There is something missing from this world. The amazing creatures that time has left behind. But what if we could 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 wildlife adventurer Nigel Marvin plunges into prehistory 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 travels back two hundred and sixty million years ago to Prehistoric South Africa, to rescue a crowning specimen of mammal relatives time forgot.
Welcome to the ultimate wildlife sanctuary.
Welcome, to Prehistoric Kingdom!
XxXxX
Phase two of Prehistoric Kingdom has already been a smashing success – from a pack of Carnotaurus to herds of Paraceratherium, the new residents are thriving in the present. Now, however, Nigel wants to set his sights on an older target – and one that even history seems to have forgotten.
Sitting at his desk, Nigel was once again looking over images of extinct animals. This time, the targets were reptilian in appearance, but with sloping backs like giraffes. Many had pronounced ridges on their skulls, with one even having what looked like strange horns.
"These creatures may look like earlier dinosaurs, or on the line to crocodiles, but they're actually closer to us than the archosaurs. They're called Dinocephalians – the terrible heads, after the various facial structures they had, though I don't think there's anything terrible about them. When these animals were alive, they ruled the Earth, but with one exception, they've become a forgotten chapter in the story of life. Not here, though – I would love having herds and packs of these creatures living at Prehistoric Kingdom."
XxXxX
Nigel's aiming for smaller fare compared to his previous missions, but these synapsids were the largest animals of their time. As with every animal the park has rescued, caring for them will present a variety of challenges.
But that's the way things are at the park, and none of the keepers would change it for the world.
Though having so many residents did make memorizing all of their needs problematic…
XxXxX
"Do we really need to work on snow?"
"Yes," said another keeper. "Despite what people think, we have evidence that this part of the Permian period occasional had periods of snow. So we need to make sure our exhibits can accommodate for those who want snow, despite coming from a time most people think as being warm and dry."
"If you say so, Marvin."
"Thank you, Marge."
The duo had been walking over a sand dune for the last ten minutes, occasionally stopping to observe the nearby flora.
The dinocephalian exhibits had been designed to encompass a variety of environments, from swamps to desert, and even snowy taiga – the Middle Permian had seen significant variations in seasonal weather, which would ultimately give rise to the dryness of the Late Permian, acting as a herald of the Great Dying that was to come. The variation in biomes, naturally, resulted in great variation among the animals living in them, and the park's exhibits were built to accommodate those variations.
Hopefully, they were at least adequate.
XxXxX
To rescue the last of the dinocephalians, Nigel will need to travel back two hundred and sixty million years ago, to what is now South Africa. Home to a treasure trove of fossils spanning from the Permian to the Early Jurassic, it tells a continuous tale of life from the zenith of stem-mammal diversity all the way to the dawn of the Age of the Dinosaurs. Nigel has no doubt he'll find several dinocephalians here, but those aren't the only animals he has to worry about!
XxXxX
Beaufort Group, South Africa. 260 Million Years Ago
The striped slope-back stood stalwart, eyes focused on the creature in front of it. Said animal was another slope back, but far different from the striped ones. It too had stripes on its back, but they were red, as was the slope-back's face. Its tail was also longer than the striped slope-backs, an adaptation for better turning speed. In fact, its entire body was bigger than those of the slope backs watching the red-striped intruder. It also had a much more knobby face than those watching it. Yet despite all these oddities, none of them set off the creatures watching their distant red-striped cousins more than a look at its jaws. More specifically, a look at its teeth.
Sharp, pointy teeth.
This slope back was a predator. And the smaller striped kin that were watching it? They were prey.
But predator and prey were not stupid – both realized that the hunter would only attack if it had the chance to take its quarry by surprise. And unfortunately for the hunter, it had been spotted too early. Now, its prey had a chance to escape, or worse still, fight back. Already, five pairs of eyes were upon it, and more would soon join.
