Minor Fauna of Prehistoric Planet

Minor

Uncovered

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MinorUncoveredCut

Listed on this page are various animals associated with Prehistoric Planet that either only made a minor appearance (e.g. the sleeping Mongolian titanosaur shown in the sixth segment of Forests), or have very little info about themselves (e.g. the lizard from the second segment of Deserts, which is a speculative species not based on any creature in particular, the only info about it being that it is just a few inches long, hence, despite being the main focus of its segment, it ends up here).

In any case, these animals wouldn't get their own page, and are thus shown here, grouped by the episode they first appeared in.

It is best not to identify animals that cannot possibly or reasonably be identified (e.g. the Antarctic hadrosaur that appeared in the fifth segment of Ice Worlds). If unidentified animals appear in a group, they are to be put under one section. It is only once an animal can be reasonably identified that it can be given its own section. Animals that feel even less exotic, have less focus, or have barely anything to separate them from animals we know today (e.g. garfish, mosquitoes, flies) will not be included here, with the Mongolian Lizard being the bare minimum of what is allowed here since it served as the main character of the second segment of Deserts.

Coasts

Pycnodont Fish

A Pycnodont Fish

Pycnodontiforms (Dense-toothed Forms) are small to medium-sized, laterally-flattened bony fish that lived on almost all known continents except Australia and Antarctica from the Late Triassic Period of the Mesozoic Era to the Priabonian stage of the Eocene Epoch, Middle Paleogene Period, Cenozoic Era. They mainly thrived in saltwater, though some lived in freshwater environments. The generic species that appeared in the fourth segment of Coasts resembles a mix between a colorful modern-day parrotfish and a yellow tang (which actually served as the pycnodont's placeholder in concept art made by Gaëlle Seguillon), and is only a few centimeters in size, lingering in "cleaning stations" to feed on the scraps, parasites, and dead skin of larger animals, cleaning them while getting a meal in the process. Its specific identity wasn't entirely made clear, but it's been implied to at least be based on Scalacurvichthys (though the fish is unlikely to be Scalacurvicthys itself since it lived 100 - 93 million years ago in West Bank of Palestine, several millions of years prior the Maastrichtian setting of the show). Most species are durophagous, having evolved round, flattened teeth to crush the shells and armor of hard prey like molluscs and crustaceans (hence their name, "dense-toothed forms"), though some species are more voracious, having developed piranha-like teeth for eating flesh. It is believed that they reached the height of their morphological and species diversity by the end of the Cretaceous, before the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event caused the collapse of the reef ecosystems they relied upon. The pycnodonts survived, but they never regained their previous diversity and overall success. Eventually, they went extinct during the Eocene, bringing 175 million years of existence to an end. Overall, they lasted eight million years longer than the non-avian dinosaurs (which lasted for 167 million years).

The fourth segment of Coasts takes place by the shores of southern Europe. By the submerged, coral-encrusted islands in the shallow waters, an old male Mosasaurus hoffmannii visits a bare rock, momentarily scaring a pycnodont fish, which swims away as the massive marine reptile approaches it, mouth open. However, once it realized that the mosasaur wasn't there to eat, it approached the roof of its mouth to pick scraps from its teeth.

“ Beyond is a sheer dropoff and the deep sea, home to oceanic predators, and danger for unwary reef fish. But this pycnodont fish has litle to fear. This is Hoffmann's Mosasaur, the ocean's deadliest predator, but he's not here to eat, he's come to be cleaned. ”

― David Attenborough, Coasts

The rest of the reef's inhabitants, among them even more of the same pycnodont species, followed suit and begun to clean the fearsome predator, with various fish and cleaner shrimps picking off scraps from the mosasaur's teeth as well as the old skin he was shedding off, revealing that his face and back have turned a striking shade of red to make him more attractive during the mating season. The Mosasaurus rolls around on the rock, allowing the fishes and shrimps to clean even his belly. Since he was resting by the surface of the sea, the old Mosasaurus can poke his head out of the water and breathe in some air.

Western Interior Seaway Protostegid

Juvenile T. rexes disturbing a giant protostegid

Present on Prehistoric Planet is an unnamed protostegid, simply identified as a "giant, two-tonne turtle" on the show, that lived in the Western Interior Seaway at least 68 - 66 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period.

While this unidentified protostegid appears to be based on Archelon ischyros, the largest turtle to ever live, that species has already gone extinct 74 million years ago, during the Campanian Stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, so this leatherback turtle-esque creature might be another indeterminate, undescribed species of turtle. One suggestion is that this is Pneumatoarthrus peloreus, though this is unlikely given how Pneumatoarthrus is from Appalachia (the eastern half of the North American continent) and not Laramidia (the western side of North America, where T. rex resided in), and even if it also lived elsewhere, it appears to have died out 68 million years ago, just when T. rex first appeared.

