Synopsis: "This story will document a female Deinonychus named Dallas. We will watch her as she must struggle to find food and water as she grows up."

Antlers Formation/Oklahoma

110 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 her egg chamber. She manages to break free of her egg and hatch right into the world, which she is welcomed to by a warming shine of sunlight. She has feathers on her body, a pair of sickle-shaped claws on the big toe of each foot, long arms with three-fingered hands with claws on each, and jaws with sharp little teeth. As for what species she is, this is a baby Deinonychus antirrhopus. Her name will be Dallas, and she will be the one who will lead us throughout his story and world of 110 million year old Oklahoma.

All around her, her brothers and sisters are all beginning to hatch out of their eggs. They call out together, confusing her. Just then, a pair of fully-grown Deinonychus, who have heard the squealing of the hatchlings, approach the nest. Dallas tumbles out of the nest, while trying to get a better look. They are all at her mercy. Fortunately though, these are their parents. The smaller one to the right is their mother, and the larger one to the left is their father. They both lick and then nuzzle Dallas, welcoming him to the world, themselves, before doing the same to her siblings. Just then, more Deinonychus appear. These are all of Dallas' aunt and uncles, her parents' younger siblings. It will be their job to take it in shifts to help out in the hunt and to look after Dallas and her siblings. For now, she can rely on her parents' protection, but, within weeks, she will have to learn to stand on her own two feet. In about three to four years, she could become a deadly, fleet-footed predator like her parents, but the odds on her surviving that long, right now, are low.

1 hour later….

Dallas and her 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. The parents know that the smell of all these new hatchlings will soon attract other larger predators. So, eventually, the parents and their pack decide that it is time to lead her unruly brood away.

3 days later….

Three days have passed, and Dallas is curiously observing a beetle walking on a dead piece of wood. As she watches the beetle crawl into a crack in the wood, she jumps up on it, revealing the feature that gives her species its name. Deinonychus translates as "Terrible Claw". But that's not her only strength. She's also got keen vision. And excellent hearing and smell. Just then, Dallas hears one of her family members calling out in the distance. So, she heads back to her family pack. But her most eye-catching adaptation is her feathers. Simple feather-like structures first appeared back in the Triassic. Not for flight but for warmth, or insulation. She makes it back to find her siblings still playing, her mother dozing, and her father and the rest of the pack planning for a hunt.

She gently gnaws on one of her mother's arm feathers, waking her up and getting her attention, as her siblings approach them. Being able to stay warm means this branch of dinosaurs, the theropods, can be active day and night, giving them more time to raise their young as part of a family. Dallas' mother gently nuzzles her before hearing her mate and siblings calling her and responds by squawking, before getting to her feet. Despite being three days old, Dallas and her siblings are temporarily left to fend for themselves while the adults head off to find prey. They know that they must hunt, as their young haven't eaten yet, since they were born. Dallas knows that the best way to stay alive while her family is off hunting is always stay hidden until they've returned. So, as the eldest of which, she orders her siblings to a perfect hiding spot in the underbrush. Living in a group has other advantages too, especially when it's time to find food. For Deinonychus is a pack hunter. And a clever one at that. They spot their prey; an Arkansaurus fridayi, a feathered and fleet-footed, ostrich-like dinosaur, who is a relative of Ornithomimus. But it leads a very different, mainly plant-eating life, unlike many of its relatives and cousins. What they both share however... is speed. The Arkansaurus spots the pack stalking it and quickly makes a run for it, and the Deinonychus chase after it. As it tries to outrun them, they manage to catch up with it. Catching up with their prey is one thing. Bringing it down, another. Working together, they take turns to tire it out. As the chase goes on, they attack it from both sides, though one gets kicked by the Arkansaurus' foot, and one leaps up onto it, and together, they use all their combined strength to pull their victim down onto its side and the alpha male, Dallas' father, delivers the killing blow to the prey's neck. Their terrible claws bring a swift end to the exhausted Arkansaurus. They will eat as much as they can, and bring back a lot of it for Dallas and her siblings, before abandoning it for scavengers.

Dallas and her siblings wait patiently back at their new home, for their elders to return with food. The minute they hear them approaching, they come out of hiding, and start squeaking for food. When the adults arrive, the mother places a slab of Arkansaurus meat right in front of her young, and they begin to feed from it. If Dallas and her siblings are to join their family in the hunt, their parents will have to repeat today's success over and over again, until they're both big enough and mature enough to do just that.

