"Allosaurus!?"

Sobek's opponent was quite famous, so he had no trouble recognizing it. If he remembered correctly, the allosaurus had been one of the apex predators during the Jurassic period, if not THE actual apex.

For a moment he panicked. The allosaurus was very similar to a t-rex: what if it was as dangerous as the terrible king of the dinosaurs?

However, thinking rationally, Sobek realized that this couldn't be the case. The experience points offered by the allosaurus were much lower than the one offered by a tyrannosaurus. It didn't make sense to think they were equals. Furthermore, the mandibular structure and the body of the allosaurus didn't give him that idea of danger that those of the frightening t-rex emanated instead.

Perhaps the allosaurus had been an apex predator in the Jurassic period, where there were no other predators, but it was clear that in that world of disordered ages it could be just halfway down the food chain. That put it more or less on the same level as Sobek.

However, Sobek had the advantage of size: his opponent was barely nine meters long, less than half of his size. Also, unlike the allosaurus, he could count on very large and dangerous claws.

With this awareness, he chose to take the initiative. In the worst case he would have just retreated: the allosaurus would hardly have chased him when it had an entire carcass of maiasaura at its disposal. That was probably why it had come here: as Sobek feared, the smell of the corpses attracted predators.

The maiasaura must have been dead for at least half a day and this had attracted the allosaurus. In fact, the theropod seemed more intent on driving him out than killing him, a sign that what it wanted was actually just the carcass.

Sobek attacked, striding across the distance that separated them. He drew his claws, ready to attack.

But the allosaurus wasn't certainly a fool: with great agility it dodged the blow and taking advantage of its 'small' size passed under him and tried to bite his leg. If it had succeeded it could have made him lose his balance and make him fall.

But Sobek wasn't an ordinary spinosaurus: his agility and speed were far superior to those of his species... or at least, his old species, since he had already evolved once. He raised his paw to avoid the bite and then tried to crush the allosaurus by dropping on top of it.

The theropod, however, again avoided the blow and tried to take advantage of the fact that he had reached down to jump on his neck. But Sobek still had his tail, and just like he did with dilophosaurs he hit the dinosaur with it.

The allosaurus was sturdier and bigger than dilophosaurs, so the impact didn't break its bones, but it was enough to make it tumble to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Sobek tried to get up and attack it, but he didn't have time: the allosaurus preceded him and moved away a few meters.

Despite its moderate vitality, however, it was clear that it was injured: it was panting heavily and its right shoulder seemed almost dislocated.

Anyone could say that the allosaurus was the one at disadvantage, and in fact it started to leave. From its point of view, Sobek just wanted to defend the carcass, so he wouldn't have continued to fight it if it had just retreated.

However, it had underestimated its opponent's hunger for skill points.

An injured and weak large predator? How to miss such an opportunity!

Sobek chased after it and quickly nullified the distance between the two of them. After reaching level 20, his top speed was 21 km/h, so he could easily keep up with an injured and debilitated carnivore. Once he reached it, he jumped on it and hit it in the back. Having obtained level 3/5 of [Deadly claws], the blow was enough to split the spine neatly.

The allosaurus fell to the ground unable to move its legs again. It was done for now. Sobek reached it and twisted its neck with his muzzle, breaking it.

After making sure that the allosaurus was actually dead, Sobek hurried to devour the dimetrodons. He didn't bother to eat the carcass of maiasaura: it wouldn't have provided him with any experience point and he would have taken too long to consume it, and it was too heavy to move. If he had stayed in that area too long he would have found himself surrounded by other predators.

It was better for him to leave: he grabbed the corpse of the allosaurus with the muzzle and then ran away.

After going far enough, he laid down his prey and began to eat it. With the carcass of maiasaura still stinking nearby, it was unlikely that any predator would have followed the scent of the dead allosaurus.

The loot wasn't bad: beyond the 50,000 experience points, he had obtained 6 skill points! With the ones he obtained from the dimetrodons, he now had a total of 17 skill points!

This presented him a dilemma. His initial plan was to upgrade [Regeneration], but now he had enough points to upgrade [Deadly claws] again.

He couldn't say he wasn't tempted. Breaking the backbone of the allosaurus effortlessly gave him a sense of power. Having [Deadly claws] fully upgraded would have made him feel much safer!

Eventually he decided to take the risk. After all, 15 skill points weren't quick to get, so wasting them was foolish.

