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.

40. Scapherpeton

Scapherpeton

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Amphibia

Order: Urodela

Family: Scapherpetontidae

Genus: Scapherpeton

Type Species: Scapherpeton tectum

Described by Edward Drinker Cope, 1876.

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

Park Diet: Crickets, mealworms, waxworms, bloodworms,

Natural Diet: Insects, mollusks, and other invertebrates

Lifespan: 10 years

Habitat: Rivers, Streams, Waterways, Ponds, Lakes, Creeks, Floodplains, Swamps, Estuaries, and Coastal Shores.

Native Ecosystem: Western North America, on what was then an island continent known as Laramidia. Hell Creek Formation, Laramie Formation, Fox Hills Beds, Judith River Formation, USA,, 83.6-61.7 Million Years Ago, Maastrichtian Stage, Late Cretaceous-Paleocene.

Breeding Season: August-November

Eggs Laid: 50-100 eggs

Hatching Time: Three-Six Weeks.

Danger Level: 1 out of 10.

Summary: A variety of salamanders are present in Hell Creek, some of which are tiny and others quite large. Scapherpeton is the most common salamander in the area as well as one of the largest. This relative of modern mudpuppies and olms can reach over a meter in total length. Although this long bodied salamander is adapted for aquatic habits, it is not a swimmer. Possessing relatively long, robust limbs it instead inhabits damp terrestrial habits such as stream-sides and swamps, acting more like a lizard than a typical salamander.

Description: They are salamanders with long tails resembling fire salamanders, only much longer.

Adults are covered with brown smooth skin with dark brown blotchy spots over their bodies and white underbelly.

The Larvae are bronze yellow with black spots.

Females are much longer and larger compared to the males.

Diet: It lived close to streams and rivers, but it was not a swimmer. Instead it crawled on land, like a lizard. They feed on insects and other invertebrates in fallen logs, rocks, and the leaf litter. They would feed on mollusks on the banks and edges of streams and rivers. They normally come out at night when it's cooler and hide in logs and rocks where it's moist for the amphibians. They are quite big eaters during feeding time.

Reproduction: Like all amphibians, salamanders would congregate in creeks and ponds to mate. The males join females in sheltered areas under rocks or logs in shallow water during the fall. The Scapherpeton Males would swim and crawl around the females and eventually deposit a small plug of sperm on the substrate. Females pick up the sperm plug and store it inside themselves until it is used to fertilize their eggs in the spring.

Interactions with other species: These amphibians do face predation when predators dig through the leaf litter and fallen logs including land Pectinodon, Dromaeosaurus, Acheroraptor, Anzu, Trierarchuncus, Dinilysia, and juvenile T. Rex, and in the rivers and streams they face semi-aquatic predators from fish, Didelphodon, and hatchling Borealosuchus, Thoracosaurus, Champsosaurus, Brachychampsa, and Axestemys.

Since these salamanders live on land, they avoid competition over food resources with Palaeobatrachus which lives entirely in water..

Extinction: Because of their lifestyle living on land, staying hidden under sheltered areas like logs and going without periods without eating, make survivors of the Cretaceous Mass Extinction.

Danger Tip: They're not dangerous, but it's best to wash your hands after touching them as they could carry parasites and diseases. Also humans can spread disease and parasites to the amphibians too as they have sensitive absorbable skin and gloves are recommended to wear.

Significant Events: On the Team's Final Day of their First Rescue Mission, the team comes upon a group of Scapherpetons resting on a log alongside other amphibians and fish. They were captured in nets to be transported to the Park. They now reside in the Hell Creek Forest Building.

Hell Creek Forest Building Terrariums: The Scapherpetons live in one of three terrarium tanks for the three Hell Creek Amphibians. The Palaeobatrachus tank has a land section for them to rest on alongside a leaf litter, wooden sticks, and parts of a rotten log. You can see the salamanders resting under the log close to the glass viewing panel.

Notable Individuals:

Newter: A male Scapherpeton, he has formed a bond with Patrick.

Conclusion: The Scapherpeton may not be as appealing compared to the large dinosaurs of Hell Creek. Their presence shows how small animals were quite diverse during the age of Dinosaurs.

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.

Negative, hateful, and spam comments are not allowed and will be reported, this is WildExpert24 signing off.