Synopsis: "This time, we'll follow the story of a male Acrocanthosaurus named Acton, and witness his attempts to survive in a dangerous world."

Twin Mountains Formation/Texas

113 million years ago/Albian stage of the Late Cretaceous

Somewhere hidden deep in a large Cretaceous valley of forest and plains, in a nest made of earth, twigs and leaves, is a clutch of eggs. It is the end of the dry season, and there are already signs of life. Inside one egg, a tiny little animal is trying to break through its shell, escaping his egg chamber. He manages to break free of his egg and hatch right into the world, which he is welcomed to by a warming shine of sunlight. He has a tiny ridge along his neck and back, three-toed feet and three-fingered hands with claws each, well-muscled arms, and jaws with sharp little teeth. As for what species he is, this is a baby Acrocanthosaurus atokensis. His name will be Acton, and he will be the one who will lead us throughout his story and world of 113 million year old Texas.

All around him, his brothers and sisters are all beginning to hatch out of their eggs. They call out together, confusing him. Just then, a huge, fully-grown Acrocanthosaurus, who has heard the squealing of the hatchlings, approaches the nest. Acton tumbles out of the nest, while trying to get a better look. They are all at her mercy. Fortunately though, this is their mother. Normally, she would have a mate with her, which would be their father, to welcome them to the world, but sometime ago, after their eggs were laid, he was killed during a recent hunt. So, now, he is all there is to take care of them, until they're old enough to take care of themselves. Acton is awestruck by her size, and also nuzzled by her. For now, he can rely on his mother's protection, but, within weeks, he will have to learn to stand on his own two feet. In about six to seven years, he could become a gigantic predator like his mother, but the odds on him surviving that long, right now, are low.

113 million years ago, in the prehistoric state of Texas, the world that Acton has been born into has been dominated by giants. It is here where many different types of dinosaurs lived and coexisted. The herbivore 34 meters in length was named Sauroposeidon proteles, also known as "Paluxysaurus", after the Paluxy River in Dinosaur Valley State Park, and the official state dinosaur of Texas. Another residence was Sauropelta edwardsorum, who's name means, "shield lizard". The Tenontosaurus tilletti was also found in wide numbers. As so was the speedy and clever Deinonychus antirrhopus, an agile predatory dinosaur 10 feet long, with sickle-shaped claws on its feet. And then, there is Acrocanthosaurus, the mightiest predator of Early Cretaceous North America, and the main focus of this episode. As the mother rests while watching over her brood, Acton and his siblings begin to start interacting with one another. As the eldest of which, he keeps order of his brothers and sisters to make sure they're all safely accounted for. And play-fighting among themselves is a great way to prepare themselves for many of life's challenges.

1 hour later….

Acton and his siblings have been staying very close to the nest. But if anything, it is starting to become much less of a safe place to be. Nearby, a pair of predatory Deinonychus watch the brood, waiting for their chance. The mother Acrocanthosaurus is 130 times their weight, so they will not venture too close while they are present. However, she knows that the smell of all these new hatchlings will soon attract other larger predators. So, eventually, the mother decides that it is time to lead her unruly brood away.

Acton and his family arrive at their destination, the local river, which is part of his new home: a vast expanse of plains, forests, scrublands and floodplains, that will one day become the deserts and prairies of Texas. Since he is able to run and jump well after hatching, and has a jaw full of functioning teeth, Acton is ready for his first meal, and so are his siblings. But they're only deduced to insects and small reptiles and amphibians, since they're not yet ready to take on large prey. But even small prey requires skill to catch. They're either liable to fly or run away, or worse still, stand their grounds and fight.

While his siblings are chasing small lizards, Cyrus is trying to catch a dragonfly. He jumps and tries to grab it, but misses it and falls into the shallow part of the river. He surfaces for a breath, and walks back onto dry land, dripping wet. His siblings investigate and inspect him before he shakes the water off of himself. The hatchlings all have a lot to learn.

3 days later….

