Anomaly Research Centre
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Anomaly Research Centre
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"You shouldn't even be looking at that, its top secret, innit."
WARNING! This article has spoilers, it contains plot details about recent or upcoming episodes, stories and/or content. Caution is advised.
« "It's like a T. rex, but smaller, faster... meaner." »
Connor Temple[src]


Albertosaurus was a large predator species of theropod dinosaur, related to Tyrannosaurus rex, from the Cretaceous period.

Characteristics

A huge predatory theropod closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex, Albertosaurus was physically very similar to its cousin, but it was distinguishable from T. rex by a somewhat smaller and sleeker build, and two small, horn-like crests located above each eye. Though less powerful than T. rex, Albertosaurus was also faster and much more agile, able to gallop forth with great bursts of speed which made it very difficult both to outrun and to chase down. It was also still strong enough both to head-ram objects with sufficient force to fatally injure a human or to send a van hurtling, and to easily crush and kill a human in its jaws.

Albertosaurus was highly aggressive towards practically anything that moved; it was known to run down and eat alive smaller animals it tracked and homed in on when hunting, and it would even snap its jaws to try and catch creatures passing in its sights while it was distracted running. Albertosaurus was an extremely dangerous predator towards smaller animals who were alone or in small numbers of no more than four, but when surrounded by much larger numbers of humans, or when spooked by fire or by an EMD blast, Albertosaurus would quickly opt to flee. (The New World, Truth, The Sound of Thunder: Part 2)

Incursions and encounters

Initial timeline

An Albertosaurus came through an Anomaly from a Spaghetti Junction in the Cretaceous to an empty warehouse that would later become Cross Photonics on 15 September, 2006. (The Sound of Thunder: Part 1)

Circa 6:10 PM, when Brooke and Evan Cross came across the Anomaly, the Albertosaurus arrived and attacked them, devouring and killing Brooke. (The New World, Fear of Flying, Truth) The creature then attacked Evan, but a future version of Mac Rendell arrived and pulled Evan out of the Albertosaurus' way as it pounced. When the Albertosaurus subsequently attacked Mac and threw him against a wall with its snout, Mac shot at the creature, prompting it to flee back through the Anomaly into the Spaghetti Junction. (Truth)

Current timeline

Spac-primeval-113-com-promo

The Albertosaurus rampaging in London. (The Sound of Thunder: Part 2)

Over ninety-seven minutes before Brooke's death on the other side of the 2006 Anomaly was to occur, the same Albertosaurus that would cause it came through an Anomaly from the Cretaceous Spaghetti Junction to urban London, and rampaged through the streets whilst being chased by the Anomaly Research Centre team.

The creature ultimately ran back through the Anomaly into the Spaghetti Junction, but briefly came back through and took Kieran Coles back through into the Junction with it. The Albertosaurus then went from the Junction through the 2006 Cross Photonics Anomaly there to the pre-Cross Photonics facility in 2006.

The Albertosaurus stalked the pre-Cross Photonics warehouse in 2006, before following Kieran and Connor Temple, and Evan Cross and Dylan Weir's 2012 selves, back through the Anomaly into the Spaghetti Junction. Before the Albertosaurus could attack the group, it was tranquilised by Project Magnet soldiers, and was brought back through an Anomaly to Britannia Beach in 9 June, 2012, where the tranquilised creature was placed inside a truck.

However, after approximately ninety minutes, the Albertosaurus recovered and broke out of the truck, attacking a nearby fuel station, badly injuring Colonel Henderson Hall and causing havoc. Evan Cross, Mac Rendell and several Project Magnet soldiers managed to get the Albertosaurus under control by trapping it using flamethrowers, and then chased it back to the Anomaly to the Spaghetti Junction. The Albertosaurus then fled through the Anomaly back into the Junction, from where it returned through the 2006 Anomaly to the pre-Cross Photonics building in 2006.

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The Albertosaurus rampaging on Britannia Beach in 2012. (The Sound of Thunder: Part 2)

There, moments after arriving, the Albertosaurus apparently attacked Brooke and Evan's 2006 selves, seemingly devouring and killing Brooke, and the creature next attacked Evan; but the latter was saved when Mac's 2012 self pulled him out of the Albertosaurus' way as it pounced. Moments later, the Albertosaurus fled back through the Anomaly into the Spaghetti Junction.

Almost immediately after the Albertosaurus came back through to the Junction, before it could attack Evan and Dylan's 2012 selves there, Evan gunned down and killed the creature in vengeance for Mac and Brooke's deaths. (The Sound of Thunder: Part 2)

Other references

Episode 3.10

When the ARC team arrived in a Cretaceous forest, Connor Temple mentioned Albertosaurus as one of the creatures possibly living in the forest.

The Ascent

During a Pteranodon incursion, Evan Cross imagined the Pterosaur was the Albertosaurus. He was then knocked out and hallucinated that he was in the Cretaceous period, where the Albertosaurus tussles with an Edmontosaurus before chasing Evan. Right before the Dinosaur was successful, he was woken up by Toby Nance.

Truth

Albertosaurus head

The Albertosaurus in the pre-Cross Photonics warehouse before attacking Evan and Brooke.

After a Pachycephalosaurus that had consumed natural hallucinogens sneezed on Evan Cross, the latter hallucinated the same Albertosaurus that killed Mac and Brooke in 2006 on the loose in Level A of Cross Photonics.

Real life

Albertosaurus (name meaning "Alberta lizard") lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago. It was a bipedal predator with tiny, two-fingered hands and a massive head with dozens of large, sharp teeth. Although relatively large for a theropod, Albertosaurus was much smaller than Tyrannosaurus, with full-grown specimens usually growing to thirty to thirty three feet (nine to ten metres) long. Albertosaurus may have been at the top of the food chain in its natural home's ecosystem, and some finds have given indications that Albertosaurus lived in packs and large groups.

Appearances

Trivia

  • The Albertosaurus specimen seen in Primeval: New World was identifiable by its missing left forearm, and numerous old scars and slashes covering its body.
  • It is unknown whether the Albertosaurus seen in Primeval: New World simply lived in the area around the Spaghetti Junction before travelling through the Anomalies in the Junction to London, pre-Cross Photonics and Britannia Beach, or if it originally came through one of the other Anomalies in the Spaghetti Junction into the Junction first. The former is supported by the fact that the Spaghetti Junction appeared to be located in the Cretaceous.
  • In Evan's flashbacks in The New World and Truth, and in The Sound of Thunder: Part 2, when the Albertosaurus charged at Evan Cross in 2006 before Mac saved him, the creature had blood on its mouth from when it killed Brooke. But in The Sound of Thunder: Part 2, when the Albertosaurus came back through the Anomaly to the Spaghetti Junction after fulfilling its role in history in 2006, the blood on its face was gone.

Errors

  • In Primeval: New World, Albertosaurus had a pair of horns in front of its eyes, probably to make the creature look more intimidating. While Albertosaurus did have crests in real life, they were greatly enlarged in the show.
  • In Evan's flashbacks and hallucinations of the original 2006 Albertosaurus incursion, the Albertosaurus appeared to be slightly smaller than it was in The Sound of Thunder: Part 2.
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