In the first segment of Coasts, a Tyrannosaurus and his five chicks swim through a shallow sea to reach an offshore island. Some turtles can be seen swimming in the water, animals that would normally be hunted down by mosasaurs. Upon seeing the T. rex family, however, one mosasaur turns around to go after them instead. When the family finally escapes the sea and comes up onto dry land, the adult T. rex turns around to face the sea, and realizes that one of his five hatchlings got snapped up by the mosasaur pursuing them. With nothing more to be done about that, he turns to the smell that drew his attention to the offshore island.

“ The island offers safety and the promise of food. Giant, two-tonne turtles are here to nest. But this is the one that has drawn him here. It's dead, and the tyrannosaur has smelt its rotting body. If he can just get to the underbelly, he will have over two thousand pounds of easy meat. ”

― David Attenborough, Coasts

Ignoring the giant turtles crawling around, having arrived to the beach to lay their eggs, the T. rex walks to an already-dead turtle, turns it over, and crushes through its belly with his five-ton bite force. When his chicks try to get a taste, he drives them off with a growl, intending for them to learn to hunt for food on their own. The four surviving juveniles at first simply run around the beach, even playing around and riding a giant turtle at one point.

“ But as the evening approaches, things start to change. Baby turtles are beginning to hatch from the sand, and rush down to the sea. ”

― David Attenborough, Coasts

As evening approaches, the turtles eggs buried in the sand hatch, and the young turtles make their way to the sea. One young tyrannosaur at first plays around with these turtles, stomping some of them into the sand, and getting scared off by the waves as they take a turtle hatchling into the sea. Their parent still refuses to share the dead turtle he's eating, so one of the juveniles decides to go after a baby turtle, only to be fought off by one of its siblings, which steals and eats the baby turtle for itself, prompting in a game of chase. The segment ends with more of the newly-hatched turtles getting swept by the waves into the sea.

Deserts

Enantiornitheans

Enantiornitheans (Opposite Birds) are avian dinosaurs (birds) that appeared in several episodes of Prehistoric Planet.

On the show, they are referred to as "enantiornithines", though the better term would be "enantiornitheans", since "enantiornithines" only refers to the members of the enantiornithinae subfamily, and not the whole enantiornithes clade. However, Prehistoric Planet's birds might be intended to be members of the enantiornithinae subfamily, hence, the term used may not be necessarily or technically incorrect.

Enantiornitheans are known from various areas around the world, with their distribution indicating that they preferred to live in warm environments. Almost all enantiornitheans have clawed fingers (much like modern-day hoatzins), and surprisingly, teeth, serving as proof of their dinosaur ancestry. Enantiornitheans got their name, "opposite birds", because their scapula (shoulder blade) is concave, and their coracoid (a bone present in all vertebrates except therian mammals, connecting the scapula to the sternum) is convex, the reverse being true for modern birds (which have convex scapulae and concave coracoids). Even so, Prehistoric Planet does not call any special attention to these birds, which barely serve any significant role in the series. Along with the non-avian dinosaurs and the specialized aquatic hesperornithean birds, enantiornitheans went extinct by the end of the Cretaceous Period.

“ Enantiornithines. An ancient type of bird... but perhaps a little too big to tackle. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Enantiornitheans make sporadic appearances throughout Prehistoric Planet, in Deserts, Freshwater, Forests, and North America, and only seem to be present as a means of providing scale (best seen when some of the birds were shown flying next to Dreadnoughtus in the second segment of Deserts, and when a flock of them flew away upon the arrival of the veteran Triceratops in the fourth segment of North America), as well as serving the role of random wildlife that gets easily spooked away by larger animals, like when a Mononykus ran at a flock of them during the third segment of Deserts, or when a Deinocheirus scratches himself against a dead tree in the third segment of Freshwater, scaring off the bird perched on one of the tree's branches.

Patagonian Enantiornithine, seen during the first segment of Deserts

Nemegt Desert Enantiornithines, seen during the third segment of Deserts

Nemegt Freshwater Enantiornithine, seen during the third segment of Freshwater

Lizard

A lizard in the desert

A small, unidentified squamate, resembling a modern-day lizard, appears in the second segment of Deserts, the fourth segment of Badlands, and the first segment of Swamps.