Recognizing that it was beaten, the knob-face turned its attention away from the stripe backs, instead focusing on the nearby lake. Perhaps after it had quenched its thirst, the predator could attempt another hunt. Or maybe it would try its luck with the other slope-backs near the water, as some were smaller than the striped ones and therefore easier targets.
The stripe backs waited until they were certain the knob-face was drinking before dispersing.
They had been lucky – separated from their main herd, the stripe backs had been forced to be far more observant for dangers. They had less numbers to use for intimidation, making it necessary to catch any threats before they could get too close. Eventually, their herd would reach this location, as it was part of their annual migration route, but until then, vigilance would be their savior. Vigilance and standing together.
Of course, that only worked if you faced a threat that could be intimidated by numbers.
If it was something else, like, say, a strange creature bigger than any the stripe-backs had ever seen before, which suddenly appeared from an unnatural rift of light, well, there was only one solution that entered the stripe-backs' animal brains.
Run!
XxXxX
Nigel had been expecting many things when he had driven through the portal. Ending up in the middle of a herd of dinocephalians was not one of them.
Unsurprisingly, his first reaction to seeing that he was among those stem-mammals was to cry out, which was soon followed by the honking of his horn. Within moments the creatures scattered, giving Nigel more room to maneuver. He managed to maneuver around the herd he had surprised, as well as several other animals that had been in the area, now panicking at the sight of a creature that was literally from beyond their world.
Glancing back to his two passengers, Nigel couldn't help smiling. "Just like the time I went back to rescue Smilodon."
Tristan just smiled back, while Michelle…was busy holding onto her seat for dear life.
Eventually, Nigel maneuvered far enough away from the panicking animals to come to a stop, allowing him a chance to examine the retreating creatures…and for Michelle to empty out her lunch.
"Now aren't these creatures beautiful – these sloped-backed creatures are dinocephalians no doubt, but I'm surprised at how many there are. The ones we accidentally charged through, I've no doubts – they're Moschops. They're one of the two dinocephalians that are known outside of academics – it's been in a few video games, which has helped with its popularity. The other would be Estemmenosuchus, but that genus is from Russia, so we won't be seeing it here. As for the other ones, let's see…"
Nigel's attention first fell upon a group of dome-headed dinocephalians, whose bodies were grey colored, but with blue domes and blue spots on their backs. "I think those dome-headed ones are Tapinocephalus. They're one of the most common animals here, and in fact the namesake of the land we're now standing on – scientists will one day call this part of South Africa the Karoo Basin, while this specific area will be named the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone."
Turning his attention toward another stem-mammal, this one mostly grey with yellow growths on the sides of its face, Nigel put his analysis skills back to work. "There's a third herbivore here as well – most likely Styracocephalus. Dinocephalians are at their peak here, and there's a spectacular variety of forms in this part of South Africa alone. As for all those different head shapes, well, paleontologists have long suspected that dinocephalians used headbutting as their primary form of intraspecific combat – that is, fighting amongst their own kind. Hopefully, we'll get the chance to see if they're right."
Nigel shifted his attention to another of the terrible heads, this one with a grey-black body, red stripes on its back, and a red, knobby face. "As for this one, let me see-wait…wait…it can't be…"
It seems Nigel has found a particularly interesting animal.
XxXxX
Back at the park, the training of the new hires continues. Two in particular are facing .
"Oi," said Bob, "put your backs into it!"
One of the maintenance workers watched, nonplussed, as the two girls struggled to set the log replica in place. They had been moved over to carpentry training, as extra help was needed setting up larger enrichment items for the park's larger residents, but right now, said training was beating them badly.
The technician turned toward one of the other keepers watching the training. "One of those girls is your daughter, right?"
"Cady, and yes, that's her. I believe the other girl is named Suzume."
"Mr. Ichirou's daughter?"
"That's her."
"Oh. So, which resident is this for, anyway? The saber teeth?"
"No, the girls finished that one already. This one will be a spare for the animals being rescued today."
