Scutosaurus
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| Scientific name | Scutosaurus karpinskii |
| Home era | Late Permian |
| Creature type | Anapsid reptile |
| Deaths caused | 2 |
| Appearances | Episode 1.1 Episode 1.6 Episode 2.6 Episode 2.7 |
- "A reptile 5 or 6 tons at least large super temperal huge osteoderms on its back must be some kind of anapsid"
- ―Nick Cutter[src]
Scutosaurus is a genus of armour covered Permian period pareiasaur, loosely related to the turtles.
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Facts
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Its genus name refers to large plates of bony scutes osteoderms set in the skin as a defense against predators. But the most unusual thing about them were the heavy skulls ornamented with strange knobs and ridges. It was of a very heavy build, almost rhinoceros like.
Scutosaurus, meaning Shield Reptile was a genus of armor covered pareiasaur that lived around 252-248 mya in Russia in the later Permian period. Its genus name refers to large plates of armor scattered across its body. It was a large anapsid reptile that, unlike most reptiles, held its legs underneath its body to support its great weight.
They are herbivores, which are well adapted to the dry conditions which covered much of Pangaea at that time. A social animal, they migrated in large groups. The leaf-shaped multi-cusped teeth resemble those of iguanas caseids and other reptilian herbivores. This dentition together with the deep capacious body which would have housed an extensive digestive tract in the past.
Although initially described correctly as a pareiasaur, this species is from then on called a dinosaur throughout the episode in which it appears. Although based on the heavily armour species called Scutosaurus karpinskii that lived about 260 million years ago in Russia, the size of the Scutosaurus in the series is exaggerated for dramatic purposes. It's described as at least 5 or 6 tons in weight, about as big as an elephant. In fact the actual Scutosaurus was much smaller, no more than 3 meters in length. Scutosaurus was a massively built reptile up to 2.5 metres 8.2 ft in length with bony armor and a number of spikes decorating its skull. Despite its relatively small size, Scutosaurus was heavy and its short legs meant that it could not move at speed for long periods of time, which made it vulnerable to attack by large predators. To defend itself, Scutosaurus had a thick skeleton covered with powerful muscles, especially in the neck region. Underneath the skin were rows of hard bony plates scutes that acted like a form of chain mail.
As a plant eater living in a semi arid climate, Scutosaurus would have wandered widely to find fresh foliage to eat. It may have stuck closely to the riverbanks and floodplains where plant life would have been more abundant, straying further afield only during times of drought. Its teeth were flattened and could grind away at the leaves and young branches before digesting them at length in its large gut.
With its large cheekbones, Scutosaurus may have been able to make a loud bellowing sound. It had excellent hearing and could have heard other animals bellowing from some distance away. These noises could have been used for mating or as warning signals.
In PrimevalEdit
One came through an anomaly into the Forest of Dean. It was later found by the team and, scared, fled back through the anomaly. Tom Ryan, Helen and Nick Cutter encountered herds of Scutosaurus in the Permian, on the other side of the anomaly (Episode 1.1, Episode 1.6).
A couple of Scutosaurus were captured by Oliver Leek. They escaped along with the other creatures and tried to break out of the base. They returned to the main room when they heard the siren for food and were presumably killed when the creatures were locked in and destroyed each other. (Episode 2.7)
Trivia Edit
Scutosaurus is incorrectly referred to as a dinosaur in the episode even by people who should know better.
- It is easier than calling it a Giant Prehistoric anapsid.
- Stock footage of a Scutosaurus was used for a Stegosaurus in Series 4 Prequel Webisodes along with Gorgonopsid and Embolotherium.
- This is the 1st creature that Nick, Connor, Claudia and Stephen encounter
- This is the 14th biggest creature in the series.
- Scutosaurus is the 1st herbivore to appear in Primeval.
- This is the biggest herbivore of Series 1.
- Scutosaurus is the 1st creature to return through the anomaly it came from.
- Scutosaurus appears in Walking With Monsters
- In life, Scutosaurus was actually 4 feet tall and 8 feet long.
- This was the largest herbivore to appear in Primeval until the Columbian Mammoth appeared in Series 2.
- its the 2nd herbivore to kill someone.
GalleryEdit
Promotional ImagesEdit
External LinksEdit
| Series 1 Main Creatures | ||
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| Younger Storybooks Main Creatures | ||
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