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 know 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.

23. Trierarchuncus

Trierarchuncus

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Clade: Dinosauria

Clade: Saurischia

Clade: Theropoda

Family: Alvarezsauridae

Subfamily: Parvicursorinae

Genus: Trierarchuncus

Type Species: Trierarchuncus prairiensis meaning "Captain Hook of the Prairie"

Described by Denver Fowler and colleagues, 2020

Current Park Population: (20: all adults; 10 male, 10 female)

Park Diet: Mealworms, boiled eggs, crickets, insectivore meal, insectivore kibble, and thawed mice.

Natural Diet: Termites, insects, scraps of meat, eggs, small reptiles and mammals.

Lifespan: 18 years

Habitat: Open Subtropical Forest and Swamp floodplains.

Native Ecosystem: Western North America, on what was then an island continent known as Laramidia. Hell Creek Formation, Montana, USA, 66.2-66 Million Years Ago, Maastrichtian Stage.

Breeding Season: April-July

Gestation Period: One to Two months

Eggs Laid: eight to twelve eggs

Hatching Time: One to three weeks

Danger Level: 1 out of 10.

Summary: During our missions, we will encounter extinct species recognized and familiar to us and the public. Icons like Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Pachycephalosaurus, Edmontosaurus, Ornithomimus, Alamosaurus, and Ankylosaurus most of them have been described and named dating back to the early years of dinosaur paleontology dating back from the late 1800s to the 1900s. But there are cases when we encounter species that are obscured or lesser known in the public eye, some of these species are based on undescribed fossil remains, speculative species not found in the fossil record, and species that have just been recently described and given a proper name in recent years, the Trierarchuncus is an example. This small dinosaur belongs to a family known as alvarezsaurs, they can be found across South America, North America, and Asia known for their vestigial arms and big robust thumb claws. Trierarchunus is the youngest known alvarezsaurid and one of the last non-avian dinosaurs, going extinct during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, which occurred approximately 66 million years ago.

Discovery and Naming: The first remains were discovered in Montana in 1980 and it was informally known as the "Hell Creek alvarezsaur". The then-unnamed species was not mentioned again until it was mentioned briefly in the 2018 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology abstract book. The species and genus were scientifically described by Denver Fowler and colleagues in 2020 based on three claw phalanges from MD-I-2, including the holotype MOR 6622, the distal end of a radius, and fragmentary metatarsal.

The first part of the generic name, Trierarch, means "triarch" (the title of captain of the trireme in classical Greece), while the second, uncus, is translated from Latin as "hook"; it can thus be translated as "captain hook", although its describers do not explicitly make the connection with the Peter Pan character. The specific name means "from the prairie" and refers to the plains of eastern Montana where the remains were discovered.

"One of the scientists wanted to call it Montananykus back when it didn't have a name, but we told everyone that it has been given a proper name much to the other scientist's disappointment." - Tucker Foley

Description: Trierarchuncus was described by Fowler based on several differences, especially on the three phalanges, the radius, and the metatarsals. Trierarchuncus is known for its arms, feet, and toes. Like its relatives, Trierarchuncus would have been feathered, with short arms bearing one clawed digit while the two smaller arms hidden by the wing, a bird-like head, and long legs.

Adults are covered with dark gray-brown feathers which were spotted black and white, the tail was long and black feather tipped same with the wings, there were black horizontal stripes on the side and two on the legs before degrading into black spots, the pale yellow belly and throat were also black spotted, the bare scale feet and snout were dark gray, they had a light brown collar, a brown nape neck, the face was masked with a black stripe running from the snout down to the neck bordered by two white stripes, the lower jaw, and upper throat are black, and whiskers around the base of their snouts.

Adult males have larger feathered black crests that are stiff spatula-like on their heads that the females lack.

Chicks are identical to the females but are covered in tannish brown downy fluff.