The mother has gone out in search of a meal for her family. She spots a Sauropelta. This dinosaur spends most of the day grazing on low-lying plants from the ground. He must consume about 400 kilograms of plants a day in order to maintain his enormous size. He may be a herbivore, but he is by no means an easy target. The mother Acrocanthosaurus roars loudly to get his attention, and he turns to face his enemy. Though he spends most of his day peacefully munching on ferns and shrubs, he can turn into a ruthless warrior if either his territory is invaded or he finds himself in danger. He is often known as, in a sense, a "20-foot-long armadillo covered in rhino horns". His 2 ton weight and his heavily-armored body and pair of two large foot and a half long shoulder spikes give him power to withstand against even an Acrocanthosaurus. They each try to intimidate the other with their bellows, growls and roars, but in the end, they choose not to fight. These strong beasts don't recklessly pick fights, unless there is a good reason. So, the mother heads off to find something else.

She leaves the forest and heads back out onto the plains and scrublands. And it's there where she finds a more easier choice; a grazing herd of Tenontosaurus. These dinosaurs may be smaller than she is, but they're still not completely easy to bring down. They have an exceptionally long broad tail that can act like a professional baseball bat to smack and clobber any would-be predators. So, she'll still have to be careful. But they also would be more than capable of outrunning her as well. She bursts out of the brush nearby and attacks! The Tenontosaurus notice her and scatter, but she still manages to get a hold of one and brings it down. She roars victoriously and begins to eat as much as she can. She will also take her kill back to her young to provide enough food for them and herself.

Back at their new home, Acton and his siblings wait patiently for their mother to return with food. The minute they sense her approach, they come out of hiding, and start squeaking for food. When she arrives with her kill, the mother places it right in front of her young, and they begin to feed from it alongside her. But the hatchlings will have a few more years before they're ready to learn how to hunt. After that, they will leave their mother and have to try and thrive independently. Most will leave on their own while some who have a deep connective bond with one another will leave and stay together for survival.

5 years later…. (Acton's Fifth Year)

Five years have passed, and Acton and his siblings have each grown into a teenaged juvenile. While he is now 5 years old, his siblings are all at the ages of 3 and 4. They are each in the prime of their lives and ready to learn how to hunt. Nearby, a group of Tenontosaurus are grazing and browsing. Acton and his family silently stalk them from close by. The Tenontosaurus don't sense the danger, and, instead, focus their attention on feeding on the fresh vegetation. But no one seems willing to make the first move, even the mother. Or, at least, almost no one. In his mother's and siblings' stead, being as both the eldest and most confident of which, Acton dares to take on the challenge of the hunt today. He begins to move slowly towards them trying to be as quiet as he possibly can, with the exception of the sounds of his footsteps and hissing of his breath. His mother and siblings watch him carefully. These creatures are smaller than they are, but they're not easy to take down. Acton will likely fail, unless he finds their weak point and quickly overpowers one.

He gets as close as he possibly can, still unnoticed, then, once he feels that he is within striking distance, he breaks cover, roaring fiercely, and springs into action! Just as the Tenontosaurus begin to scatter, Acton manages to get a hold of one by the neck and holds on tight to it. The herbivore struggles haplessly to free itself from the jaws of Acton, but he refuses to let go and uses both his strong neck muscles and jaw muscles to snap its neck, along with the bite force of 8,266 newtons, and the Tenontosaurus falls on its side dead. For Acton, this is his first successful hunt. He places his foot on his kill and roars victoriously.

His mother and siblings are very impressed and they approach him. Acton's mother proudly nuzzles her son to offer her congratulations. This is her way of showing that she approves Acton as an experienced and skillful hunter. His siblings also congratulate their older brother by nuzzling him too. They then begin to feed on the Tenontosaurus carcass, which will be one of the last meals they'll have together, since it will still be another two more weeks before Acton and his siblings will leave their mother for good and live on their own.

2 weeks later….