3 months later….

3 months have passed, and Dallas and her siblings have more than quadrupled in size. They are each about less than one half the size of their elders, but they still won't be ready to either live or hunt on their own for about another six months. Even so, they're ready to begin their first hunting lessons.

The pack come upon a group of Zephyrosaurus schaffi grazing on plants. The pack begins to silently stalk them from the nearby brush. Usually, it's the father of the youngsters who is the final ambusher of the hunt, but in his stead, Dallas dares to take on the challenge of that, being the final ambusher of the hunt, today. She slowly and steadily makes her way around the group and to the final ambush spot, while her siblings each move carefully into position into their ambush spots, and the adults continue to watch and stalk the group. It's all part of the drill when pack-hunting. Two of Dallas' sisters are at the first ambush spot, three of her brothers are at the next, the rest of her siblings are at the one after that, and she, as the final player, is at the final one. These creatures are small, but they're not easy to take down. Dallas knows that she and her family will most likely fail, unless they manage to cut one away from the rest, and then she finds its weak point and quickly overpowers it.

Once they know that everyone is in position, one of the adults deliberately makes a small noise that is heard, unseen, by the Zephyrosaurus. They now know that predators are somewhere close, but they don't know exactly where they are. The minute they know that it's time to spring the trap, the adults seize the moment and rush out to attack! They drive the Zephyrosaurus towards the two sisters who are lying in wait, up ahead. Waiting for the right moment, the sisters reveal themselves and send the Zephyrosaurus scattering towards where the other siblings are waiting. When the moment is right again, the three brothers soon reveal themselves as well, and, working together, manage to cut three Zephyrosaurus away from the rest and, along with the others, drive them towards the rest of the players. The rest of Dallas' siblings jump out of hiding and join the rest of the pack in chasing the three cut-off stragglers to where she is waiting up ahead… in ambush. Dallas bursts out of the bushes and grabs one of the three Zephyrosaurus in her jaws by its weak point. She shakes it with tremendous force before finally killing and dropping it to the ground.

For Dallas, this is her first successful hunt. She places her foot on top of her family's kill, and screeches in victory.

Dallas receives a nuzzle from both of her parents and each of the rest of her elders, as she has proved herself a true hunter. She nuzzles each of her siblings as well. They all begin to feed on the dead Zephyrosaurus together, as it will be one of the meals they will ever have together, before Dallas and her siblings will eventually leave their parents for good if they are to survive on their own.

3 years later…. (Dallas' Third Year)

Dallas now hunts alone with her siblings. She has about four brothers and three sisters. While they have left their parents and are thriving, they have stayed together with each other to form a family pack of their own. As the oldest and biggest of her clan, Dallas is the leader of her pack; the alpha female. Now, only 3 years old, with her siblings at the ages of 1 and 2, they no longer rely on leftovers, they are now hunting for their own prey.

There's a wide variety of choices to make in these scrubland forests and bush prairies. They watch their choices of prey from a distance behind some bushes and cycads. A flock of Arkansaurus look ideal, but there is a big problem. A heavily armored Sauropelta edwardsorum is working his way through a cycad stand nearby, looking for a mate. The Arkansaurus feed off the smashed shrubs and cycads he leaves behind. This means they're sticking very close to him. Too close for a pack of small predators to get in between and attack. The Sauropelta continues on his merry way, with the Arkansaurus following closely behind.

Nearby, a group of Zephyrosaurus offers Dallas and her pack 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 squawk and screech in frustration. They knew that they should've set an ambush. They have also ended up too near the edge of the forest.

3 weeks later….

