PRIMEVAL: the secret files

Thanatotheristes, Xenoceratops and Colepiocephale

Thanatotheristes means reaper of death. Enough said.

Nah I'm just kidding. Although its name really does mean reaper of death Thanatotheristes was more than just that. It was a Tyrannosaurid that lived from 80 to 79 million years ago during the late Cretaceous in Alberta, Canada. For this brief moment in earth's history Thanatotheristes was the apex predator of North America.

Diet: Small to large animals and carcasses.

Casualties: One Xenoceratops.

Cause of death: Impaled by Xenoceratops.

Xenoceratops was a mid size Ceratopsian from Alberta, Canada that lived during the Cretaceous time period 79 million years ago.

Xenoceratops had long brow horns that weren't too different from the other Ceratopsian of the time such as the previously featured Diabloceratops and Albertaceratops.

Diet: Plants.

Casualties: One Thanatotheristes.

Cause of death: Bled out after Thanatotheristes cut a main artery.

Colepiocephale was a beagle-sized species of Pachycephalosaurid that lived during the Cretaceous period in what we now know as Alberta, Canada over 80 to 77 million years ago. Although Colepiocephale was first discovered in 1945 it was misidentified as a Stegoceras. It would only be in 2003 that the fossils would be reexamine and correctly identified as a new species of Pachycephalosaurid.

Diet: Plant life.

Casualties: None.

Anomaly incident: An anomaly opened in the courtyard of Leap Castle located in Coolderry, Ireland.

Given the castle's reputation for being haunted by the spirits of those who were murdered there, the locals and current owners of the castle took the appearance of the anomaly as a manifestation of the ghosts that were haunting the place.

Meanwhile the anomaly's signature appeared on the monitors within the ARC facility and in a matter of minutes an ARC team was on their way to Leap Castle.

Upon arrival they found the castle's courtyard infested with Colepiocephales that had wandered through the anomaly.

But the small dinosaurs weren't alone. Standing among them was an old Xenoceratops that was missing its right crest horn.

The ARC team began to try to herd the Colepiocephales into the anomaly, but they were soon met with the problem of not being able to simply chase little dinosaurs back into the anomaly since their quick movements could end up provoking the Xenoceratops and cause it to charge. Nor could they just tranquilize the ceratopsian since the sudden sting of the dart penetrating its hide would almost certainly cause it to charge before the anesthetics could take effect.

With all these factors to consider, the ARC team was only successful in getting half of the Colepiocephale herd into the anomaly. Meanwhile, the rest ran into the castle.

As the ARC team followed the Pachycephalosaurids into the castle they found themselves playing a game of hide and seek with the Colepiocephale.

The ARC team were successful in catching most of them and send them back to their own time period, but one in particular was very good at evading them by squeezing itself through the many tight gaps that dotted the castle.

Team leader (******) remarked that this one was as bad as Houdini when it came to escaping them. Eventually paleontologist (*****) went through the anomaly to go get some of the Native plants from the Colepiocephale's time in hopes of luring it out.

But as she ran back through the anomaly with the plants she failed to notice the pair of bright yellow eyes that were watching her.

When the ARC team was finally able to coax the Colepiocephale out of its hiding spot they were about to bring it back through the anomaly when the Xenoceratops began to let out snorts and belows at the anomaly. Then walking through the anomaly was a large Thanatotheristes.

The Xenoceratops and Thanatotheristes stared at each other before the reaper of death lunged at its prey.

The Xenoceratops swung its head back and forth to ward off the predator's attack. Its horns scratched the Thanatotheriste's lower jaw causing it to stumble to the side.

Quickly the Thanatotheristes rushed the Ceratopsian and bit down on its back causing some of its teeth to break off. The Xenoceratops retaliated by beginning to kick and shake around trying to throw its attacker off.

Thanatotheristes wasn't able to hold on to its large struggling prey and let go. Quickly the Xenoceratops turned around and lunged at the Thanatotheristes.

The predator tried to move out of the way, but was stabbed in its right leg by the Xenoceratop's horn. The Thanatotheristes began to roar in pain, but as the Ceratopsian backed up and got ready to charge again the Tyrannosaurid stepped to the right and bit down on the Xenoceratop's neck.

The two struggled for some time before the Thanatotheristes threw the Xenoceratops into the Bloody Chapel. It then ran toward the Ceratopsian ready to finish it off.

But in one last thrust of its head the Xenoceratops drove its horns into the Thanatotheriste's stomach. The two combatants bled out right then and there.

The ARC team returned the last Colepiocephale back to its own time period and then brought the bodies of the Thanatotheristes and Xenoceratops back to the facility where their bodies are in cold storage. But recently two new spirits seem to have joined the others in Leaf Castle: a two-legged dragon and a scaly bull.