Size: Trierarchuncus is estimated to be around 54 centimeters (21 in) tall and 140-150 centimeters (55-59 inches) in length when fully grown

Paleobiology

Social Behavior: Trierarchuncus were mostly solitary individuals sometimes gathering in groups when food is abundant. They are active during the day and night due to their large eyes to see at night.

Diet: Trierarchuncus and alvarezsaurs were the anteaters of the dinosaurs, based on close relatives, Trierarchuncus had a long tongue due to its hyoid bone to slurp up termites and insects from mounds and fallen logs. They use their thumb claws to dig through the nests and logs along with eggs of other dinosaurs if given the chance. They would also chase small animals like lizards and mammals and due to their disc-like faces they have a great sense of hearing to find prey under the logs and mounds

Paleoecology: Trierarchuncus represents one of the few known alvarezsaurids from North America. At 66 million years old, it is the youngest known alvarezsaurid and is one of the youngest non-avian dinosaurs in general, like its contemporaries Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops. Additionally, another Hell Creek alvarezsaurid, called "Ornithomimus" minutus, is known, but Fowler et al. did not refer it to as Trierarchuncus.

Interactions with other species: Trierarchuncus would sometimes feed on the eggs of other dinosaurs from the herbivores as long as they aren't caught. They would snatch insects disturbed by the feet of large herbivores like Edmontosaurus, Ornithomimus, Torosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Triceratops, Thescelosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, and possibly Alamosaurus.

A breakthrough observation was the symbiosis relationship Trierarchuncus has with Tyrannosaurus Rex. Trierarchuncus often hangs out near Tyrannosaurs as they provide a service by cleaning the T. Rex's teeth by feasting on bits of meat scraps stuck between the teeth for protein supplements like how some birds and fish are cleaning the teeth of carnivores like sharks and crocodiles and it seems Avisaurus would do the same behavior pecking insects and parasites off the T. Rex and even licking blood off their wounds.

Tyrannosaurs often ignore them and these alvarezsaurs would follow tyrannosaurs to their kills feeding on small scraps of meat and bugs attracted to the tyrannosaurs and the kill feeding on dermestid beetles and flies both adults and maggots. They would even rest on top of the nest and alert the T. Rex parents of egg thieves and the chicks often love to chase them about as a form of play. Trierarchuncus would even use abandoned T. Rex's nests to lay their eggs in.

Extinction: Unfortunately, like the larger dinosaurs like Edmontosaurus, Ornithomimus, Torosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Triceratops, Thescelosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Alamosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus, Trierarchuncus wasn't safe from extinction. The Mass-extinction event even wiped out most of the invertebrates which they feed on and they succumb to extinction

Danger Tip: Trierarchuncus is normally harmless preferring to flee from danger and if picked up you have to be careful with those claws, kicking legs, and pecks.

Significant Events: A flock was encountered on the Rescue team's third day on their first mission while tracking an injured adult female Tyrannosaurus who is resting in a clearing when the team encountered the Trierarchuncus. It is where they see the behavior of a Trierarchuncus individual feeding on the scraps of meat between the teeth of the female Tyrannosaurus. Lana Loud lured the flock with mealworms to the portal to the park. They now reside in the Hell Creek Herbivore Building Paddock.

Hell Creek Building Paddocks: The Trierarchuncus lived in one of the outdoor paddocks alongside Thescelosaurus in another paddock of the Hell Creek Building which has minimal barriers separating the animals and any humans, staff, or otherwise, that would later visit the building. It has dense bushes, ferns, and small trees with a few large ones. Fallen logs and sticks litter the enclosure space to replicate the feeding behavior. They normally come out in the mornings, evenings, and times when the temperature is cooler as they are mostly hiding. There are plans to have a small door to allow them to enter the Tyrannosaurus paddock to interact with them to showcase the symbiosis relationship.

Conclusion: Trierarchuncus is an interesting dinosaur that's just been named and now many discoveries have been made of this small dinosaur. We hope to learn more about Trierarchuncus as time goes by and they will make great additions to Paleo 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.

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