“ Even though some animals are well-adapted to desert conditions, their survival is often on a knife edge, especially here in Asia, where, in the height of summer, temperatures soar above 60 degrees Celsius, and water evaporates in an instant. There are ferocious-looking reptiles here too... but this little lizard is only a few inches long. Here, getting a meal is never easy. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

The second segment of Deserts takes place in the deserts of Nemegt. In the simmering heat of the desert, where the temperature rises to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) at the height of summer, a lizard, only a few inches long, runs around to find a meal, pursuing a fly across the rocky wilderness.

“ This immense carcass could be promising. A dead sauropod, a potential feast for many. But strangely, all is quiet. Tarbosaurus. The equivalent in this desert of T. rex. They keep everyone else away. But for the lizard, they might bring an opportunity. If there is one thing that attracts flies more than a carcass, it's a sleeping Tarbosaur that has been feeding on that carcass. Time to be bold. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

The lizard eventually comes across a rotting sauropod carcass, with azhdarchids circling overhead. Surrounding the corpse was a group of four sleeping Tarbosauruses. Seeing the number of flies attracted to the carcass and the smelly faces of the tyrannosaurs that fed on the carcass, the lizard sees the good feeding opportunity, and musters some courage to go after some flies, running on and around a Tarbosaurus, trying to catch some of the flies that gathered around its face, taking caution not to awaken the large theropod.

“ A Velociraptor. Time to be careful, because Velociraptors often hunt... together. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Just then, a Velociraptor rushes in and snaps up another lizard in the area. A second Velociraptor, eyeing another lizard in the area, rushes at the little creature, but the lizard manages to run away in time. Carefully, the Velociraptor sneaks around the sleeping Tarbosauruses, seeking out more lizards to eat. Finding another one, it goes after it, the lizard rushing under a sleeping Tarbosaurus, causing the Velociraptor to bump into the bigger theropod, waking it up. Not happy to be disturbed, the tyrannosaur reaches out in an attempt to snap the Velociraptor, which rushes off with its companion as the Tarbosaurus gets up, causing the other Tarbosauruses to also wake up.

“ The Tarbosaurs move on. And now the pterosaurs can come down and claim a share of the carcass. For the little lizard, the opportunity is gone. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

The tyrannosaurs decide to leave the carcass, which has not that much left on it anymore, allowing the azhdarchids flying overhead to finally come down and feast on what little remains of the sauropod. The opportunity to feed gone, the little lizard scampered away from the area, running across the desert once more to look for food.

Footage from Deserts of the lizard running across the sand dunes in search of a meal is also briefly used prior to the fourth segment of Badlands, which focuses on Tarchia. A similar lizard is also seen by the end of the first segment of Swamps, scampering down the roots of a tree in the forests of the Songliao Basin before getting grabbed and eaten by a juvenile azhdarchid.

Ice Worlds

Antarctic Hadrosaur

Antarctic hadrosaur failed to find food from a log

“ Herds of hadrosaurs are once again on the move. With little to eat, these huge herbivores return to look for food in warmer lands, leaving others to endure the freezing polar winter. ”

― David Attenborough, Ice Worlds

The fifth segment of Ice Worlds, set in the Snow Hill Island Formation in Antarctica, features a herd of these hadrosaurs journeying across an open, stony field, searching for warmer areas where there is more food, briefly crossing paths with a lone Antarctopelta. One hadrosaur tries to check for food from a log, to no avail. For a moment, this individual and the Antarctopelta regard each other before continuing on their journey down opposite paths, the Antarctopelta searching for a place to rest in and wait the incoming winter out, the hadrosaurs looking for a more bountiful region that can sustain them.

Antarctic hadrosaur herd crosses paths with a young Antarctopelta

Hadrosaurids are mostly recognized from North America and Asia, though by the end of the Cretaceous Period, some species proliferated in Europe (e.g. Arenysaurus), Africa (e.g. Ajnabia), and South America (which is known for its austrokritosaurian saurolophines, like Secernosaurus and Kelumapusaura). Hadrosaurid remains have also been found in Antarctica, their existence in the López de Bertodano Formation of Seymour Island indicated by a metatarsal which resembles that of Maiasaura, as well as a single cheek tooth that has the shape of a typical hadrosaur tooth. It is also possible that the animal is not necessarily a hadrosaurid specifically, and may instead be part of the more inclusive hadrosauromorph clade, being related to animals like Telmatosaurus, Tethyshadros, and Gonkoken, which blends the traits of derived hadrosaurids with those of more ancestral hadrosauroids.

