Raptor Red
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| Author | Robert T. Bakker |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Released | 1995 |
| Media type | Print Hardcover/Paperback |
| Pages | 250 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-553-57561-9 |
Raptor Red is a novel by the paleontologist Robert T. Bakker. The book is a first-person account of the world of dinosaurs during the Cretaceous Period, told from the point of view of Utahraptor, a large female theropod. The book received critical response upon its release for being a fascinating experiment in literary work; People Magazine commented that “Michael Crichton may be a good storyteller, but even he wouldn’t have the nerve to write a dinosaur novel from the dino’s point of view.”[1] The novel also showcases many of Bakker’s theories regarding dinosaurs' social habits, intelligence, and the world they lived in.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
[edit] Background
According to Bakker, he suggested to a colleague the name Utahraptor for a specimen that had been found by an amateur bone-hunter in Utah. Bakker was at the time consulting with the designers of the Jurassic Park movie; by a coincidence, the newly found Utahraptor was the same size as the largest Velociraptor in the script, the "big female".[2] The book Raptor Red was an attempt for Bakker to not only introduce this new giant raptor that had been found, but also explain some of his theories regarding dinosaur behavior.[3]
[edit] Plot summary
Raptor Red takes place approximately 85 million years ago, in the early Cretaceous period during the Mesozoic. The book opens with the title character, Raptor Red, and her mate hiding in some bushes. They are planning to ambush an Astrodon (“astros”), large herbivorous sauropods. The Astros are surprised by the raptors, thinking that that their bulk makes them immune to attack. However Utahraptors are a new species to the area, migrating to what is now America by a land bridge from Mongolia. They are much larger than any resident raptor, and proceed to take down an astro with teamwork. However, as Raptor Red’s mate climbs onto the dead astro, the corpse rolls in the mud, trapping the male under the bulk of the animal. Despite Raptor Red’s best efforts, her mate suffocates. In a rage she proceeds to slash at everything around her, killing a pterodactyl nearby. Despondent, Raptor Red wanders around the floodplain, nearly starving since as a lone raptor she cannot execute attacks against big game.
A few weeks later, Raptor Red follows a familiar scent and is reunited with her sister, a single mother with three chicks. The two hunt together, bringing food back to the nest for the young. A white dactyl, one Raptor Red has seen since she hatched, helps the two by finding carrion and prey in exchange for a helping of meat. He becomes a sort of guardian for the raptors, “adopting” them.
On one hunting expedition, when the two adult raptors are stalking a herd of Iguanadon, Raptor Red spies a young male raptor also watching the prey. He begins a courtship dance for Raptor Red, but Red’s sister cuts him off, hissing. Her growls agitate the Iguanadonts, who stampede and very nearly kill Raptor Red’s sister. The male leaves hastily.
One night later, Raptor Red awakes to find water creeping up towards the raptor’s nest. Heavy rainfall has breached the rivers and created a flash flood. Raptor Red’s sister leads the pack, teaching Raptor Red how to swim. The raptors climb into the crown of a fallen tree, where other dinosaurs have also sought shelter. Here Raptor Red once again encounters the male raptor, who performs a courtship dance while hanging onto the tree branches. Raptor Red’s sister begrudgingly allows the male to stay with them, provided he steers clear of her chicks.
For a while, Raptor Red and her pack are happy, feeding off the plentiful carrion left with receding flood waters, but the good times are distrupted by an invasion of large Acrocanthosaurs, huge meat-eating dinosaurs. The added competition for food puts strain on the pack, as does the unexpected death of the middle of the chicks. One day, the other two chicks are taunting the male, so he impulsively grabs one in his mouth. He realizes his mistake, and quickly lets it go, but Raptor Red’s sister screams at him, preparing to attack, while Raptor Red tries to defuse the situation, torn between a prospective mate and her kin. Two Acros watch the commotion and see an opportunity to kill one of the chicks. Raptor Red, seeing the danger, manages to trick the female Acro, luring her into deep water where she is dragged under by a Kronosaurus. Raptor Red saves her family, but at a price- her consort is forced away.
Facing continual threats from the Acros, Raptor Red, her sister and the chicks are forced up into the mountains. They encounter ice and snow for the first time, and kill a Segnosaur in a cave; they subsequently turn the cave into their nest. The oldest chick now accompanies the two adults on hunting expeditions. One day they encounter a strange creature they have never seen- a “whip tail”, a member of the Brontosaur family who inflicts wounds on both Raptor Red and her sister. They make it back to the nest alive, but Raptor Red is only able to hobble around, while her sister has cracked ribs. The older chick is forced to hunt for them all. This calamity coincides with the arrival of a large pack of Deinonychus, smaller native raptors. Sensing the weakness of the Utahraptor, they surround the nest.
Raptor Red’s sister dies, and Raptor Red is crippled and defenseless against the smaller raptors. They close in, planning on waiting for Raptor Red to die, but are driven back by a sudden two-way attack- Raptor Red’s consort returns, helping the raptor chick to attack.
Some time later, the old white dactyl circles over Raptor Red’s mountain stronghold, and finds the pack has grown considerably. Both Raptor Red and her consort, as well as the older chick and her new mate, have chicks, who are amusing themselves rolling down a hill. The dactyl, satisfied, heads off to parts unknown, but returns later with a mate of his own.
[edit] Literary significance and criticism
Raptor Red was favorably received by paleontologists and critics alike. As one reviewer noted, "[Raptor Red] is not anthropomorphized; rather, Bakker draws on what we know about modern-day predators and prey to paint a picture of an animal who is an efficient, even joyous killer, but who also feels grief at the loss of her mate, loyalty to her family pack, and who has a sometimes playful and lively curiosity about the world around her."[4] Another reviewer noted that though the nature of the protagonist being a dinosaur "prevents plot complexity above that of a children's book", the novel "may hold a particular fascination for younger readers, as well as old."[5] Some reviewers took issue with the technical aspects of the book, specifically Bakker combining fauna in ways not directly supported by the fossil record; for example, some dinosaur species in the book may or may not have died out before the arrival of Utahraptor.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Raptor Red back cover, (1996 paperback edition)
- ^ Raptor Red Foreword: 4
- ^ Raptor Red Foreword: 6-8
- ^ Kaetz, James P. Raptor Red Review. findarticles.com. Retrieved on Feb 12, 2007.
- ^ Weisberger, Christian. Raptor Red. inka.de. Retrieved on Feb 14, 2007.
- ^ Holtz, Thomas R.. Raptor Red: A Review. upenn mail. Retrieved on Feb 18, 2007.