A herd of Sauroposeidon proteles are crashing through the outer forest and out onto the open plains, looking for new plant growth. Not exactly suitable prey for Dallas and her siblings, except maybe juveniles and adolescents. Meanwhile, back among the bushes, Dallas and her pack have come upon something to satisfy their appetites; a dead Arkansaurus carcass. It should keep the whole pack fed for up to about a week. But just as they finish eating, they soon hear some noises that peak their interest. They soon come across another pack of Deinonychus facing off with a huge carnivorous Acrocanthosaurus atokensis over another carcass that was recently made by the larger predator. And he will not stand for anyone trying to steal his food. During the wet season, Deinonychus would never fight an Acrocanthosaurus, but during the dry season, a fresh carcass is worth putting your life on the line for. As the battle begins, Dallas and her siblings watch close by. In the process, a reckless Deinonychus inflicts a savage bite on the giant theropod's left leg. But he that strikes the king must strike to kill or pay the price, which happens to be so as the Acrocanthosaurus grabs his attacker and tosses him aside. And with one final roar, he drives off the hungry Deinonychus before turning his attention to Dallas' pack. Knowing that a fight would be suicidal, Dallas and her siblings walk off. They will stay with their own kill. As Acrocanthosaurus reclaims what is rightfully his.

3 months later….

A few more months have passed, and the dry season is nearing its end. Dallas' pack have been marking and expanding their territory, and have found a spot inside of which to make themselves a new lair. It will also be where Dallas will build a nest when the time comes that she will be soon old enough to mate. Their den is well-chosen, it has exceptional views of its surroundings. And it is perfectly camouflaged so that whenever any Acrocanthosaurus come along, they will never be able to see where it is. Once they have finished marking the border lines of their territory and hunting grounds, and building their lair, they are, once again, on the hunt. They're now at full strength and hungry for big game. They soon pick up the sound of some bellowing calls and follow them, until they soon come upon an adolescent Sauroposeidon that has been separated from its herd. Knowing that a young sauropod on its own is an ideal victim for them, they fan out around it, undetected, into different ambush spots. By the time the young Sauroposeidon senses that something's wrong, it's too late. Some of the Deinonychus siblings rush out and chase the young sauropod, driving it towards the others, including Dallas. Now, the Deinonychus can finally spring their ambush. Dallas and the rest jump out of their hiding spots and they all attack it from different directions, using their hand and foot claws to slash at it, and work together to bring it down. Now, they have secured another meal for the whole pack. But they'll have to quickly eat and then take as much as they can, before the scent of blood attracts any rival packs of Deinonychus or any Acrocanthosauruses in the area.

4 years later…. (Dallas' Seventh Year)

4 more years have passed, and now, it is the wet season that is nearing its end. A herd of Tenontosaurus tilletti is on the move. They're heading for a nesting site, and a feeding site with a lake, to the south. Tons of rolling thunder consuming everything in its path. Only this day, they've got some unwelcome company. A pack of Deinonychus; including Dallas. She's now 7 years old, though she's still not yet fully-grown, despite being much bigger than she was at birth. She and her siblings have joined other Deinonychus to form a larger pack to take on large prey, such as Tenontosaurus. These dinosaurs have no idea they're being followed by some of the nastiest and most dangerous little dinosaurs that ever walked Planet Earth. The raptors, the deadliest of all dinosaurs are about to strike. Quick, intelligent and cagey, they single out the weakest member of the herd. They would stand off at a distance and look at the herd. They want to choose the most effective target, they're not just gonna run in and try to attack the first dinosaur they find, it could be that that dinosaur is bigger than they are, or, more importantly, it's completely healthy and can defend itself. Once they pick out their prey, they're going to attack. And the Tenontosaurus is gonna be in dire trouble.

Their eyes lock onto their target. Then, they begin to stir. Slowly, deliberately, silent, except for the hissing of their breath. What makes a raptor, like Deinonychus, so incredibly dangerous is that they're built like ninjas. They're fast, they're strong, they're agile, They've got razor sharp teeth, and these teeth curve backwards. When you are bitten by an animal with teeth that point backwards, it's going to rip a chunk of flesh out of you. But they're up against a much bigger adversary. So, they've got to work in unison.

From out of their hiding spots, the raptors rush in, initially, in hopes of startling the herd. Because if they can separate "him", they have a better chance of taking him on. Terrified and temporarily disoriented, the herd makes a run for it and stampedes. They do this for two reasons, the first reason they do it is because they wanna get away from the attacker. But the second reason why they do it is because when you run, it exposes the weakest guy, and that's the one the predators are going to focus on. The pack works in unison, much like modern-day wolves do to bring down bigger prey. And they know that their job is to inflict as much injury as they can, which they proceed to do. The raptors seem to come from everywhere at once, attacking from all directions. At times, leaping more than 10 feet in the air. They know that there's a couple of key weaknesses in Tenontosaurus. Number one, it's his unprotected throat. There is no armor and the throat is one of the places the Deinonychus are going to focus. Number two, it's his unguarded flanks. The side of Tenontosaurus is like a huge billboard with a big bullseye on it that says "Strike Here!". The Deinonychus are absolutely going to go for his unprotected flanks. If they can cut through the thick hide, and expose any of the guts and organs, "that" is what's going to debilitate that Tenontosaurus and take him out of the battle before he even begins.