Since nothing else about the animal is known, it is made to resemble Edmontosaurus, albeit with dull red skin, a creamy underside, and more vibrant red stripes on either side of the neck. While a single cheek tooth and metatarsal of a hadrosaurid have been found in the López de Bertodano Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctica (estimated to be around 67 - 66 million years old), Prehistoric Planet instead likely depicted this hadrosaur within the Snow Hill Island Formation (estimated to be 71 - 70 million years old), given how it was featured alongside Antarctopelta, which is only known from that area. This may indicate that the López de Bertodano Formation hadrosaur had a long temporal range (and thus may have been older than what its fossils indicate), or that the animal on Prehistoric Planet is a speculative ancestor of it.

Cimolodon

Cimolodons fleeing from a forest fire

Cimolodon (Lettuce Head Tooth) is a genus of cimolodontid multituberculate mammal that lived in several formations all over North America during the Middle and Late Cretaceous Period, having been present since the Cenomanian stage (100 - 93 million years ago). One species, Cimolodon nitidus, is known from the Lance Formation in Wyoming. The Cimolodon seen in Ice Worlds is a similar species discovered in the Prince Creek Formation, 71 - 69 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period. However, because of difficulties in confirming the identity of this species, the Alaskan Cimolodon is only referred to as C. cf. nitidus ("cf.", which means "confer", Latin for "compare", indicates that the Alaskan species is comparable to C. nitidus, but is not yet confirmed to be C. nitidus itself).

Cimolodon belongs to an order of rodent-like mammals known as multituberculates, named for the multiple cusps and tubercles on their cheek teeth. Traditionally, multituberculates have been inaccurately thought of as sprawling animals. Prehistoric Planet, on the other hand, properly depicts Cimolodon with fully erect, digitigrade limbs. However, it appears to be slightly oversized, and seems to be modeled after herbivorous rodents like marmots, ground squirrels, and even beavers, though multituberculate studies imply that they were omnivores or carnivores due to having teeth like those of mammals under the carnivoran order, hence, while Cimolodon would have superficially resembled a rodent to some degree due to being a multituberculate, it may not have looked too much like a herbivorous rodent.

“ Although the short and warm polar summer is a time of great plenty, it can also bring perils. Warm air rises and becomes charged electrically. And that creates frequent and violent lightning storms. In the north of America, the lush growth, fueled by the constant sunlight, has now been baked tinder-dry. ”

― David Attenborough, Ice Worlds

In the fourth segment of Ice Worlds, a lightning storm, formed by the warm summer conditions, sets a forest in the Arctic ablaze. One troodontid, slowly walking in the midst of the flames, tries to pinpoint the source of the sounds it hears, the calls of distress of other animals. It stalks around the forest, waiting for some of these other creatures to flee the flames and run straight into it. Eventually, the troodontid comes across a stick, smoking embers on its tip. Realizing what it can do with this, the troodontid runs off with the burning twig in its mouth, eventually dropping it by a tree that still seems unaffected by the flames.

“ At the fire's edge, troodontids gather to prey on animals that are trying to escape the flames. Anything that spreads the fire creates more opportunities for the most ingenious Arctic hunter of its time. ”

― David Attenborough, Ice Worlds

With this action, the forest fire spreads, and several Cimolodons rush out of the woods, right where the troodontid is waiting to ambush and pursue them. The theropod eventually grabs one of the multituberculates with its jaws, pinning it to the ground while shaking its neck, snapping it in the process. Its hunt a success, the predator gets up, holding the limp body of its latest kill by the neck, shaking it one last time before letting loose a single chirp of satisfaction, slightly flaring out the feathers on the back of its head.

Forests

Hațeg Island Titanosaur

Two Hațeg Island Titanosaurs

“ Many of the forest's permanent residents regularly come down here, because the plants are coated with sea spray, and are a welcome source of salt. Here, sauropods can meet one another, renewing family bonds, and creating new ones. ”

― David Attenborough, Forests

In the seventh and final segment of Forests, set by the coasts of Hațeg Island, some Zalmoxes are seen amongst the vegetation, looking around as Telmatosauruses feed on the salted vegetation, with one even licking a propped-up piece of wood on the beach. Two titanosaurs with light gray coats speckled with dark gray accents make their way down to the beach, affectionately rubbing their heads and necks against one another. And as the sun sets, a Hatzegopteryx spreads his wings and leaves the island, flying off into the horizon.

According to Dr. Darren Naish, lead consultant of Prehistoric Planet, it is possible that these titanosaurs are either Paludititan (Marsh Titan) or a sauropod that was previously classified as Magyarosaurus (Magyar Lizard), but is now considered as a distinct animal.

