(In water)
Deep in the Triassic seas...
(Deep bellowing sounds)
A pod of titans has just woken up.
(Shonisaurus pod comes into view)
Shonisaurus popularis was a titan among titans, one of the largest marine-reptiles to ever live on our planet. This behemoth of an Ichthyosaur was a gentle fish eater however, and other creatures had little to fear from this gentle giant. And the focus of this tale...
(Gleam comes into view)
The matriarch of the pod, Gleam, and her 2 children. You see, the waters here in Triassic Canada are growing cold, and the fish are moving to China on the other side of the globe, meaning this pod of Shonisaurus must migrate to China for the winter. Gleam is pregnant right now, so she must teach her children everything she can to keep themselves alive while she handles the pregnancy. Let's call the children... Haddock and Mako.
(Haddock and Mako play with each other and almost fall out of their mother's reach, she nudges them back into the pod)
As good as it is for her children to play with each other, she can't let them stray too far away from the pod, as dangers lurk in these oceans; You'll see what I mean in a minute.
As of now, the pod has spotted a school of fish, and they know a truly incredible strategy to capture them.
(Shonisaurus circle around the fish, blowing bubbles to keep them trapped. Then a few other Shonisaurus strike from below)
This strategy works very similarly to the bubble-netting that modern day humpback whales use to catch fish. Gleam can't wait to teach her children the strategy.
If they were with the pod.
While Gleam was focused on hunting, her children were playing and wandered away from the pod. Gleam went as fast as she could and thankfully...
(Gleam pushes Haddock and Mako away right as a black shadow fly's right past)
Gleam has saved her children from an assaulting pack of Shastasaurus pacificus. These usually calm shoreline ambush predators of large fish and Nothosaurs switch to heavy carnivory when a lack of food is present. And seeing a school of food get swallowed whole has made the pod MAD. The S.pacificus attack the unfortunate Shonisaurus pod fiercely, with the males of the Shonisaurus pod defending the young while the females go on the offense. These fights can last for hours.
And it looks like it will, until the S.pacificus all the sudden flee the scene. At first our pod thinks they have won, until Gleam gives a command to look down.
(Huge black shadow in the water)
The children and young adults of the pod seemed confused, but Gleam and the other adults know what that... THING is, and they don't want their children, or even THEMSELVES anywhere near it. And so, Gleam gives the call to move on, the migration has officially begun.
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