List of creatures in Primeval
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The following is a list of prehistoric creatures that appear in the ITV science fiction television series Primeval.
[edit] Animals
[edit] Ammonite
Ammonites are a group of marine animals of the subclass Ammonoidea in the class Cephalopoda, phylum Mollusca. Ammonites' closest living relative is probably not the modern Nautilus (which they outwardly resemble), but rather the subclass Coleoidea (octopus, squid, and cuttlefish). Their fossil shells usually take the form of planispirals, although there were some helically-spiralled and non-spiralled forms (known as "heteromorphs").
One appears at the end of Episode One. It was left in Cutter's office by his wife Helen as a calling card although it appears to be dying out of the water. What happened to it is unknown as Cutter never told anyone of the visit, let alone showed them the Ammonite, dead or alive.
[edit] Anurognathus
Anurognathus was a tiny pterosaur that had a short head, pin-like teeth for catching insects, and although it traditionally is ascribed to the long tailed pterosaur group, its tail was comparatively short, allowing it more manoeuvrability for hunting in woodland. With a wingspan of 50 cm (20 inches) and a 9 cm long body (skull included), it could not have weighed more than a few grams.
A flock appear in Episode Five where they attack a golfer off screen, stripping the flesh from his bones in minutes. They were then seen roosting in a tree by Connor and Abby before being lured away by the scent of blood from a hospital-type blood drip.
They then surround the house where Cutter was treating Claudia for her wounds and attack like locusts. The pair flee from room to room as the Anurognathus break through the windows and skylights. Eventually Claudia barricades herself in a safe room when Cutter runs to the ambulance. In the mean time, his wife, Helen, who appears from nowhere, helps Claudia to escape while she makes a gas explosion with the ovens and presumably kills all the anurognathuses.
The creatures seen here is different from the creatures seen in the fossil record and are living in a different era. They were presumably re-imagined by the producers in order to make them scarier.
[edit] Arthropleura
Arthropleura evolved from crustacean-like creatures in the Carboniferous, and grew so large because of the high percentage of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere at that time. One appears in the second episode. Even though it is not a carnivore, it has a very powerful and a venomous bite and is easily provoked into attacking.
Stephen is bitten and the venom then begins attacking his central nervous system. The hospital staff inform everyone that unless they find a sample of the venom, so they can test it and see if it has any modern day equivalents, they cannot produce an anti-venom and Stephen will die. Nick then instructs everyone not to let the Arthropleura go back home as it must be caught to get a sample of its venom.
Nick then corners the creature in a disused machinery room. It attacks Nick and injects venom into two absorbent pads which he had under his suit. Connor then hits the Arthropleura with a metal stool. The enraged and wounded Arthropleura graps the stool and rips it from his hands, but in doing so smashes against some electric machinery and gets electrocuted in the head before falling to its death.
The creature seen here is different from the creatures seen in the fossil record so whether this specimen is a new species of Arthropleura or is simply re-imagined by the producers in order to make it scarier is unknown.
[edit] Coelurosauravus
Coelurosauravus are roughly iguana sized lizard-like diapsid reptiles native to the Permian period. The first Coelurosauravus which appears in the series is "Rex", which eventually becomes the team's pet. He is discovered in the Forest of Dean by a young boy, Ben, who contacts the zoo where Abby Maitland is working. When she arrives at the boy's home he suggests it may be the modern gliding lizard Draco volans, but Abby discredits this theory, saying the child may have discovered a new species.
The two journey into the Forest of Dean to see if they can find out more about Rex where they discover a dead cow lodged in a tree. When Rex runs away from Abby she follows it and becomes separated from the boy. In the process of trying to recapture Rex she discovers that it can fly, or at least glide very well. The others find Rex shortly after discovering the Scutosaurus, it is later taken to the Home Office where the researchers there examine him — however they scare it and it escapes, gliding through the building. It finds an open window and glides out. However it quickly returns enticed by Abby's lizard food.