Acton now hunts alone with only two of his siblings; one brother and one sister. The rest of his siblings have parted ways with him. They have all left their mother and are all thriving well. Right now, they are looking for any chance of a meal. There's a wide variety of choices to make in these conifer and cycad forests and on these scrubland and bush prairies. A group of small Zephyrosaurus schaffi looks ideal, but there is a big problem. A heavily-armored Sauropelta is working his way through a cycad stand nearby, looking for a mate. The Zephyrosaurus feed off the smashed shrubs and cycads he leaves behind. This means they're sticking very close to him. Too close of a trio of small predators to get in between and attack. The Sauropelta continues on his merry way, with the Zephyrosaurus following closely behind. A mother Deinonychus attending her nest may prove more promising. But the small Acrocanthosaurus and his little brother and sister are about to find out that they are no match for an overprotective mother. The Deinonychus kicks up dust and hisses and growls at them, before screeching very loud at them. Knowing that she's no easy mark, they walk off to find something else more promising.

Nearby, a flock of Arkansaurus fridayi offers Acton and his siblings one more chance. They seize the moment and charge straight at them, but they scatter the minute they notice them, causing them to fail, and roar in frustration. They need to learn to ambush. They have also ended up too near the edge of the forest. Not far away, a herd of Sauroposeidon are crashing through the outer forest and out onto the open plains, looking for new plant growth. Not yet suitable prey for Acton and his siblings. Back among the trees, and then, the bushes, Acton and his siblings finally come upon something to help them satisfy their hunger. A nearby former killing field offers plenty of opportunity to scavenge meat, as many dinosaurs have, in the past, hunted and fought here, and as a result, have become killed in the aftermath. There is a huge, immense Sauroposeidon carcass, some Tenontosaurus corpses, many of Zephyrosaurus and Arkansaurus, and a recent victim is this Sauropelta, that lies where it died of hunters. But dead bodies also attract adult Acrocanthosaurus.

Many have come here to feed on these corpses, and these ones are large enough to kill Acton and his siblings, but they would each prefer a free meal. And so, they gather around some of the carcasses to feed. Acton and his siblings approach and tread cautiously, not wanting to risk triggering a fight. They gather around one of the Tenontosaurus carcasses and begin to feed from it. They finally now have a chance to feed in peace with the others, though they might not be able to enjoy their peace for long. Although there is enough meat here for weeks, there's an urgency in their feeding; The scent of all these carcasses will soon attract others, and every Acrocanthosaurus wants to eat its fill. But at least, for now, they can all feed safely.

Later, that day….

By evening, all the Acrocanthosauruses have moved on. And all the carcasses continue to lie beside the lakeside. This area is a natural predator feeding ground, and before even the Sauroposeidon or Sauropelta finally rots away, numerous more carnivores can fall for its attractions. What's left of the bodies are left to those who can feast here in safety, the flying pterosaurs.

2 years later…. (Acton's Seventh Year)

Acton is now 7 years old, and has now grown into a teenager, while his younger twin brother and sister are both at the age of 6. And as a sign of age, his spinal ridge is starting to broaden and extend. Sexual maturity is dependent on his size, and at 9 meters long, Acton is well on the way to being just that. Right now, he is on the prowl for another meal by himself, while his brother and sister wait patiently for him, back at their nest and lair. He comes across a Sauropelta, grazing on shrubs. Acton knows that despite being a herbivore, this dinosaur is by no means an easy target. He recalls several encounters with this dinosaur many times before, and, very rarely, has he ever decided to battle one. So, before the Sauropelta can react the way he does when he thinks he's under attack, Acton decides not to pick a fight and to search for a more easier meal instead.

