The Prehistoric Park Animal Field Guide Volume 1

by WildExpert24

As a Prehistoric Park employee, you get the privilege to work with the likes of previously extinct animals. However, if you want to survive longer than five minutes, then you need to have knowledge of its inhabitants. From the world of Cartoon's Prehistoric Park, this Guide will give you info on behavior, diet, lifespan, and more. Welcome to the Ultimate Prehistoric Guidebook.

33. Borealosuchus

Borealosuchus

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Clade: Pseudosuchia

Clade: Crocodylomorpha

Clade: Eusuchia

Genus: Borealosuchus

Type Species: Borealosuchus sternbergii meaning "Boreal Crocodile."

Described by Christopher Brochu, 1997

Species:

-Borealosuchus sternbergii (Gilmore, 1910 [originally Leidyosuchus sternbergii]) (type)

-Borealosuchus acutidentatus (Sternberg, 1932 [originally Leidyosuchus acutidentatus])

-Borealosuchus formidabilis (Erickson, 1976 [originally Leidyosuchus formidabilis])

-Borealosuchus griffithi Wu, Brinkman, and Fox, 2001

-Borealosuchus threeensis Brochu et al., 2012

-Borealosuchus wilsoni (Mook, 1959 [originally Leidyosuchus wilsoni])

Current Park Population: (13; all adults; 6 male, 7 female)

Park Diet: Fish, thawed mice and rats, and pre-killed chicken and parts of pigs and sheep.

Natural Diet: Fish and small reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, young, and baby dinosaurs.

Lifespan: 60 years

Habitat: Wetlands, Swamps, rivers, streams, and ponds.

Native Ecosystem: North America, Laramadia, Hell Creek Formation, Formation, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Wannagan Creek site, Canada, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming. Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian to Eocene, 70.6-47.8 Million Years Ago.

Breeding Season: May-August

Gestation Period: Five-Six Weeks

Eggs Laid: 30-50 eggs

Hatching Time: Four-Five Weeks

Danger Level: 5 out of 10.

Summary: Crocodilians are some of the most common and important members of the Hell Creek ecosystem and in almost every Mesozoic ecosystem and Borealosuchus is the most abundant of them all. This animal lives much like the crocodiles of today, lurking below the surface of swamps and rivers, waiting to ambush prey that ventures too close to the water's edge.

Description: Borealosuchus resemble Nile Crocodiles covered with gray scales, a white underbelly, and black stripe and blotch spot markings over its body.

Hatchlings are covered with black stripes and blotch spots and light-colored gray scales.

Size: Borealosuchus was a mid-sized crocodyliform, with Borealosuchus wilsoni measuring approximately 3.2–4.5 meters (10–15 ft) long. Borealosuchus sternbergii measures approximately 2.8–3.5 meters (9.2–11.5 feet) in length and weighs 200-180 kilograms (440.9-396 lbs).

Taxonomy: It was named by Christopher Brochu in 1997 for several species that had been assigned to Leidyosuchus. Six species of Borealosuchus are currently recognized. In order of their naming, they are B. sternbergii, B. acutidentatus, B. wilsoni, B. formidabilis, B. griffithi, and B. threeensis. Four of these species (B. sternbergi, B. acutidentatus, B. wilsoni, and B. formidabilis) were initially named as species of Leidyosuchus.

A sixth species of Borealosuchus, B. threeensis, was named in 2012. Fossils of this species were found in the Inversand Company Marl Pit of Gloucester County, New Jersey. The specific name refers to Exit 3 of the New Jersey Turnpike, which is the closest highway exit to the type locality. The paper's authors describing B. threeensis noted that the name is "in reference to a question every New Jersey resident encounters when traveling: 'Oh, you're from New Jersey? Which exit?'".

Classification: Although some earlier phylogenetic studies proposed Borealosuchus to be a member of Crocodylia, recent studies are now recovering Borealosuchus as a basal eusuchian not belonging to Crocodylia. Borealosuchus also would probably have more primitive crocodilian features and less advanced ones, which lead some to consider it as a basal crocodilian, however, recent studies seem to suggest that Borealosuchus was a stem-crocodilian instead.

Paleobiology:

Social Behavior: They are mostly solitary and sometimes aggregate in floats to bask or breed.

Diet: Borealosuchus preyed on fish in the waterways and any small animal or young dinosaur that came to the shore to drink or swim.

Interactions with other species: They are normally ignored by the large dinosaurs often getting out of their way, but could occasionally prey on small dinosaurs, Thescelosaurus, Leptoceratops, Trierarchuncus, Acheroraptor, Pectinodon, the pterosaur, Quetzalcoatlus lawsonii, and young dinosaurs from Pachycephalosaurus, Ornithomimus, Triceratops, Torosaurus, Edmontosaurus, Alamosaurus, Anzu, Ankylosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus. They occasionally prey on small animals like Dinilysia and Didelphodon but would have to be constantly on guard due to predators that could easily injure or kill them.

The large adult herbivores would stomp and chase off the Crocodilian if it grabs their head by mistake. Groups of Dromaeosaurus, Pectinodon, Acheroraptor, and Quetzalcoatlus would mob the Crocodilian, and occasionally T. Rex would prey on the Crocodilian if given the chance.

Borealosuchus lived alongside other crocodilians like Thoracosaurus and the crocodile-like choristodere, Champsosaurus, they normally ignore one another as they have different niches and lifestyles, and they can compete over nesting sites.

Extinction: Just like the Thoracosaurus and Champsosaurus, Borealosuchus is an ancient species that is close to the ancestor of all modern crocodilians, and its genus survived long after the extinction that ended the age of dinosaurs."

Danger Tip: Like all Crocodiles, Borealosuchus should be avoided as if they get close to the water and they are attracted to splashing they will grab you and drag you into the depths. To get out, punch it in the nostrils which it's most sensitive to and it will let go.

Significant Events: The Team encounters a float of Borealosuchus alongside floats of Thoracosaurus and Champsosaurus on the third day of the First mission, in the slow-moving river alongside other crocodilians and reptiles. A group consisting of Lynn, May, Muscleman, Charlie, Jake, Finn, Skips, and Mordecai used canned fish for bait while splashing the water with sticks and getting the Thoracosaurus, Champsosaurus, and Champsosaurus charging through the portal to the park. They now reside in the Hell Creek Forest Building.

Hell Creek Forest Building Crocodile Pit: It is a large pit in the very center of the building and has a bridge built over it for staff and future guests and there are glass underwater viewing windows. Within it was a large lake divided into four portions for the four rescued crocodilian floats of crocodilian. Champsosaurus live in a paddock that is a swamp to replicate the environment they live in with a sandy bank for them to bask and lay their eggs.

Conclusion: Borealosuchus helps us understand Crocodile evolution and how Mesozoic Ecosystems aren't just restricted to dinosaurs. Borealosuchus is another crocodilian addition to Prehistoric Park.

The Field Guide might take a long time, like structuring and writing descriptions of the creatures, but also my time in college and spending time with my family. So you can suggest additional information quotes, descriptions, and natural or speculative behaviors for the prehistoric animals that I can edit and you send your suggestions either in reviews or Private Messages.

Examples: Inferring what the toons are doodling on the sketches or snarking quotes.

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