When Nick Cutter goes through the Forest of Dean time anomaly, he tries to take Rex with him, but Rex sneaks back through shortly before the anomaly closes and is taken home, secretly, by Abby and kept as a pet. Though it is unclear what happened to Rex in Episode 5, he evidently survived the swarm of Anurognathus as he is seen once again in Abby's flat in Episode 6.
In the Permian scenes, several more Coelurosauravus can be seen gliding in the sky. Rex was animatronic as well as CGI.
[edit] Dodo
Dodos are flightless birds from the late Holocene. They were killed off and became extinct during the 17th Century, shortly after the arrival of people on their native Mauritius. They appeared in Episode Four. They were traditionally regarded as stupid, but Nick Cutter quickly realises they are just friendly and trusting, having evolved in an environment without large predators. The dodos are themselves harmless, but some carry deadly parasites, one of which infests Connor's friend Tom.
[edit] Giant Spiders
The Giant Spiders, are despite appearances, not true spiders (order Araneae), but a species of Solifugae, a distinct arachnid order. The name derives from Latin, and means those that flee from the sun. A nest of them appears in the second episode and the adults are up to 1 metre wide, by 1 metre long, because the lush rainforest of the Carboniferous saturates the atmosphere with oxygen, allowing them to grow larger than modern arthropods. They have pincers instead of fangs - like the modern day camel spider, only much bigger. They do not appear to make webs or produce venom but they nest in large groups and are very defensive of their offspring. Eventually it is discovered that they avoid light, and by using torches, all the Giant Spiders where driven back through the anomaly by the end of Episode Two.
[edit] Gorgonopsid
Gorgonopsia are either reptile-like-mammals, or mammal-like-reptiles from the Permian period. A Gorgonopsid - or perhaps two - appears in the first episode. One is seen chasing Helen Cutter at the beginning of the episode and it - or another - is the main threat throughout the rest of the episode. It is caught on camera and the picture is printed in a newspaper leading Connor Temple to approach Professor Nick Cutter and see if they can prove the as yet unidentified creature's existence. At first Nick Cutter and Stephen Hart are sceptical, however they accompany Connor to the Forest of Dean where the picture was taken.
When they arrive they find a damaged wagon and fence, and later after Claudia Brown joins them they also discover the dead cow in the tree that had been found by Abby Maitland and Ben. Abby sees the Gorgonopsid before the others when she is chasing Rex the Coelurosauravus, and it follows Ben home and attacks him. He escapes as the creature cannot pursue him through his window.
Later the Gorgonopsid tracks Ben to his school and attacks him and his teacher. However Stephen Hart lures the beast away. The Gorgonopsid launches its final attack after the anomaly has closed, only to be hit by Stephen's sport utility vehicle and gunned down by Stephen. What happened to the corpse and whether or not this was the same creature seen with Helen Cutter eight years ago is unknown.
They also appear in the sixth episode, both when Claudia Brown dreams that one is loose in the Home Office which then attacks her; and when Tom Ryan, his men, and Nick and Helen Cutter go back to the Permian period at a time five years before the abandoned camp they found in the first episode. They are followed by a futuristic predator, whose offspring they have taken. The predator attacks and kills Ryan and his men. At this point a Gorgonopsid arrives, stunning the Predator briefly before beginning to devour its young. The Predator and the Gorgonopsid then battle. Despite losing an eye, the Gorgonopsid emerges victorious when it rears up with the Predator on its back, crushing it beneath its weight. The Gorgonopsid then retreats with the Predator's body.
The Gorgonopsid is mistakenly described as a dinosaur by several characters.
[edit] Hesperornis
Hesperornis is an extinct genus of flightless aquatic birds that lived during the Late Cretaceous. Hesperornis were very large birds, reaching up to 2 metres (6.5 feet) in length. They had virtually no wings and hunted in the waters of the North American Inland Sea.