Acton walks along the edge of the forest in search of food, until his acute sense of hearing starts to pick up some type of noise that peaks his interest. He follows his ears a few yards downwind to the source of the sound. Desperate with hunger, a female Acrocanthosaurus around his age has foolishly and recklessly attacked another Sauropelta. She has received a lot of injuries while fighting the well-armored plant-eater, and it appears that she might not be able to withstand another one, but she won't give up. Because of the lack of available food during the dry season, her survival instincts won't allow her to back off, even though it seems that she's fighting a losing battle. And with no pack to back her up or reinforce her, the young soldier's defenseless. Acton watches from within the edge of the forest nearby. The young female is beginning to tire out from the fight, and that tips the balance of the fight in the Sauropelta's favor. Waiting for the right moment, he swats her in the side of her face with the end of his tail, disorienting her long enough to seize the chance that he's been waiting for. With all his remaining battle strength, he charges forward, straight at her, and strikes her in the leg with his left shoulder spike, causing her to shriek loudly and roar in pain. The blow has broken her leg by cracking the lower leg bone and tearing her knee joint tendon. She limps a few steps before falling over and landing on her side. Knowing that probably won't be able to get back up, and having won the battle, the Sauropelta turns and walks off victoriously, continuing his search for food and water. The minute he was gone, Acton, having watched the whole thing, approaches the fallen young female, who looks up at him with a sorrowful look in her eyes. Acton knows that she will never be able to recover from such a devastating injury. She is going to slowly die. And there is nothing he can do to save her. Acton watches as she takes her last few breaths before finally dying. The minute he knows she has died, he leans down and nuzzles her mournfully. For Acton, it's both the first time in his young life and a really harsh blow to see one of his own kind die. Though he's not above cannibalism, he can't bring himself to feed upon her corpse. So, with only one backwards glance, he moves on, continuing his search for prey.

A few minutes later….

Acton soon spots and approaches a lone Tenontosaurus. The ornithopod soon turns to face his attacker, and bellows at him. Though he may be harmless, he is definitely not defenseless. His pair of spiky thumb claws and long broad tail are his only defenses against predators. The Tenontosaurus turns his back end towards Acton and begins to swing his tail from side to side, hoping to swat Acton if given the opportunity. But Acton is well aware of his target's defenses, and knows that he will have to be careful. He manages to successfully dodge the tail of the Tenontosaurus and grasps it with his hand claws and clamps his jaws down on its neck, causing it to bellow in pain, and snaps its neck with his powerful neck and jaw muscles, killing it in an instant. He grabs it in his jaws by the base of its snapped neck and drags his 2 ton catch back to his lair, where his younger brother and sister are waiting.

When he returns, he places the Tenontosaurus carcass down on the ground, and he and his two siblings all begin to feed on it. A 2 ton prize. All the more valuable as the dry season continues.

3 years later…. (Acton's Tenth Year)

By age 10, Acton has grown into a young adult. But he is still not quite yet fully-grown. Right now, he is currently stalking a small migrating herd of Sauroposeidon with his brother and sister. Unlike most sauropods, Sauroposeidon is one of those sauropods that can't defend itself from predators. So, Acton and his siblings have the advantage over their target, once they select it. They select and lock their eyes straight onto their quarry; a member of the herd that is having a hard time keeping up with the rest.

Waiting for the right moment, they spring into action and charge right at the herd, Upon noticing them, the herd panics and stampedes forth. But the only one who is slower than the rest can't move or trot as fast as the rest, and so, is the one that the predators are going to focus on. Acton, as the strongest and fastest of the three, catches up with their victim, and suddenly swerves toward it, making contact with its side. He aims for the base of its neck and chomps down hard on it, pulling back and ripping a large chunk of flesh out of it, instantly immobilizing and, thus, killing the giant sauropod. Now, both Acton and his twin brother and sister will now have enough meat to satisfy their enormous appetites for weeks.

3 weeks later….

Large herds of herbivores, including Sauroposeidon, Sauropelta, Tenontosaurus, Zephyrosaurus and Arkansaurus, gather to feed on the new plant growth of these swamp-like prairies that create excellent feeding grounds for them. But where there are large numbers of plant eaters... there are great hunters, or meat eaters. Acton and his two twin siblings watch from close by, observing the herds and probing for any opportunities. Like most predators, their kind usually ambush their prey. But with so many watching eyes, they know that this is not the right time to attack. They'll wait for nightfall, and the cover of darkness, which will give them an advantage over their prey.

Several hours later….

