Prehistoric World

Chapter 3: Whales of Old

This is (Y/N) (L/N). He/She is a (G) with a dream: a dream to show the world what it was like, once upon a time. Using special technology, he/she plans to go back in time to save some of the most spectacular animals that ever existed. His/Her next stop is 36 million years ago. Only this time, he's/she's going to bring back an animal not of land, but of sea. 

"Basilosaurus, one of the earliest whales to ever exist. It's remains have been found in the Sahara Desert. I know that sounds weird, but during that time, there was a vast inland sea that had existed since the super continent of Pangea split apart." 

Soon, the whole tank is filled with sea water. And the aquarium will be completed. The boat they are taking is a special sail boat, and they will have equipment to find the Basilosaurus.

At this time, where the desert is, there is much greenery here. The shores are lined with mangrove swamps. Here, many animals have are living here on the lands, and are very many different mammals that are conquering the land. And the animals here are even more bizarre.

"Arsinoitherium. One of the largest animals living here. This one's a male. The horns splay out to attract mates. These may look like rhinos, but they're more related to elephants. What's even more interesting, they live like hippos!" 

Arsinoitherium then runs into the water, and swims. The water levels can change at anytime. A beach in the morning is a lagoon by mid day. But these animals are adapted to go with the flow. While sailing, the crew ran into a pod of relatives to Basilosaurus, called Dorudon.

These animals lived like dolphins. These animals live in pods and care for their young very often and help defend each other. 

"Now, what we're gonna do, is record their sounds, and maybe bring in a large predator, which we will use to trap the Basilosaurus."

Back in the park, the Mammoths are seeming to get along with the Ankylosaurus on the grasslands. 

"It seems that they are filling the different kinds ecological gaps," said Anna, "See, the Mammoths are eating the grass from the ground, while the Ankylosaurus eats the bushes, and the ferns that are scattered around the grassland." 

Herbivores all have different teeth that help them chew different plants. Some have thin, leaf shaped teeth that slice soft food, like that of the Ankylosaurus. The Mammoths have flat molars that are used to chew grasses. The Mastodons eat the leaves and twigs of trees like conifers, and some swamp plants as well. 

"So, when we have certain animals with different types of teeth, they don't compete for food, since they have different diets."

Back in prehistory, the Dorudon had left, and (Y/N) is now looking for the Basilosaurus. He/She has a full recording of Dorudon calls, and are now sending them out into the open ocean. 

"We've been waiting for a while, and we have seen sharks, and other Dorudon, but no Basilosaurus." They waited for a while, but then, a tail splash was heard! 

"This could be it!!!" said (Y/N), "Basilosaurus could be here!!" 

Diving into the water, (Y/N) gets the special water proof equipment ready. Just then, the animal was soon seen from the port side of the boat. 

"Oh my goodness!"

Basilosaurus. One of the first fully aquatic whales to ever exist. It is 60.36 ft. long, and the animal was beautifully streamlined. It didn't have blubber, cause it didn't need it near the equator. It looks like a whale on diet pills.

"Oh man, we need to do it now!" 

(Y/N) worked hard, and the Basilosaurus was coming towards her. The whale then chomped, but missed. (Y/N) then managed to open the portal, and she swan into it. The boat followed, and Basilosaurus followed.

The Basilosaurus looked around it's enclosure. It seems to like it. 

"Alright," said Roger, "This looks like quite the interesting animal. But this is no reptile, it's a whale." 

"Well," said (Y/N), "when the fossils of this animal were found, they thought it was a massive marine reptile. It wasn't until later that they found it was a species of ancient whale."

The Basilosaurus looks at the glass, and looks at the people looking at her. She seems to be more docile than originally thought. The zookeepers find Basilosaurus very interesting. 

"I'm a big whale fan," said Steve, "And I think that many people will have many people come to see him." 

The park will soon be opened, and along the way, they will save many more to come.

Next time, (Y/N) will go back to a time of giants, and save one of the largest dinosaurs to ever exist: the long-necked Diplodocus.