In Episode three, a housewife in west London finds, water spreading through the basement. she then calls a plumber. When he comes, the basement contains 3 or so feet of water. The plumber finds no pipe leaks and suspects a mains leak. The plumber is then attacked by a Hesperornis and killed.
Later as Nick Cutter swims through the anomaly he finds himself in a tropical sea with a flock of Hesperornis swimming around him. He later finds a Hesperornis rookery amongst the rocky shoreline. Two Hesperornis investigate, but Helen Cutter shoos them off by throwing small stones, and says that they "tend to be more dumb than violent, only attacking when they're in a panic or disturbed."
[edit] Mosasaur
Mosasaurs were serpentine marine reptiles and ferocious predators. Mosasaurs were not dinosaurs but evolved from semi-aquatic squamates known as the aigialosaurs, close relatives of modern-day monitor lizards. Mosasaurs breathed air and were powerful swimmers that were well-adapted to living in the warm, shallow epicontinental seas prevalent during the Late Cretaceous Period.
In Episode three, a fully grown Mosasaur attacks a swimming pool lifeguard and kills him. It then returned through the Anomaly that brought it their when the clorine in the water began irritating its skin. It then appeared at a reservoir in west London and regurgitates a bolus of the undigested remains of the lifeguard. Connor and Abby who had waded out into the reservoir to take water samples where then stalked by the creature. They then rush onto land but are stopped by a high metal fence. Another smaller mosasur comes ashore after them and Connor fights it with an oar. It backs off into the water returns through the anomaly which then closes.
It was last seen when Nick Cutter had travelled through the anomaly looking for his wife Helen. He fires a spear at its head, but its skin is too thick to penetrate. It attacks him but only bites down on his scuba, which while leaving him unwounded, also leaves him without air. As the Mosasaur swings round for its final attack, the adult Mosasaur attacks it, killing it almost instantly and swimming off with its kill.
[edit] Parasite
This previously undiscovered species is a cestoid[1] parasite, up to 30 centimetres long and weighing up to 70 grams. The parasites belong to the group Taeniadae[citation needed] which are distinguished from the other families of the order Cestoidea by having a distinct head, furnished with four simple oval or round suctorial discs (suckers).[1] In Episode Four these worm-like creatures were shown to specialise in infesting dodos.
They feed off the nutrients in the bloodstream of its host while it burrows into the brain of the carrier and manipulates it for the benefit of the parasite. The parasite causes the host to become aggressive. The bite of the host serves to spread the parasite's eggs, which are released into the saliva, to a new host.
The mature parasites are incapable of realizing an independent existence and like Leucochloridium paradoxum they eventually kill the host and themselves as part of their reproductive cycle. Any warm blooded creature is an acceptable host, even humans. One parasite is eventually responsible for the death of Connor Temple's friend Tom.
[edit] Predator
A futuristic creature that appears in Episode Six. It stands at 2 metres tall and weighs half a ton. This animal is equipped with an incredibly sensitive sonar navigation system - an improvement on that used by the bats of today. It is also incredibly fast, and capable of springing from surface to surface with apparently little effort. However, perhaps the creature's deadliest weapon is that it possesses human-like intelligence.
The predators come through the anomaly in the Forest of Dean via the one in the Permian (as seen in Episode One) in pursuit of Helen Cutter. They hunt down animals - including human beings - to feed to their offspring. Nick Cutter, aware of the impact these creatures can have on the past as well as the present, authorises the killing of the predators. After early setbacks when they underestimate the creature's speed and intelligence, they eventually track it down to its lair - and discover it has given birth. The adult then arrives, and Nick manages to kill it by luring it into a greenhouse then blowing out the glass with a gun, confusing its sonar system, before shooting it in the head.
Nick and Helen then decide to take the baby creatures back through the future anomaly, as they are too dangerous to leave in the present. However, nobody realizes that the predator had a mate, which manages to head through the anomaly in pursuit of its young. The predator kills Captain Ryan and his men, but was then confronted by the top local predator - a Gorgonopsid, which stuns the predator with a head-on charge before starting to devour its young. The future predator recovers and a battle erupts between the two killers. Despite the creature's speed, the Gorgonopsid's brute power prevails as it rears up and falls back with the creature on its back, crushing it. The Gorgonopsid then takes the body elsewhere to eat, but (contrary to what Helen said) at least two of the creature's babies have survived.