As darkness falls, some of the herds that had been grazing and browsing out in the open retreat into the forest for shelter. Now, the odds switch in favor of the predators, like Acton and his twins, who are resting nearby. Acton wakes up and slowly and silently gets to his feet. All predatory theropod dinosaurs have much larger eyes than their prey, which gives them superb low-light vision, but only a tad-bit better than that of their prey. Acton gently nudges his brother, waking him up. His brother yawns and gets to his feet. Acton then nuzzles his sister, who also wakes up and gets to her feet. Soon, they're on the prowl, once again. And like all their cousins and relatives, they're able to move through the forest in near-silence, thanks to cushioned pads on their feet.

They come upon a group of Tenontosaurus grazing in the forest. As we know, they lack armor, but they still have their defenses, which are their spiked thumbs and their broad tails, and they're twice as fast as Acrocanthosaurus. To catch one in these types of conditions needs cunning. Each of the sibling hunters carefully moves into position. Then, one of them, Acton, deliberately makes a noise. The Tenontosaurus are officially alarmed. They now know that hunters are close, but they don't know exactly where they are out there in the permanent darkness. Time to spring the trap.

Both of Acton's twin siblings rush out! They chase the Tenontosaurs straight to where they want them! The herd panics, and bolts to where Acton is waiting…. in ambush. Acton bursts out of hiding and gets a hold of one by the neck. But he doesn't do what he normally does. Instead, when he allows his siblings to join in, they all work together to knock over their prey and pin it down so they can deliver the final killing blow. The rest of the herd continues running for their lives without looking back.

A perfectly executed plan. Now, another meal has been provided for Acton and his siblings. He grabs it in his jaws by the base of its neck and he and his brother and sister take their kill back to their lair, where they can eat it in safety and peace.

3 years later…. (Acton's Thirteenth Year)

Three more years have passed, and now, for all the region's dinosaurs, it is a very special time of year; it is the mating season, and there are many signs that love is already in the air. This is the time of year when the forests and plains and prairies become very lively. When it's time to mate, each male of every species must do whatever it takes to win the affections of the females. For example, male Arkansaurus try to attract females by building perfect nests and showing off and displaying their long white arm feathers.

But finding a mate is not always as easy as it seems to be.

For one example, just like many other sauropods and also modern Giraffes, male Sauroposeidon go through some serious necking battles to win mating chances, until one of them eventually backs down, and the victor wins the right to mate. And for another, Since male Tenontosaurus outnumber females, they must go through a fierce competition to win the affections of a female. They bellow and grunt at each other and even peck one another with their beaks and snouts. The more vicious ones might even either stab their competitors with the spike-like claws on their thumbs or lash their competitors with their tails.

But it's not just the plant eaters who are producing the next generation.

Just a few miles away, Acton, now at age 13, has already just begun his quest for a mate, with his younger brother and sister, both now at age 12, always by his side. Since he, along with his siblings, dominates such a large and wide swath of territory, he and his siblings must travel quite some distance to find a female for him to mate with.

A few days later….

Acton, along with his brother and sister, has spent three days searching for a female to mate with, but so far, hasn't had much luck. All he can do now is either try to attract one with a mating call or wait patiently and listen for a female's mating call for him to respond to.

Just then, at that very moment….

A strange type of call echoes throughout the landscape. And Acton and his siblings pick it up with their acute sense of hearing. And it can only mean one thing; they have just detected the mating call of a female Acrocanthosaurus on the opposite side of the prairies. Acton roars out to let her know that she has been heard.

1 hour later….

Acton and his siblings have followed the mating call for about an hour now, and at last, they finally arrive at the female's location. She appears to be the same age as Acton, and about the same size. Now all Acton has to do is to show off his best moves to win her over. His brother and sister watch from about a foot back, while she, on the other hand, watches him, carefully. There's no guarantee that he'll succeed, but Acton is determined. But he knows that he still needs to be careful. Because he also knows that if she misjudges the approach, it could all be over in seconds. He slowly bobs his head up and down and produces a deep romping sound, before bowing down and raising his tail up and swaying from side to side. Then, he raises his head up all the way and spreads out his arms to their fullest extent. Everything he's doing appears to be eliciting the right response, thus impressing her. And she both admires and mirrors his courtship dance. Eventually, she gently brushes her neck on his, thus, accepting him as a mate. So, it turns out that the courtship was successful. And now, Acton has a mate. His brother and sister approach him to offer their congratulations, and he introduces his new mate to them as well. She greets them both, each, with a gentle nuzzle. This is her way of showing that she approves them both, along with Acton, as a trustworthy family. And so, they all head off together.