The technician glanced back at the girls, who had finally managed to get the replica standing properly. Now they were meticulously adding in extra fake rocks to make the prop look more natural, hoping to avoid putting off the terrible heads that would constantly interact with it.
They were doing…passably. But that was a heavy piece.
XxXxX
Back in the past, Nigel was still looking over the red striped dinocephalian.
"I didn't think we'd see this one so early," said Nigel as he flipped through a set of notes he had on dinocephalians, stopping only when he found a page describing a particularly large species. "I had to look it over a few times, but I have no doubt no – this is an Anteosaurus magnificus. This creature is the largest carnivorous non-mammalian synapsid to have ever existed. Not even the gorgonopsids will get at big as this creature. This creature stands at the apex of the local food web – no predator will attack a grown Anteosaurus except either a very lucky temnospondylid or another of its own kind. This is the T. rex of its day."
And said apex predator was on the hunt – after being forced to abandon hunting the Moschops, it had turned its attention to Tapinocephalus. It already had a target in mind – an old individual that had isolated itself from the rest of the herd. A female, this one had mothered many clutches, but now found itself on death's door from a combination of age and sickness – a sinus infection had ravaged her respiratory system, leaving her to grow weaker with each passing day. The time for recovery had long past, and now all that remained was the dying.
This did not go unnoticed by Nigel. "It looks like that Anteosaurus has its eyes set on an old Tapinocephalus. This one looks very sick, as well, which makes it a more appetizing target – carnivores prefer to attack weaker individuals so that they can lessen the risk of injury, which would make future hunts more difficult. Poor creature doesn't seem to know it's in danger."
Indeed, the sick Tapinocephalus had yet to notice the approaching Anteosaurus, instead focusing on a patch of ferns. The carnivore used this to its advantage, maneuvering itself behind the few large rocks in the area, which provided the hunter with the only cover it could use here. Advancing ever closer, the anteosaur was waiting for the perfect opening to strike.
"It must almost be in position to attack – large carnivores usually rely on ambush to hunt prey, even if they are fast runners. Getting as close as possible makes it easier to overtake faster prey."
This wasn't as much of a concern to the hungry anteosaur, seeing how its prey was nearing her last legs, but it still helped.
Eventually, an opening came, and the red striped carnivore took it. With barely a sound, the anteosaur charged reaching her target in seconds. The Tapinocephalus, reacting in a split second, tried to strike the carnivore with its forelimb, but the blow was off and did nothing to save the sick herbivore, which swiftly knocked over its quarry and wrapped its jaws around her throat.
A minute passed before the last of the fight left the dome head, and the anteosaur started to dig in. But it would not be able to enjoy its kill for long.
The calm after the kill was interrupted by a bark of all things. Instantly, the Anteosaurus was on the alert, and for good reason – emerging from a small set of bushes were a trio of small, fuzzy carnivores. Immediately, the dinocephalian was on the defensive, hissing and snapping at them, aiming to repel the small hunters. Much to her shock, though, one of the trio ran up and tore a chunk off of the carcass, then retreated just slightly faster than she could react. As soon as it was back with its comrades, the carnivore started digging into the hunk of flesh.
Watching this all from a distance, Nigel couldn't help noticing how, among other things, this creature has small but noticeable saber teeth.
"What a pleasant surprise. Those might look like mammals, but they won't appear until the same time as the dinosaurs. Their teeth give them away – these are gorgonopsids, the world's first saber teeth. There's only one genus known from the region, Eriphostoma. Compared to the better known members of their family, these hunters are tiny, but they're already on their way to taking the anteosaurs' crown."
How easily the Anteosaurus intimidated them, however, showed that the current ruling carnivores were not inclined to give up said crown so easily.
"Of course, with how small they are now, taking on big prey, even if in packs, is almost an impossibility."
That the trio were swift to snarl at each other if one got too close to the others only highlighted this point.
Said squabbling did give Nigel an idea, though.
