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Marine Reptiles
Dolichorhynchops
Dolichorhynchops osborni
A dolphin-sized polycotylid plesiosaur.
- Artistic Licence Paleontology: Plesiosaurs had large babies relative to their mother's size, so the female protagonist should be already a third of her mother's length from birth.
- Bizarre Alien Locomotion: Like all plesiosaurs, they swim using four paddle-like flippers.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: Has the long snout of a gharial, on a vaguely pinniped-like body.
- Pregnant Reptile: Dolly's mother is shown giving birth to Dolly and her brother.note
The Female Dolichorhynchops
The Dolichorhynchops protagonist of the story.- Life Will Kill You: After many years of surviving the Perilous Prehistoric Seas and reproducing, she finally succumbs to old age.
- Missing Mom: Her mother is killed by a Cretoxyrhina.
- Rugged Scar: Gets a chunk taken out of her left hind flipper by a Squalicorax.
Styxosaurus
Styxosaurus snowii
A distant relative of the Dolichorhynchops; an elasmosaurid plesiosaur.- Bizarre Alien Locomotion: Like Dolichorhynchops, they swim using four paddle-like flippers.
- Gentle Giant: Despite dwarfing the Dolichorhynchops they leave them alone, as they are happy to feast on fish instead.
- Long Neck: The Styxosaurus make good use of these when catching fish.
Platecarpus
Platecarpus tympaniticus
A mosasaur that feeds on small fish and squid. Tylosaurus
Tylosaurus proriger
A larger relative of Platecarpus, and a ferocious apex predator.- Always a Bigger Fish: Both a Hesperornis and and a Squalicorax are eaten by a Tylosaurus while in pursuit of their prey, a small fish and the female protagonist respectively.
- Behemoth Battle: A 29-foot Tylosaurus finds himself in the sights of a larger individual of the same species. The skirmish concludes with the death of the smaller tylosaur.
- Dire Beast: Is seen as this to the smaller Platecarpus.
- Neck Snap: A large Tylosaurus kills a smaller one in this way during a territorial confrontation.
Protostega
Protostega gigas
A giant sea turtle.- Dire Beast: A giant sea turtle, much larger than the leatherback sea turtle of today.
- Gentle Giant: A Protostega is seen feeding on squid, and pays no attention to Dolly when she passes by it.
Archosaurs
Pteranodon
Pteranodon longiceps
A pteranodontid pterosaur.- Terror-dactyl: Beautifully averted with perhaps the most accurate depiction of Pteranodon longiceps in a documentary (as of the documentary's release). It is even covered in a dark covering that may or may not be pycnofibers, a fur-like covering most, if not all pterosaurs possessed.
Hesperornis
Hesperornis regalis
A flightless seabird.- Fantastic Fauna Counterpart: Hesperornis is basically a giant, flightless grebe with teeth.
- Toothy Bird: It is a seabird that has teeth.
Gorgosaurus
A medium-sized tyrannosaur that appears in the beginning of the documentary.
- Anachronism Stew: The oldest Gorgosaurus is dated to around 77 million years ago, 5 million years after the time period the documentary takes place. That being said, it isn't referred as such in the documentary.
Fish
Enchodus
Enchodus sp.
Saber-toothed baitfish.- Fantastic Fauna Counterpart: They form bait balls not unlike sardines.
- Monster Munch: Serve no other role than to be food for other marine creatures.
Xiphactinus
Xiphactinus audax
A 17-foot long predatory fish.- Deadly Dodging: Dolly moves out of the way of a charging Xiphactinus just in time for the fish to ram head-first into a Gillicus, which it eats. It backfires on the Xiphactinus, which dies because of internal damage caused by swallowing such big prey.
- Death by Gluttony: A Xiphactinus swallows a Gillicus whole, which damages the Xiphactinus' insides, killing it.
- Fantastic Fauna Counterpart: They resemble giant oceanic tigerfish.
- Fiendish Fish: A Xiphactinus pursues Dolly.
Squalicorax
Squalicorax sp.
A medium sized shark and potential prey of Tylosaurus.- Always a Bigger Fish: The Squalicorax pursuing Dolly gets snapped up by a Tylosaurus, allowing Dolly to escape.
- Fantastic Fauna Counterpart: They are ecological equivalents to requiem (carcharinid) sharks.
- Monster Munch: Out of the three appearances made by this shark, the first two end up with the shark eaten by a Tylosaurus.
- No Name Given: Is not referred to by name at any point in the documentary. The narrator refers to it as a "smaller shark".
- Threatening Shark: A Squalicorax attacks Dolly, biting a chunk out of her left hind flipper.
Cretoxyrhina
Cretoxyrhina mantelli
A large shark.- Fantastic Fauna Counterpart: They attack their prey from below like great white sharks.
- Threatening Shark: A Cretoxyrhina kills Dolly's mother.
Invertebrates
Tusoteuthis
Enchoteuthis melanaenote
A giant prehistoric squid.- Giant Squid: Tusoteuthis is a squid as large as the giant squid of today.