the jeep, pressed his foot down onto the accelerator and the jeep began to move, as Suzanne held the injured Diprotodon in place. The jeep reached the Time Portal and passed through it, bringing Nigel, Suzanne and the injured Diprotodon with it.
"Another one, Nigel?" Called Bob from the balcony.
"Yes!" Called Suzanne "But it's injured. We're taking it to my lab, and I'm going to see what I can do. Once I've checked him, and the Thylacoleo you can put them in their cages."
With the elder Diprotodon now at Suzanne's lab, Nigel prepares to return to Prehistoric Australia on last time.
"I'm bringing back a Kangaroo this time, Bob," Nigel informed Bob.
"Enjoy yourself, Nigel." He replied.
Nigel started up the jeep, pressed his foot onto the accelerator and drove through the Time Portal; He emerged into a large field. There was a small watering hole in the distance and a Thylacoleo was drinking from it; littered around the field were several different species of giant Kangaroo.
"I've come back in time to a period several months later, during the dry season, when Thylacoleo struggled to find food and when giant Kangaroos thrived on the shrubbery. Sthenurus is fast enough to out jump a Thylacoleo without any trouble, though occasionally the Thylacoleo will win."
Nigel watched as the Thylacoleo attempted to charge at one of the Sthenurus; the Kangaroo merely hopped away. Nigel readied the Time Portal and knew that if he was going to catch a Sthenurus he would have to act fast. The Thylacoleo, he could see, was waiting for the Sthenurus to move, or at least, he thought it was.
To his surprise, the Thylacoleo moved into the forest nearby; there was the sound of growling and several creatures, a large grey kangaroo, callled Simosthenurus, which weighed over 118 kilograms, emerged from the forst as did a Protemnodon, which was physically similar to wallabies, but was far larger, weighing in at over 100 kilograms, compared to the small 45 kilograms of a modern day wallaby.
A Phascolonus, a large grey wombat weighing 200 kilograms, burst through the forest after them and a brown kangaroo, called Procoptodon, which was 2 metres tall and weighed about 230 kilograms hopped after it.
"This could be my chance." Nigel began, to the camera "I could get several species of kangaroo, another species of wombat and another Thylacoleo back to Prehistoric Park."
He reached over and pulled off a branch full of leaves; waving it in front of the Sthenurus he enticed it into moving. The movement caused the Thylacoleo to charge; the other animals began to panic and thundered in Nigel's direction. The Time Portal, which had been set up, but not activated, flickered into life. The Sthenurus passed through it. The Simosthenurus and Protemnodon had to be enticed into the portal with the large branch, but they too passed through;Nigel had barely moved the branch out of the way when the Phascolonus ran through the portal and the Procoptodon followed. The Thylacoleo, realising its prey was gone, stopped. But then it noticed Nigel.
Nigel is going to have to move fast if he does not want to become lunch for the Thylacoleo.
Nigel climbed into the jeep and started it. He reversed the jeep, swung the wheel around and slammed his foot onto the accelerator; the jeep drove forward and passed through the Time Portal. The Thylacoleo ran after him and the portal flickered closed behind him. Nigel swirved the jeep around Bob and the Thylacoleo leaped over Bob, it's attention firmly on Nigel.
Nigel swirved the jeep left so that it drove into one of the side panels.
"Open the Thylacoleo holding pen!" He called; the gate swung open as the large gate closed behind the Thylacoleo, preventing it from going anywhere but into the holding pen, which, after a few growls, it did.
"You said you were returning with one, possibly two kangaroos, Nigel." Bob informed him as Nigel looked down into the holding pen where the two Thylacoleos were growling gently at each other "I never expected you to come back with four kangaroos, another wombat and another one of those carnivorous things!"
"Things seemed to go well for me today," Nigel began "I'll try not to bring back as many creatures next time, don't worry. I think I already know my next target, but I'm going to have a look in my book to see if anything else takes my fancy too."
"Suzanne," Bob began "Can you check all of these over?"
"Sure." She replied; then, she turned to Nigel "Nigel, the elder Diprotodon that we brought back should make a full recovery; he can be released into the exhibit with the others; there's no bone injury and I've stitched up the wound. Once the wound is healed, the stitches will fall out, I'll collect them and the Diprotodons can go about living their new lives."
"Good." Nigel replied "I was afraid we might lose the Diprotodon for a moment when we were in the past."
Prehistoric Park has received a lot of new inhabitants due to Nigel's most recent adventure, and for once, everything is peaceful. For now.
"Everyone has settled in well to life in the twenty first century." Nigel informed the camera as he sat in his office "The Diprotodons have settled into Diprotodon Plains, the Thylacoleo have settled into their new home at Thylacoleo Caves and even the Wonambi are happy; they're in one of the large glass cages in the walkthrough reptile house. All the kangaroo species have settled into their exhibit too."
He got up and looked over the balcony; below him the park stretched outward with Mammoth Mount at the very end and the Microraptor Fortress underneath his office. His dream of creating a park full of Prehistoric Animals was well underway, but was nowhere near finished.
On his next adventure, Nigel goes back four million years to the Pliocene to rescue one of the most carnivorous sharks ever. Meanwhile, breeding season hits Prehistoric Park and some of the residents become a little tense.
Creatures caught this chapter:
2 Wonambi barriei: 1 Male, 1 Female
23 Diprotodons: 12 Male, 11 Female
2 Thylacoleo: 1 Male, 1 Female
1 Sthenurus: 1 Female
1 Simosthenurus: 1 Female
1 Protemnodon: 1 Female
1 Phascolonus: 1 Female
1 Procoptodon: 1 Female
To Be Continued