- « "An early species of dinosaur with a fearsome set of teeth, these guys were a deadly knee-high combination of muscle, tooth and claw. Agile and fast, they hunted in packs and could bring down much larger prey by attacking legs then swarming in like piranhas. Don’t underestimate their seemingly mischievous nature; they lived up to their name." »
- — Primeval: New World official description[1]
Daemonosaurus is a genus of small basal saurischian dinosaur from the Triassic period. They were intelligent and cunning pack hunters led by an alpha.
Characteristics[]
Daemonosaurus were about two feet high and three or four feet long. They possessed a very thin and fragile-looking body structure which made them fast and agile; with long, thin forearms and double-jointed legs, and a roundish skull equipped with large, round eyes and tiny sharp teeth. They also had some individual differentiation in vocal tone, with some Daemonosaurus having a hoarser and deeper voice than others. They relied on intelligence and cunning, which made them quick problem-solvers who were able to learn on their feet from mistakes to overcome tricks, traps and hazards. Daemonosaurus were also known to have an affinity for collecting and gathering shiny objects and materials, similarly to crows and magpies.
Coming from a time where the world was dominated by armoured giants, Daemonosaurus were pack hunters which attacked in numbers to bring their prey down. When possible, Daemonosaurus preferred to close in on and attack their targets from above. They also usually preferred to attack loners if they could, since lone prey wouldn't have a numerical advantage. Daemonosaurus packs were each led by an alpha, which would command the subordinates in attacking prey. They had a close pack mentality and loyalty; when one Daemonosaurus was captured or trapped, the others of the pack would actively work to rescue and free it, and the Daemonosaurus would follow their alpha wherever it went.
Daemonosaurus vision.
Daemonosaurus were highly territorial creatures; when they claimed a territory, they would attack and kill any intruders. However, it was still possible to conquer Daemonosaurus' territory and take it from them, in which case the Daemonosaurus would, upon leaving, not return.
Incursions and encounters[]
Clean Up on Aisle Three[]
A pack of six Daemonosaurus came through an Anomaly into a Canadian Tire Store in present day Vancouver. The alpha of the pack declared the store their territory, and the Daemonosaurus then attacked a security guard in the store and dragged him back to the Anomaly, where they devoured and killed him.
Later, when Evan Cross, Dylan Weir and Mac Rendell arrived and investigated the store, the Daemonosaurus began stalking them in the store's warehouse. When Evan and Dylan trapped one Daemonosaurus by luring it into a pet cage with a trail of food, it sent out a distress signal which caused the others to attempt to free it. After one of the other Daemonosaurus saw through the same trap when Evan and Dylan tried to use it to capture it, the creatures momentarily stunned Evan by pushing boxes from a shelf down onto him. They then took Evan and Dylan's guns and radios, and freed the Daemonosaurus that the duo had already captured.
A Daemonosaurus on a store shelf, about to attack Evan and Dylan.
Several of the Daemonosaurus, including the alpha, then followed Evan and Dylan into the store's shopping area and launched an attack on the duo. Evan and Dylan at first tried to fend off the attacking Daemonosaurus with hockey sticks, but were quickly forced to flee. The creatures trapped Dylan in a metal shed, until Evan scared them off with a leaf blower.
Meanwhile, the Daemonosaurus that was stalking Mac stole his torch, and Mac subsequently pursued it through the store's storage area into a small manager's office. Mac then locked himself in with the Daemonosaurus, and after a struggle and fight, he was able to capture the creature by trapping it in a sealed cooler box. Later, when Mac, Evan and Dylan found the Daemonosaurus' nest of shiny objects they had collected from around the store, the alpha attacked Evan in defense of its territory; but Evan was able to knock the alpha Daemonosaurus out by crushing it under his body.
The team subsequently sent the alpha Daemonosaurus and the Daemonosaurus captured by Mac back through the Anomaly in a pet cage and the cooler box, and the other Daemonosaurus went back through after the alpha. It was stated that the Daemonosaurus pack would not come back through, as they now recognised the store as the Special Projects Group's territory.
Real life[]
Daemonosaurus (name meaning "demon lizard") is a genus of possible theropod dinosaur, which lived in what is now New Mexico between 208 and 201 million years ago. It is only known from a single, incomplete holotype discovered at Ghost Ranch.
Trivia[]
- This is the most recently named creature to appear in the Primeval universe being classified in 2011.The most recently named creature in the original series is Kaprosuchus.
Errors[]
- In Primeval: New World, Daemonosaurus was depicted with pronated hands; something theropods cannot have in real life, as they cannot pivot their wrists without breaking them.
- In real life, Daemonosaurus would almost certainly not have had such an advanced level of vocalisations, as the syrinx (the vocalisation structure of dinosaurs) would not have evolved until the Cretaceous, and would have existed only in birds.