And so the [Deadly claws] skill reached level 4/5. Even though he had no way of proving it, Sobek was sure he could now cut wrought iron.

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AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS

Hi! Time for our paleontology lesson. Prepare yourself, because this time we have A LOT to said:

1) Parasaurolophus (whose name means "similar to the crested lizard" in reference to Saurolophus) is an ornithopod dinosaur that lived in the Late Cretaceous, 76.5-74.5 million years ago, in Alberta (Canada), New Mexico and Utah (United States). It was a herbivore capable of walking in both bipedal and quadrupedal postures. The genus contains three species: the type species P. walkeri, P.

tubicen and P. cyrtocristatus. It was described in 1922 by William Parks based on a skull and partial skeleton, from Alberta. Its most distinguishing feature is its hollow crest contained a series of tubes that elongated the nasal passages, through which it is thought that it could emit powerful baritone sounds.

It is thought that these sounds were used primarily to communicate, but some scientists believe they could also be used as a means of defense as they would have caused pain or even impacted the predator's brain.

The parasaurolophus is one of the best known herbivorous dinosaurs and appears in several TV series and documentaries, including "Prehistoric Park" and "Jurassic Park", and even in the Disney classics "Fantasia" and "Dinosaur".

2) Dilophosaurus lived in the Late Jurassic period, about 193 million years ago, in what is now the Kayenta Formation, Arizona. It was one of the largest predatory dinosaurs of its time, with an overall length of 7 meters, and owes its name to a pair of parallel rounded ridges on the skull.

Although both dinosaurs lived in the same period, this theropod has never met the apatosaurus: the latter, in fact, although also inhabiting North America, lived 152-151 million years ago (therefore about 40 million years later the dilophosaurus).

Both of these dinosaurs are quite famous and they appear in the "Jurassic Park" franchise, even if with some inaccuracies: for example, the dilophosaurus is represented as a tiny dinosair capable of spitting poison and with a collar similar to a chlamydosaurus, a modern-day running lizard. A total wrong rappresentation, but surely it is terrifying for viewers.

3) Smilodon is one of the most famous prehistoric mammals, as well as the best known saber-toothed feline. it is actually common also called saber-toothed tiger, in it was not closely related to tigers or other big cats today. The smilodon lived in the Americas during the Pleistocene-Holocene, about 2.5 million years ago, up to 10,000 years ago.

The genus contains three officially recognized species: S. gracilis, S. fatalis and S. populator. It was stouter than any existing feline, with particularly well developed forelimbs and exceptionally long upper canines; the jaws had a wider opening than that of modern felines, and its upper canines despite their length were thin and fragile, having adapted for precise killing.

The largest species, S.populator, with a weight of 220-436 kg and a shoulder height of 1.20 meters, is one of the largest known ferids.

The smilodon represents one of the most famous prehistoric mammals, as well as the best known saber-toothed feline; appears in several documentaries such as "Prehistoric Park", "Ice Age Giants" and "Walking with beasts", in the TV series "Primeval" and, of course, is the species of the tiger Diego from the famous film "Ice Age" by Blue Sky Studios, a true masterpiece of the history of the animation.

4) Megaloceros was a cervid that lived in Eurasia during the Pleistocene and Holocene. It is famous for its surprising size (about two meters at the withers) and with horns that could even reach three and a half meters in width (the name of the Megaloceros means "with giant horns").

Until a few years ago it was thought to have become extinct about 10,000 years ago with the end of the Ice Age, but recently remains have been found dating back to 9,200 years ago, thus demonstrating that it survives even in warmer climates, and consequently confirming the 'hypothesis that much of the Pleistocene megafauna has become extinct not only due to climate change but also the indiscriminate hunting of humans.

Although not particularly famous, the Megaloceros appears in the last episode of "Walking with beasts".

5) Carnotaurus (whose name means "meat-eating bull") was a large abelisaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in the Late Cretaceous, about 72-69.9 million years ago, in Argentina. It is particularly famous thanks to the particular shape of its skull; together with the t-rex and the allosaurus it is one of the most popular carnivorous dinosaurs to the public.

In fact, it appears in several cinematographic works: he is the antagonist of the Disney film "Dinosaur" and of one of the films of "The Land Before Time", it appears briefly in the "Jurassic Park" franchise and it also appears in the fifth episode of the recent documentary "Prehistoric Planet".