But much to their surprise, Instinctively, the Tenontosaurus fights back. They're harmless, but they're not defenseless. They've got an exceptionally long tail. Their tail is almost the length of the rest of their body. Their tail is also sort of like a baseball bat. Interconnecting rods connect each vertebra and give it a stiffened appearance. It's not wiggly like a crocodile's tail, this thing is a weapon. One swing of the tail scatters the pack as it scores a direct hit to one member, which is not one of Dallas' siblings, killing it instantly. Although Deinonychus is a nasty dude who's got some pretty wicked weapons, he still has a very bird-like skeletal structure. A direct hit from the tail of Tenontosaurus could end that guy's life. His hand claws and foot claws, along with his lightweight bones, can be broken pretty easily in combat. So, even though he's got these wicked weapons, he's still got to be cautious about how he uses them.

Dallas and the other raptors scramble to regroup, then, they strike again from every direction. One of the favorite attack methods of the raptors is what we call the "Slash and Dash". This is a method that all pack-hunting carnivores use. You rush in, slash him with your hand claws, and you hope that you inflict a series of injuries and then you dash to safety, and you'll allow your prey to slowly bleed to death. The problem is because of the thickness of Tenontosaurus' hide, that attack doesn't do much damage. That's like attacking a rhinoceros with a fork. At the end of the day, you've got a bent fork and a pissed-off rhinoceros. So, they take the claws from their hands and dig them into that deep hide and hang on. Raising their foot, curling down their two toes, that brings their killing claws forward, and they begin to slice and cut the Tenontosaurus. Three of Dallas's pack mates, who are not any of her siblings, hang on to it, until the Tenontosaurus launches an unexpected counterattack. Once the Deinonychus land on his back, the Tenontosaurus then rolls over onto his side, using his weight to crush one of them under it, killing it. It would be like being run over by a 1-ton truck. The lightweight bones of Deinonychus would snap and break like pencils.

Two raptors now lie dead, while the wounded Tenontosaurus is still standing. Dallas realizes that she and her siblings are losing too many members of the pack. The Tenontosaurus is able to repel assault after assault. Slash and Dash didn't work, this full confrontation is not working. 200 pounds of Tenontosaurus against a 150 pound raptor is "not" an even fight, and so, the raptors are temporarily forced to retreat.

Just then, a powerful storm was brewing, and night was falling. They're not gonna follow the Tenontosaurus because they don't wanna keep him on high alert. They'll wait for nightfall, and follow his blood trail. They'll know where he goes.

Weak and bleeding, the Tenontosaurus searches for cover, his only hope of getting out alive. He realizes that by moving into the trees, it's going to be harder for the Deinonychus to have room to maneuver. He finds a grove of trees, and moves in, and hopes that nothing occurs overnight. But to the raptors, darkness is a trusted friend. Since all predatory theropod dinosaurs like them have much larger eyes than those of their prey, which allows them to hunt supremely well in the darkness of night. And now, they'll switch over to their number one, most effective, hunting method: night vision. And now, the stage is set for the final devastating showdown that looms ahead. And in this battle, there can be only one outcome: "Winner Takes All".

As the alpha of which, Dallas leads her pack through the darkness with the approaching storm at their aid. While they've got excellent night vision, as the storm off in the distance moves closer, the raptors realize they can use the sound of thunder to muffle the sound of their footsteps and the vibrations of their foot. And so, they move in for the final assault. With quick, erratic moves, and the predator intelligence of a giant bird of prey, the pack mounts its final ambush. This spot is designed perfectly to play into the strengths of Deinonychus. There's a raised ridge of rock behind the Tenontosaurus. It's the perfect launch sight for an aerial, silent attack. The environment also favors the raptors. Tenontosaurus is now at the mercy of his "merciless" attackers. Under attack, Tenontosaurus has gotta have his sense working at each strength. Sight is gonna be important, because he's got to see where the attack is coming from, Sound is absolutely important as it becomes dark, you've got to hear where your attackers are, and his sense of smell is vitally important, because it allows him to figure out where those raptors are out in that darkness.