Nemegt Forest Titanosaur

A solitary titanosaur sleeping in the forests of the Nemegt Formation

“ Here in central Asia, the nighttime forest is filled with strange sounds. Giant sauropods are asleep. There are air sacs in their head and neck, which reduce their weight, but also amplify their snores. But not everyone is asleep. For smaller creatures, it's safer to be out in the darkness than during the day. ”

― David Attenborough, Forests

The sixth and penultimate segment of Forests, set in a forest in the Nemegt Formation at night, briefly features a titanosaur similar to Austroposeidon in appearance, the snores of the sleeping giant filling the forest as three juvenile Therizinosaurus wander around looking for food.

Given that Prehistoric Planet featured both Nemegtosaurus and an unidentified sauropod based on massive footprints found in Mongolia, it is likely that the sauropod depicted here is Opisthocoelicaudia, the only other titanosaur known from the Nemegt Formation, a specimen known from a well-preserved skeleton missing its neck and head (the opposite of Nemegtosaurus, which is only known from the head, leading to a theory that both animals are actually the body parts of a single species rather than two separate sauropods). It could also possibly be another unidentified sauropod species, since the Nemegt Formation is known for several indeterminate sauropod tracks and fragmentary remains, among them, four-toed footprints attributed to Opisthocoelicaudia.

Due to its brief and unremarkably inactive moment on Prehistoric Planet, the Nemegt Forest Titanosaur is the only sauropod featured on the series that did not appear in the Uncovered segment "How Did Dinosaurs Get So Big?"

Oceans

Pyroraptor

Juvenile Pyroraptor eats a Nostoceras

Pyroraptor (Fire Thief) is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived on the Ibero-Armorican Island (made up by what is now modern day southern France and northeastern Spain) 83.5 - 70.6 million years ago, from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period. Pyroraptor olympius was discovered in 1992 by the foot of Mont Olympe in Provence, France (not to be confused for Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece), following a forest fire (hence its genus and species name). It was a small dromaeosaurid known from two teeth (flattened, curved backwards, with the serrations on the back edge being finer than the serrations on the front edge), arm and foot bones, tail bones, and a piece of the vertebra. Otherwise, very little is known about the animal itself. It is currently unknown if it was a conventional dromaeosaurid or one of the unenlagiines, gracile, long-snouted dromaeosaurids (with members ranging from the small Buitreraptor to the large, fish-eating Austroraptor, which was featured in the second segment of Swamps). The unenlagiines are usually seen as exclusive to South America, though it has been theorized that unenlagiines may have existed in other Gondwanan continents as well, with Rahonavis of the Maevarano Formation in Madagascar, Imperobator of the Snow Hill Island Formation in Antarctica, and Pyroraptor believed to be possible members of the subfamily.

Two juvenile Pyroraptors picking out stranded Nostoceras

“ Countless are left stranded. Food for scavengers, like these baby Pyroraptors. The rest are carried by powerful currents many miles from land. ”

― David Attenborough, Oceans

By the end of the third segment of Oceans, several newly-hatched Nostoceras escape the evaporating rock pools of the coast of the La Bouchard locality, swept by the rising tide into the sea. Even so, several of the baby ammonites are left stranded on the rocky beaches, with two juvenile Pyroraptors visiting the area to feast on the dead ammonites. These hatchlings appear to use the exact same model as that of the two young Kuru kulla seen in the third segment of Badlands, down to the coloration of their feathery coats. This is not entirely implausible, since the young of closely-related species tend to resemble each other, with both the Pyroraptor and Kuru kulla chicks looking similar (but not identical) to the Velociraptor chicks seen in the second segment of Badlands. This can also be observed in the modern-day relatives of dromaeosaurs, birds, where different genera can at times seem very similar - if not almost indistinguishable - even as adults.

Not much can be assumed from the brief appearance of the Pyroraptor hatchlings. Their short moment on Prehistoric Planet does at least show that they would opportunistically scavenge dead animals like any other predator, and that the young appear to be independent, unlike the juveniles of other dromaeosaurs in the series like Velociraptor and Kuru kulla, which are cared for by their parents, though it is possible that they were simply wandering close to at least one parent present offscreen. If the latter case is true, the parent of these hatchlings may have potentially lead them there to see and learn the feeding opportunity by the coast (courtesy of the tides and evaporating rock pools), similar to how one male Pectinodon brought his hatchlings to an evaporating soda lake to take advantage of the feeding opportunities in the area in the third segment of North America.

Pyroraptor is notably the first (and, so far, only) animal in the series that never had its adult form featured.