6) Suchomimus (whose name means "crocodile imitator") was a spinosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in the Lower Cretaceous, about 125-112 million years ago, in what is now Niger. The genus contains a single species, ie S. tenerensis, but some paleontologists consider the animal an African species of the European spinosaurid baryonyx, ie B.

tenerensis; it could also be a junior specimen of the contemporary spinosaurid cristatusaurus, although the latter taxon is based on much more fragmentary remains.

It could reach 9.5-11 meters (31-36 feet) in length, weighing between 2.5 and 5.2 tons, thus being one of the largest known spinosaurids, perhaps even larger than the baryonyx, being surpassed only from giants such as oxalaia, cristatusaurus or spinosaurus itself.

It too makes a brief cameo in the "Jurassic Park" franchise: in "Jurassic Park III", in fact, the spinosaurus skull is actually based on the skull of a sichomimus.

7) Toxodon (whose name means "arch tooth") is an extinct genus of hoofed mammal that lived from the Late Pliocene to the Late Pleistocene, approximately between 2.6 million and 16,500 years ago, in South America. It is famous for being one of the animals first described by the famous naturalist Charles Darwin, the man who first understood the concept of evolution.

Like many other species, its extinction may also have been caused by the indiscriminate hunting of man. They appear in some documentaries, including "Prehistoric Park".

8) Eohippus lived in the lower Eocene period (about 50 million years ago) and its fossil remains have been found in North America; it is considered one of the most ancient equidae and in fact has many horse characteristics: the back was arched, the muzzle was short, the legs were short, the tail still long, and the teeth were adapted to graze leaves.

9) Moeritherium, whose name means "beast of Moeris", was a prehistoric relative of the present elephants, lived between the upper Eocene period and the lower Oligocene period in North Africa, and was very similar to a tapir with a small trunk. It appears in the series "Walking with beasts".

10) Maiasaura was a hadrosaurid who lived in the Upper Cretaceous in Montana. The name of the genus means "good mother lizard", and was given in 1979 by paleontologist Jack Horner after discovering a series of nests with remains of egg shells and nestlings: this was proof that large dinosaurs fed and cared for their young.

In fact, Maiasaura is one of the dinosaurs with the best known parental care and they show that dinosaurs behaved very similarly to today's birds towards their cubs.

11) Dimetrodon, whose name means "teeth of two sizes", is a sphenacodontid synapse (absolutely NOT a dinosaur!) that lived in the Permian period, approximately 295-272 million years ago.

It became extinct about 40 million years after the appearance of dinosaurs: although its appearance and physiology make it resemble reptiles, in fact, dimetrodon is more closely related to mammals, even if it is not a direct ancestor.

It is therefore a synapse, while dinosaurs (as well as birds and reptiles) are part of the sauropsids, so please don't confuse it with a dinosaur like many unfortunately. Being quite known it appear in several films and cartoons and also in the documentary "Walking with monsters".

12) The allosaurus was a theropod dinosaur that lived in the Upper Jurassic, about 155-145 million years ago, whose name literally means "different lizard".

Together with the tyrannosaurus and the carnotaur it is one of the most famous carnivorous dinosaurs and for a long time held the record as the largest carnivorous animal ever, until the tyrannosaurus (and later many other predators such as the giganotosaurus or the mapusaurus) arrived to take the record.

The length of a specimen must have been 8.5 meters, although fragmentary remains suggest larger dimensions, with some specimens that could reach 12 meters, and unlike other large theropods it possessed long forelimbs exceptionally armed with large claws.

Some paleontologists also include that the allosaurus lived and hunted in packs or small groups, such as modern lions; others, on the other hand, argue that it was a solitary and territorial animal.

The allosaurus is so famous that it has appeared in several films, the oldest of which date back to the first half of the twentieth century with "The Valley of Gwangi"; more recently it also appeared in the documentary "Walking with dinosaurs" and in his spin-off "The ballad of Big Al", and then again in "Dinosaur Revolution" and "Planet dinosaur".

It also appears in several animated works and of course in the "Jurassic Park" franchise. In the end, on the SCP Foundation website, the SCP-250 is represented as an allosaurus skeleton capable of moving and eating as if it is alive.

13) In case someone notice it... yes, I inserted all this explanations just because this chapter was too small. I'm sorry, when I wrote it I thought it was longer, and when I noticed that it wasn't I didn't know how to change it, so I simply decided to use this little window as my advantage. And seriously, there is really someone that readed all of that?