Trapped in a thick grove of trees, Tenontosaurus is helpless. His immense weight and powerful tail; useless. The raptors fly into action with white-hot intensity. Now, they're to dig their claws deep into his side. Using their hand claws, they're holding on. But it's the killing claw on their foot that helps them dig deep into flesh. Once they begin to slice open, the internal organs of the Tenontosaurus will spill out onto the ground. The assault intensifies. The raptors are now in an all-out feeding frenzy. As he fights for his life throughout this horrific assault, the Tenontosaurus still manages to kill four more members of the raptor pack. None of them, though of which, are Dallas or her brothers and sisters. But after an exhausting effort, this dinosaur finally loses consciousness and falls to the ground.

As the alpha female raptor, Dallas grabs the prey by the throat and begins to crush its windpipe, thus, finally killing it. The remaining raptors, which include she and her siblings, take advantage and begin to feed on the internal organs of the carcass of the Tenontosaurus. Like a pack of wolves, these Deinonychus are fighting for the best parts. The speed, intelligence and cunning of the raptors is too much for the lumbering beast. With this banquet of Tenontosaurus guts laid out in front of her, again, as the alpha female of the pack, Dallas asserts her dominance, with the help of her siblings, and pushes away the rivals for the tastiest morsels. Off in the distance, thunder continues to rumble. Then… all is quiet. The storm passes. Once again, silence descends over the great plain. And peace is also, once again, fully restored. A much-needed welcome of relief for the Circle of Life.

2 years later…. (Dallas' Ninth Year)

By age 9, Dallas has finally reached sexual maturity. And just in time, too. For her kind and all the other dinosaurs who live here, it's the mating season. This is the time of year when the forests, prairies, valleys and plains come alive, and are most active. The Sauroposeidon are already beginning their traditional mating rituals, as are the Sauropelta and so are the Tenontosaurus, and also the Zephyrosaurus and Arkansaurus. Even the environment's top predator, Acrocanthosaurus, is also preparing for the mating season. For Dallas, this season is the perfect chance for her to increase the size of her family pack by raising her own young. So, she begins to call for a mate by producing a type of high-pitched mating call. Since she and her siblings own a territory of a few thousand square kilometers, she shouldn't have that much trouble of attracting a male Deinonychus with whom to mate.

But, as you and I know, finding a mate is not always as easy as it first appears.

In the Sauroposeidon herd, males start to display by rocking back on their tails and standing on their hind legs to impress potential mates, but soon enough, when too many males start doing it, occasionally, fights break out. With creatures this size, the forces at work during these confrontations are colossal. Enough to shatter ribs and shake the ground. The males engage in shouting matches, followed by necking, like modern Giraffes, pushing and shoving. That's usually bloodless.

And in the Tenontosaurus herd, 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. Those males of both species who will be victorious in the end will win the right to mate.

But it's not always like that. Sometimes, there are better ways of getting a mate without having to fight for one. Along the banks of a river, dozens of male Arkansaurus are preparing for the most important moment of their year. They choose the safety of this area in particular to scrape out shallow craters to make nests out of. When the females arrive, they will choose to mate with the males who have made the best ones. Just then, one male with a stick in his beak, who is most likely a newcomer, arrives and makes his way through the colony to try and get back to his own nest. But he is hissed at by the other males, warding him off and away from theirs. Late arrivals like him find that nesting space is already in short supply. The only space left is on the area's margin by the riverbank, where he had just started to make his nest. And finding a place to nest is only just the start. When eggs are eventually laid, they will need to be kept warm in a bed of vegetation. The newcomer soon places the stick in his nest, as he was on a pretty poor start with the bedding. Then, he looks around at the other nests around his as the other males were busy tending to them. Finding enough nesting material is not easy… which is why some Arkansaurus resort to thievery. One advantage of arriving late is that your neighbors have already done the hard work. An unguarded nest is too much of a temptation. In colonies like this, thievery can be so common that some nesting material, at one time or another, will have been part of almost every nest on the island. After two successful attempts to steal some nesting material from another male's nest for his own, the newcomer begins to go for another round. But robbery is risky. Soon, the owner of the nest spots the thieving newcomer and aggressively screeches at him, holding his feathered arms out. The newcomer backs off and minorily stumbles as he does so. Caught in the act. This temporarily frustrates him for the moment. It can take several years to perfect nest-building skills. But success doesn't only rely on experience. The young newcomer then looks around at the other males with their nests. In a crowded colony, there's always another potential victim. Then, one male heads off to collect more nesting materials, and the young newcomer quickly rushes over to his nest and grabs a stick to bring back to his own nest. For Arkansaurus, this nesting area will provide sanctuary for both the eggs and the young when they hatch.