4 hours later….

Later that evening, Acton and his siblings and new wife have returned to their nest and lair. And so, Acton and his new wife begin to mate. And this is the beginning of his life-long contribution to fatherhood. They will keep doing this for about the next few weeks, until she is fully well-fertilized. Eventually, in the not too distant future, she will soon lay a large clutch of eggs that, in about 2 months time after that, will hatch into a whole new generation of Acrocanthosaurus.

4 years later…. (Acton's Seventeenth Year)

By age 17, Acton is now fully grown and weighs 5 tons. His mate is the same as him, and his brother and sister, like always, are both just a year younger than him. Right now, he and his mate are gathering and bringing building materials to build a nest with. And they build it right in the center of their lair. Paleontologists have found fossilized dinosaur nests before, but not yet one of this particular species. Once it's all built, Acton's mate can lay their eggs when she becomes pregnant. For right now, she and Acton still leave and come back to their lair over and over again to find and bring back debris for their nest.

Several months later….

Two months ago, each species of dinosaur laid a foundation for the future. And so, as a result, lots of the eggs that have been laid have hatched. The Sauroposeidon nesting ground is teeming with new life; up to thousands of hatchlings. Without their mothers' protection, they will have to go it alone, staying completely safe and well-hidden in the underbrush of the forest, until they're both big and old enough to join their mothers' herd. The Arkansaurus nesting grounds are also full of new life. As are the Tenontosaurus nesting grounds. The young from last year have grown, and test out their newfound strength. But in one nest, its clutch of eggs were not so lucky, except for two. The nest's owner is a Deinonychus, she has been committed to making sure that her offspring survive, though, unfortunately, all of her eggs, except one, have either been eaten through or stolen to eat by egg thieves. But, after two months of care and patience, she notices a little movement in the only one that has survived. Finally, it hatches. After everything she had been through, the Deinonychus has managed to bring a valuable new life into the world.

In Acton's territory, there are also signs of new life. Against the odds, Acton and his wife have managed to produce only four offspring. They're all about a few weeks old, and can move quite well. Acton's brother and sister are now the proud aunt and uncle of his children, and it will be their job to guard and protect them whenever Acton and his mate are off hunting. And now, supported and protected by their family, they can each take their place as a predator. Acrocathosaurus was the undisputed top predator of its environment, and dominated the forests and plains of North America for about 113 to 110 million years. But by the end of the Early Cretaceous, about 108 million years ago, its reign somehow mysteriously ended. But the only question is why? Some believe that the answer to this reason was because of climate change, while most think that because most of its usual prey items, such as sauropods, like Sauroposeidon, went extinct, and around the same time as it did, its main food supply dwindled and disappeared, leaving not much else left on the menu, and as a result, condemning it to extinction. So, until that happens, for now at least, Acton and his family will protect and raise, and also teach, their young how to hunt, until they're old enough to hunt with them and also live independently. Acton takes his eldest son with him, and together, they watch the sun as it sets from above the horizon. Just like both he and his mother once did, Acton's son and his siblings will also face difficult challenges, and for them, the risks of each will be high. But like always, there are also great opportunities…. in these types of places…. of the Prehistoric Planet.

(The End)

Next time on Dinosaur Life, we will document a female Deinonychus named Dallas. We will watch her as she must struggle to find food and water as she grows up.

Author's Note:

"To discover the science behind the stories, go now to the Dinosaur Life show page."

Information from: Monsters Resurrected (2009) and Prehistoric (2009 - 2010)

Inspiration from: Dinosaur Media and Others