| “ | A polar Allosaur, a summer visitor from warmer lands to the north. | ” |
The Polar Allosaur/"Allosaurus" robustus was a small allosaur from the Cretaceous. It was a smaller, early Cretaceous relative of the Allosaurus.
Facts[]
Physical appearance and biology[]
Polar Allosaurs were small theropods that had large heads lined with sharp teeth. Above the eyes was a flat, hard, relatively small, head crest.
Like the other carnosaurs, the Polar Allosaur had large, thick legs as well as relatively large arms with three digits per hand.
In Walking with Dinosaurs, the Polar Allosaur was green with yellow stripes and splodges.
Behaviour and traits[]
Polar Allosaurs were the Cretaceous descendants of the Jurassic killer Allosaurus and its relatives. During the early Cretaceous, Polar Allosaurs migrated to the south and settled in Australia and even Antarctica. Polar Allosaurs were the top predators in their ecosystem. They were able to hunt nearly anything - from the small Leaellynasaura to the large Muttaburrasaurus. With their sharp teeth which were mementos of a bygone golden age, they could slice through the toughest hide.
Similar to the Jurassic Allosaurus, Polar Allosaurs were social hunters as they were solitary, hunting in packs to help bring down larger prey such as Muttaburrasaurus. However if two of the same kind came in contact over a circumstance such as food or already established territory, they would not tolerate each other's presence.
In Walking with Dinosaurs[]
Spirits of the Ice Forest[]
In the early spring of Early Cretaceous Antartica, a clan of Leaellynasaura (the focal characters of the episode) started to build and assemble their nests. Unbeknownst to them, a male Polar Allosaur was watching them from the background. Sensing an opportunity, the male started to stalk the clan. However, whilst edging closer, he accidentally stepped on a small stick. This alerted the Leaellynasaura sentry, who screeched a warning to its comrades. Spooked the little dinosaurs scattered in every direction. The Polar Allosaur tried to attack, but crashed into a tree, knocking it over. As its prey bolted and with its cover blown, the predator abandoned the hunt.
Later on, a vast herd of Muttaburrasaurus visited the nearby lakeside to drink, feed and rest from their annual migration. The same Polar Allosaur that attacked the Leaellynasaura appeared from the forest. Cautiously, he walked amongst the herd, trying to locate any sick, injured, young or weak individuals that might make easy prey. Naturally of course, his presence did not go unnoticed and several bull Muttaburrasaurus responded angrily to his presence. Bellowing loudly, adopting aggressive stances and stamping the ground fiercely, they tried to intimidate the intruding carnivore into submission. It worked, as the Polar Allosaur quickly realised that he was outmatched. Running across the shallow waters, the carnivore retreated back into the forest.
Some time later, an old Muttaburrasaurus was brought down on the banks of the river, After the original killer abandoned the carcass, a male Polar Allosaur, no doubt attracted by the smell came to scavenge the festering carrion. Not long afterwards, a female Allosaur emerged from the forest and approached the carcass with the same intentions. Even though there was more meat on the body than he could possibly eat in one sitting, the male Allosaur was still loathed to share. Furious, he roared and snapped his jaws angrily at his counterpart. The female managed to snatch one mouthful of flesh from the dead Muttaburrasaurus' neck, before wisely backing down. Although she left with only a small bit of meat, it can be assumed that the female Allosaur returned to the corpse after the male had departed.
As summer ended and autumn set in, the great Muttaburrasaurus herds began to depart Antartica en masse. During this migration, an adult and young Muttaburrasaurus became seperated from the main herd. As they trudged through the forest trying to reunite with their kin, they created a huge ruckus, bellowing loudly and smashing the vegetation. This would have dire consequences for the Leaellynasaura. Taking advantage of the situation, a Polar Allosaur began stalking the clan. The noise generated by the nearby Muttaburrasaurus masked the predators and the small herbivores didn't detect the carnivores presence until it was too late.
Sneaking close enough, the Allosaur launched its attack. The clan scattered but owing to their late reaction, the Allosaur managed to get in front of some of them. The carnivores first strike missed, but when the clans dominant female tried to escape by running directly underneath the Allosaur, the theropod caught her in its vice like jaws. Shaking its head violently, the predator dispatched its quarry, before dropping her lifeless body to the floor. As the rest of the clan watched on mournfully, the Allosaur decapitated the dead Leaellynasaura and ate her head in front of them. Although briefly distracted by the frantic calls of the dead females clansman, the carnivore soon returned to its feast. As a result of the Allosaurs actions, this particular clan was forced to face the winter without a lead female, an issue that they would not be resolve until the following spring.
Gallery[]
Errors[]
The Polar Allosaur featured in the episode is simply a recycled Eustreptospondylus model with a different skin pattern. The animal was intended to represent ”Allosaurus” robustus, a fragmentary species assumed to be similar in appearance to Allosaurus. In recent years, the astragalus is now thought to have either belonged to an abelisaurid or a megaraptoran, a little-known clade of theropods possibly related to tyrannosaurs.
Behind the scenes[]
BBC Nature has confirmed on the Polar Allosaur page that the dinosaur is Australovenator.[1] It is currently placed in Megaraptora, whose relationship to other theropod groups is disputed, with some saying that they were closely related to allosaurs while others say tyrannosaurs. Recent fossil material of a juvenile Megaraptor, a member of Megaraptora, suggests they are tyrannosauroids.[2]
The Polar Allosaur was the first dinosaur that Daren Horley worked on during the production of Walking with Dinosaurs in early 1997.[3]
List of appearances[]
- Walking with Dinosaurs
- Giant of the Skies (cameo, credits)
- Spirits of the Ice Forest
- Walking with Dinosaurs: A Natural History
- The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life (picture)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ BBC Nature - Australovenator
- ↑ Juvenile specimen of Megaraptor (Dinosauria, Theropoda) sheds light about tyrannosauroid radiation
- ↑ Neale, Beren. (September 17, 2014) How Jurassic Park made cinematic history. Creative Bloq.
|
Australovenator • Allosaurus • Giganotosaurus • Mapusaurus |