Swimming Theropod

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Scientific name	Unconfirmed, possibly Eustreptospondylus oxoniensis
Home era	Jurassic
Creature type	Swimming theropod dinosaur
Deaths caused	Neal Shaw
Appearances	Episode 5.2 (only appearance)

A swimming theropod appears in Episode 5.2. Its species is unknown; some have speculated that it is Balaur bondoc despite the fact that it has only one killing claw on each foot instead of two. There is also speculation that it is indeed a Eustreptospondylus, although the presence of a killing claw would refute this. The producers, however, seem to have made it extremely difficult to actually see the killing claw (blur and shading were used to make it hard to notice), so it may be that it is not supposed to be seen. Also, it was referred as a theropod, not a raptor, in the episode.

1 Facts
2 In Primeval
- 2.1 Episode 5.2
3 Gallery
4 Misinformation
- 4.1 Errors
5 Trivia
6 Behind the Scenes

FactsEdit

This unknown theropod species is from the Jurassic period and was not as advanced as other carnivores, with lower intelligence, a lack of protofeathers, and a more primitive set of vocalizations. It was black with red eyes. Living on islands, it often swam from one to another to find food, although it likely also ate fish and other small sea creatures. While swimming, they were at risk of being attacked by huge marine reptiles such as Liopleurodon. They could not swim fast enough to escape and had no means of defending themselves agains swimming reptiles, so they probably did not cross the ocean very often.

Due to the lack of feathers, it may not be a raptor at all but a different type of theropod related to Eustreptospondylus but with raptor-like killing claws.

In PrimevalEdit

Episode 5.2Edit

After the crew of the HMS Gartside come into contact with an anomaly in the North Sea, they learn that a female juvenile aquatic theropod had stowed away on the sub, with the crew thinking she's dead. It had likely been swimming between islands when the anomaly opened and was sucked through, landing on top of the submarine as it rose. When the ARC team comes aboard the vessel, Abby discovers that the creature was, in fact, very much alive, and was only in a temporary comatose state. Abby tells Officer Sam Leonard to help her put it in the freezer before the creature could reawaken. All goes according to Abby until a Liopleurodon attacks the sub and disconnects the fuse box, turning off much off the sub's power, including to the freezer. The theropod escapes from its prison and kills Officers Neal and Shaw. Abby and Connor encounter the creature when trying to find the fuse box and knock it out before it kills them via Connor beating his flashlight onto one of the sub's bunks and uses it to send an electric current through a puddle on the ground in front of them to the theropod. It is seen one final time as the team attempts to use it as bait for a Liopleurodon which is ravaging the sub by shooting it out of the torpedo bay. After Sam floods the torpedo bay, he gives the Matt the honor of shooting the theropod out. Thankfully for the team, the Liopleurodon takes the bait as it attacks the theropod and kills it, swallowing all of its body except its decapitated head.

GalleryEdit

MisinformationEdit

Tim Haines said that a two-clawed, swimming, black raptor would appear in "programme ten" (Episode 5.3). Obviously, he made a mistake as the only creature that appeared in that episode was the Dromaeosaurus. He must have been referring to the creature in Episode 5.2.
Watch's official series summary stated that a Eustreptospondylus would appear in Episode 5.2, though when the previews were released, it strongly resembled a black raptor, rather than a Eustreptospondylus. It has since been assumed by the fans that this was the creature referrenced by Tim Haines as the "swimming raptor."

ErrorsEdit

If this swimming theropod is Balaur, it most likely came through an anomaly from the Cretaceous period of Romania into the Jurassic period. Balaur did not inhabit the Jurassic. It would also have a double- sickled claw on each foot.
On the other hand, if it's a Eustreptospondylus they most likely gave it raptor claws to make it look more menacing, but this theropod didn't have these claws in real life. It's not even a raptor. This animal is most likely a completely fictional species rather than a Balaur or Eustreptospondylus. However, the claws of this dinosaur can hardly be seen in normal viewing; the darkness and blurring effects make it nearly impossible to notice them, so it is likely that the producers intended it to be a non-raptor theropod.
It's also highly unlikely that the Swimming Theropod could survive the water pressure when it was pumped out of the submarine as the creature's lungs should have imploded and killed the creature.

TriviaEdit

This is the first dinosaur shown to swim, discounting Hesperornis.
This is also the first dinosaur to be killed by a marine animal on-screen.
The Swimming Theropod is the 7th species of dinosaur to appear in Primeval.
The creature's death scene is a reference to the scene in Walking With Dinosaurs where a Liopluerodon grabs a fishing Eustreptospondylus from the shore.
This creature is the second dinosaur to have its gender revealed by a team member in the show. The first was a Dracorex. Both are female.
This is the only theropod, and only dinosaur, to be killed by a marine reptile.
It is unknown how the Swimming Theropod got knocked out. It probably hit the surface of the submarine.
This is the first dinosaur to appear in Series 5.
If it was an Eustreptospondylus, then the Swimming Theropod would be the first Older Novel dinosaur (not Tyrannosaurus) to appear in Primeval.
If it was a Balaur, that would make this creature the third species of raptor to appear in Primeval.
It is most likely a Eustreptospondylus as the Swimming Theropod came from the Jurassic, and instinctively tried to flee from a Liopluerodon (possibly having seen one while swimming) and is too big to be a Balaur.
If the above is true, then it is the first Jurassic dinosaur (discounting Stegosaurus as it was actually footage of other creatures) to appear in the TV series.
A name that could be used for this creature if it was an unknown species could be Plotoraptor.