Meanwhile, Dallas' mating call has continued to echo throughout the woods and across the prairies. And it has been heard and responded to. A male Deinonychus with a dead Zephyrosaurus carcass has heard her calls loud and clear. And so, he continues responding to her calls by returning them.

Eventually, at last, he arrives at Dallas' lair. He is about the same age as Dallas and just as large. She seems impressed, but he can sense, and knows, that she is also wary. So, a little persuasion might have to be necessary. He must first prove to Dallas that, just like her, he has the good genes that the next generation of Deinonychus would do well to inherit. In addition to being a prize from a recent hunt and a gift to appease her, the dead Zephyrosaurus also suggests that he is a good hunter, and carrying it all the way here has proved that he's a strong male. Then, he begins to perform a type of ritual courtship mating dance. Dallas watches him carefully. Her younger siblings all do the same from the sideline. He begins by spreading out his arms and ruffling his body feathers while displaying his longer arm ones. Then, he starts to dance quite energetically with a series of jumps, spins, twirls, turns, leaps, body movements and feather ruffling. He keeps doing this for the next few minutes, before eventually stopping and standing in his place hoping for the best. Dallas is amazed, and very impressed. So, she shows him that she accepts him as a mate by gently rubbing his face with hers. And they both make a type of purring sound as they nuzzle each other. They form their relationship, and then, the male places his gift for Dallas at her feet and then gives her some space. Dallas feeds from it, as she has accepted him for who and what he is. Even so, until she finishes eating the Zephyrosaurus, for now, at least, the male still keeps his distance.

Soon enough, they will mate successfully, and just like hers before her, Dallas will eventually become a mother. And her new mate, in addition to being the pack's new member and alpha male, will eventually become a father. In the not-too distant future, she will soon lay up to about 10 eggs that, in about 2 months after that, will hatch into a whole new generation of Deinonychus.

3 years later…. (Dallas' Twelfth Year)

3 years have passed, and two months earlier, every species of dinosaur has 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.

In Dallas' territory, There are also signs of new life. By age 12, Dallas is fully-grown and weighs 200 pounds. Her mate and siblings are all the same as her. Against the odds, Dallas and her mate have managed to produce seven offspring. They're all about a few weeks old, and can move quite well. Dallas' brothers and sisters are now the proud aunts and uncles of her children, and it will be their job to take it in turns to guard and protect them, whenever she and her mate are off hunting. And now, supported and protected by their family, the chicks can each take their place among the pack as a predator. Deinonychus was the one of the most fearless, pack hunting dinosaurs that had ever walked the planet, and prowled the forests and plains of Early Cretaceous North America for about 113 to 110 million years. But by the end of the Early Cretaceous, about 106 million years ago, it eventually became extinct. But no one knows why. Some believe that the reason was because of climate change, while most think that it was because its usual main food supply of prey items 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, Dallas and her pack will protect and raise, and also teach their young how to hunt, until, one day soon, these chicks will reach adulthood. With both their mother and the rest of their family to guide them, they'll form an even bigger pack, and become some of the most formidable predators ever to roam our Prehistoric Planet.

(The End)

Next time on Dinosaur Life, we will document the life of a male Majungasaurus/Majungatholus named Black Bite, and document his attempts to become the top predator of his island home of Madagascar.

Author's Note:

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

Information from: Jurassic Fight Club (2008), Clash of the Dinosaurs (2009), Monsters Resurrected (2009), Prehistoric (2009 - 2010) and Life On Our Planet (2023)

Inspiration from: Dinosaur Media and Others