"I might have a chance to rescue two animals for the price of one here – when I was searching for a terror bird in South America, I was able to bait it through the portal using a piece of meat towed by my jeep. It'll be more difficult here, but fortunately, I have extra help."
Instantly, Nigel's eyes fell on his two younger hires, both of whom had a perplexed look on their faces.
XxXxX
"You ready for this?" asked Tristan.
"Of course. Though having a clear shot helps."
Tristan rolled his eyes, then gestured to Nigel to begin the plan. A moment later, the sound of a bicycle horn filled the air. Instantly, all eyes were on Nigel, with the Anteosaurus in particular seeming uncomfortable at the noise. When the horn was honked yet again, the predator took a moment to hiss at the time traveler. The third time, she decided that the strange-looking biped had overstayed his welcome and ran after him, leaving her kill unattended.
That was Michelle's cue.
"You sure you want to be the one to do this?"
Michelle glanced at her ex. "Which of us has the better aim?"
"…Carry on."
Grinning, Michelle threw the lasso forward, ensnaring the carcass' neck in one throw – while the carnivore had gone for the throat, the injuries inflicted weren't enough to make decapitation a risk. As soon as the loop tightened, Tristan made sure that the other end of the rope was secure, then started Nigel's jeep. He pulled away just as Nigel and Michelle boarded the vehicle, taking humans and corpse with it. The Anteosaurus took a minute to stare at the retreating automobile in confusion before realizing that it was stealing her meal, after which she gave chase. Joining her were the small gorgonopsids, as they had no intention of losing their meal.
All in all, it took only five minutes to rescue the four carnivores.
XxXxX
Bob watched as the giant dinocephalian tore into the carcass, wolfing down as much flesh as it could. In a separate pen, the three smaller carnivores were feeding on a goat carcass, occasionally snapping at each other when one took a morsel another wanted. It was almost intimating, except all three were small enough that a large dog could probably beat them up in a fight. Somehow, this made Bob find them cute.
"You know, when you said you might rescue saber teeth in this mission, I thought they'd be bigger – maybe the size of a wolf."
"Sorry, mate," answered Nigel, "but they're just starting out."
"I'm not complaining – these three should be easier to manage."
They certainly would be, compared to the giant dinocephalian. At least Michelle and Tristan were taking notes.
XxXxX
While Nigel may have rescued one dinocephalian, there are many more still left in the past. And besides, leaving the one he did rescue without a mate only ensures that when she dies, the species will once again become extinct. Thus, it isn't long before his team is back in the past.
Five hours have passed since he left, and the change in time is obvious – the sun has begun its descent toward the horizon, with shadow now growing longer instead of shrinking. The very animals that had been feeding earlier now sought shelter from the heat, with some immersing themselves in the water while others used foliage for cover.
Motion from a seemingly bare patch of earth, however, brought the team's attention to a different group of animals that had their own strategy for escaping the heat. These were tiny, tusked and beaked herbivores, with tan bodies, dark heads, and striped backs. They seemed small and unassuming, but all who stared at the creatures knew exactly what they were.
"…Diictodon."
Tristan flashed his ex a smile, while Nigel nodded. "Yes, that's them. These have only just evolved, but already, you can see the line they will lead to. These are dicynodonts, just like the Placerias at the park. It won't be until the Late Permian that they will become larger and more widespread, but from these humble beginnings came one of the most successful genera to ever live – Lystrosaurus. Even after Lystrosaurus passed, dicynodonts were incredibly successful – an elephant size species from Germany made it all the way to the end of the Triassic, becoming the largest synapsid to ever live until the Age of Mammals."
A dozen Diictodon could be seen moving between a set of burrows and several ferns, trying to eat as much as possible. One animal would act as a sentry, searching for danger, while the others gorged themselves. Such a guard was needed – many smaller predators were already up and about, including what looked like ancient monitor lizards, though these hunters were closer to the dicynodonts than true reptiles.
Fortunately, the group often clung together, giving Nigel an opening to use his net gun if he could get them to stand still. An opening that was easier to acquire if they froze up when a predator got too close.