DNA analysis shows that the future predator seems to be descended from a sort of bat, which presumably became big and flightless and its wings changed back to front legs as its flight membranes disappeared. Mike Milne, Framestore CFC's Director of Computer Animation, has confirmed that this is indeed a species of flightless bat like the ones in After Man: A Zoology of the Future.[2]
[edit] Pteranodon
Pteranodon was a large Pterosaur, notable for its skull crest. This may have been used for mating displays, or it might have acted as a rudder, or perhaps both. It could, like the modern-day albatross, glide by navigating through thermals but was also fully capable of powered flight.
In Episode Five, a Pteranodon appears from an anomaly above a golf course. It then apparently attacks Connor and Rex. After some chasing, Connor and Rex jump down a hill as the Pteranodon swoops and flies away above them. It was assumed that this creature was responible for the death of a golfer earlier.
Cutter and Stephen later find it on a rooftop but it flies away before Stephen can shoot it. Nick then lures it back with a makeshift red flag used as a mock Pteranodon crest and Stephen now manages to shoots the Pteranodon with the tranquilizer gun and it crash-landed on the flat roof. However in its tranquilized stupor the pteranodon turns its head quickly and knocks out Claudia with its crest.
When removing the Pteranodon from the office block to the golf course. Stephen discovers that its diet contains fish and small reptiles but no human remains, proving that it did not kill the golfer and the real killer is still out there. This also proves that it was trying to catch Rex, not kill Connor. Back at the golf course, the Pteranodon is allowed to wake up and flies off through the anomaly to its own time. The anomaly then closed behind it.
[edit] Pterosaur
In Episode Three, Nick Cutter travels through an underwater anomaly and finds himself in a Cretaceous tropical sea, 70 million years ago. As he comes ashore and puts his scuba down on the beach he observed several Pterosaurs, at a distance, flying and feeding over the costal waters. These could prove to be another species of Pteranodon, and not the species in Episode Five.
[edit] Rex
See Coelurosauravus
[edit] Sarcopterygian
Sarcopterygians are a group of prehistoric fish which are traditionally classed as lobe-finned fishes, which in the real world include the modern day lungfish and the coelacanth, Latimeria. One recently-caught preserved member of this group appears in the first episode where Professor Nick Cutter identified it as a species of Sarcopterygian that should have been extinct for 80 million years. This suggests however that there has been at least one other anomaly open in order for it to escape into modern times.
[edit] Scutosaurus
Scutosaurus was a genus of armour-covered Permian period pareiasaur. One appears in the first episode, the team come across it in the Forest of Dean. It is a herbivore and therefore is not responsible for the death of the cow that they discovered earlier the same day in a tree. Several of the team stay and watch the Scutosaur while the others search for the creature responsible. When the Scutosaurus becomes alerted to the Gorgonopsid it flees, leading the team to a time anomaly which it passes back through. When in the past, they see several more Scutosaurus roaming a desert.
Although initially described correctly as a pareiasaur, this species is from then on called a dinosaur throughout the episode it appeared in.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Episode Four". Primeval. ITV. ITV One. 2007-03-03. No. 4, season 1.
- ^ Milne, Mike. Primeval sees Framestore CFC's Creatures Leap into the 21st Century.
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| Primeval main pages |
| Impossible Pictures Productions | Time anomaly |
| Main characters |
| Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) | Connor Temple (Andrew-Lee Potts) | Abby Maitland (Hannah Spearritt) Stephen Hart (James Murray) | Claudia Brown (Lucy Brown) | James Lester (Ben Miller) | Tom Ryan (Mark Wakeling) |
| Primeval lists |
| Episodes | Creatures | Minor characters |