And too close indeed did one of the monitor-lizard lookalikes get.
XxXxX
Hidden in a tree, the hunter had been watching the group, waiting for an opening to strike. The presence of the humans had given it a chance to sneak in when the dicynodont's sentry had noticed the strange bipeds, which it had taken advantage of to slowly crawl down the tree until it was within striking distance. It was only then that the sentry noticed, but that was too late – at this distance, the tiny herbivores would not be able to reach their burrows before it was upon them. Now was the time to strike.
The first implication the carnivore got that its hunt would go wrong was when a strange mass of plant fiber fell on the gathered dicynodonts.
The second was when one of the bipeds put a snake-catching around its neck.
One struggle later, and it was in a large cage, with a frozen rat next to it. At least the strange synapsid carcass tasted good.
XxXxX
The Present
Miles checked one last time to be sure that he had the right building, then knocked on the door.
Said door creaked open, revealing a brown-haired girl looking over a computer screen while…singing?
"Um, excuse me miss?"
"Whoever can string, the old king's bow, and shoot through twelve axes cleanly-"
"Miss?"
"-will be the new king, sit down on the throne, Penelope as his queen."
Groaning, Miles took out the whistle he'd been given (for this exact situation no less) and blew it.
With a shocked yelp, the girl shot out of her seat, almost knocking over the water bottle she had placed next to her. Catching the container before it slipped, the girl set the bottle somewhere more stable, took a deep breath, and turned to look at Miles.
"Ah, sorry about that. I'm Cassandra Pentaghast. Are you Miles Thurman?"
"Correct. I was told to come here to help with….enrichment research."
"Oh, I'm aware," was her reply. "Now, first off, this isn't a particularly hands-on job. What we do is figuring out the tasks the keepers need to complete as part of there jobs."
"I hear that."
"Well, then, let me give you a preliminary quiz."
Typing at a computer screen, Cassandra pulled up a picture of a frog. "For your first assignment, answer me this: what do you need in an enclosure to make a frog happy for all parts of its life cycle? We're talking from egg to spawning adults."
Miles looked at the picture for a moment, then gave his response. "Well, firstly, this is generic because I don't know if you have a specific species in mind – though that picture is of an American Bullfrog. Anyway, since we're starting with eggs, I'd say we need a pond or other water source, plus some land for when the tadpole grows up. Once it hatches, the tadpole needs algae to eat, because frogs start out as herbivores but become carnivorous at adulthood. For comfort, there should be little hiding places in the water where they can retreat if scared. I'd recommend either sloped shoreline or branches – real or artificial – for when the frogs reach adulthood. Food can be settled with bugs, possibly including dispensers to give the frogs a chance to hunt. Lastly, I'd also suggest some heat lamps or hot rocks so that the ectotherms can have places to warm themselves, alongside shady places and lily-pad cover where they can retreat if overheating or threatened."
Cassandra listened to every word, smiling all the while. "Excellent answer. What about with dinosaurs?"
Miles thought for a moment. "Do they like to sleep on straw?"
"Surprisingly, yes."
"…Ok, give me a moment."
XxXxX
Hours later, Prehistoric South Africa
"Quickly, before it breaks the line!"
Working as quickly as they could, Michelle and Tristan tied down the squirming amphibian, even as its large form thrashed about, trying to escape back into the lake.
In the hours since they had caught the dicynodonts and their hunters – a collection of creatures belonging to the varanopids – they'd worked on rescuing the other animals in the area, with mixed success. Most attempts had been failures, but they had managed to send a few Styracocephalus back to the present. Their focus had ended up shifting toward the water, where they'd managed to catch several fish, as well as other creatures – the animal they were rescuing right now was one of the dominant temnospondyls in this region, Rhinesuchus. They'd already caught three of its kind, as well as five of a related genus, Rhinesuchoides. These seemed to be the only types of temnospondyl in the region, as they had seen or caught no other specimens in the hours spent fishing. With the sun now almost as the horizon, they were unlikely to see any more of the creatures.
Opening the time portal for a quick delivery, the away team carried their catch through the portal, before returning to the lake – it was time to set up camp.
When they reached their campsite, though, the team found an unfamiliar sight: a massive horde of herbivores, similar in body plan to the dinocephalians, but with different skull shapes. Where the dinocephalians had humps or phalanges, these leaf eaters had bony bosses on the sides of their skulls. The giant herbivores were followed by creatures that vaguely resembled the gorgonopsids they had seen earlier, but larger and with no saber teeth. A menagerie of new dinocephalians had also appeared, either using the herbivores for cover or trying to stalk them.
Michelle and Tristan glanced at Nigel.
"Pareisaurs?"
"Therocephalians?"
"Exactly – the former, I think, are Bradysaurus – most common pareisaur in the area. One of the earliest to. As for the latter, there are many possible species, but I think these are Lycosuchus – its one of only two species that get as big as lions. Much as I'd like to catch them, though, I think we should put that off until tomorrow."
Everyone was in agreement there – tomorrow, when they were more alert and less tired, would be a better time.
XxXxX
The next day
THIS WAS DEFINITELY NOT A BETTER TIME.
The therocephalians all stared at the humans, hunger in their eyes. They had watched the bipeds break camp and now saw their chance to take down the strange prey. The gestures the humans made confused the hunters, but soon their caution would wane. After that? Full-bellied therapsids.
As Nigel lead the crew in trying to repel the starving therapsids, Michelle gestured to Tristan. "Portal set?"
"Yep."
"Good. You sure Nigel approves of your plan?"
"Do you have a better one?"
"…Nope."
"Then here we go!"
Taking out a tomato – a leftover from the previous night's dinner – Tristan took aim and threw.
A distant Bradysaurus, who only moments earlier had been sparing with another of his kind, felt something wet hit him. Turning, he found a strange biped looking at him, a group of hungry therocephalians between them.
Then the biped threw another fruit at him, and all the pareisaur saw was red.
XxXxX
Five minutes later
Bob watched as the last new hire found the courage to climb down from the tree they had been seeking shelter in. Then he glanced at the rescue team. "Could you have given me more heads up for this?"
"Just this once, no."
XxXxX
AN: Since today, 1/15, is my birthday, I think it is time I clear out my update backlog.
I really liked that ending. Leaves so much comedy to the imagination.
If you're wondering, yes, Cassandra was singing a song from EPIC: The Musical. The song in question was Hold Them Down, which wasn't officially released until Christmas 2024, but Jorge sung pretty much the whole song a TikTok a few years ago, so there are no timeline discrepancies there.
It's surprising how much Dinocephalians are ignored in fiction when they have such cool looking members. This is where they get justice. The main ones featured so far are Anteosaurus, Tapinocephalus, and Moschops, but Jonkeria and Styracocephalus will get some love next chapter.
Here's the rescue list:
Anteosaurus magnificus (3 males, 4 females)
Tapinocephalus aetherstonei (15 males, 15 females)
Moschops capensis (20 males, 20 females)
Styracocephalus platyrhynchus (7 males, 3 females)
Jonkeria truculeta (4 males, 4 females)
Diictodon feliceps (six mated pairs)
Rhinesuchus whaitsi (2 males, 2 females)
Rhinesuchoides tenuiceps (3 males, 3 females)
Rhinesuchoides capensis (1 male, 1 female)
Eriphostoma microdon (2 males, 2 females)
Hipposaurus boonstrai (5 males, 5 females)
Lycosuchus vanderieti (3 males, 3 females)
Bradysaurus baini (70+ individuals)
Elliotsmithia longiceps (1 male, 1 female, pegged for future rescue of breeding population)
A couple of unnamed animals that will be featured next chapter and thus named THERE.
Read and Review! This is Flameal15k, signing off!