Bahariya Formation, Egypt, 100 Million Years Ago

Today, Egypt is regarded as one of the driest parts of the world. Here in the middle of the Cretaceous period, it is a vastly different one. The land we'd recognize as North Africa's Sahara Desert is completely engulfed in a shallow sea. This vast body of water stretches from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco to the Red Sea Hills of Egypt.

At the edges of this body of water aren't the dunes we're familiar with, but rather dry, tropical swamps. The semi-arid overbank is draped in a variety of low-lying vegetation. A mix of various greens amongst the wet, sandy ground beneath. Many of these plants are horsetails, ferns, shrubs, and early angiosperms. They live in the shadow of a scattered array of trees. This collective of higher vegetation is a mix of medium conifers, magnoliids, and tree ferns towered over by much larger eudicot and dammara trees. This canopy is a haven for Cretaceous Egypt's largest residents, long-necked sauropods.

Two species graze the treetops, the smaller of which is Aegyptosaurus. They grow up to 50 feet in length and stand nearly as tall as a modern giraffe. Their long necks support a head that's comparatively small with a short snout and a mouth filled with spoon-shaped teeth. These same necks are balanced out by a tail roughly the same length. Thick, chunky, 11-ton bodies are supported by four sturdy, log-like legs with feet that sport short, blunt, and broad toes. The small scales of their skin are partly covered in round, dark-brown, bony plates called osteoderms. Chestnut colors their backs while the rest of their bodies are sandy beige. The primary food source of the Aegyptosaurs is medium-height trees and lower vegetation as they are too small to reach the tallest of the conifers.

Instead, a different long-neck feeds on them. Amongst the Aegyptosaurus in smaller quantities are Paralititans. They too are sauropods but are much larger at up to 105 feet long, 34 feet tall, and as heavy as 20 bull African elephants. This enormous size and their coastal habitat have earned these behemoths a name that means "tidal giant." They are the largest animals ever to roam Africa and one of the largest land animals ever to live, only being outsized by a few of their cousins in South America.

Like Aegyptosaurus, Paralititans are four-legged with a long neck and small head. The necks of the larger titans vary in that they are much thicker and more muscular. They also lack the armored osteoderms of their smaller counterparts. Instead, their skin is a mosaic of bead-like scales surrounding much larger ones. This skin is also colored in a dark, steam blue with streaks of black along their backs.

These forested over banks are imbued with the sounds of both the Aegyptosaurus and Paralititans. Many of these sounds are a series of guttural groans, rumbles, booms, and creaks. Being the larger of the two, the sounds of the Paralititans are much deeper in pitch. Even their chewing is heard for tens of feet around them, including the cracks and snaps of the tree branches they strip with their mouths.

However, this buffet of trees is not without hazards. One smaller Aegyptosaurus finds this out the hard way with just a single, careless step. As its foot impacts the ground, a loud, growling bellow emits from below. The sauropod looks down to find the source of the sound.

Resting amongst the bed of greenery is a Stomatosuchus. Its appearance is very similar in shape to modern crocodiles and alligators, but it's only distantly related. The most visible difference is its head which is like an alligator's but much longer and flatter. Only its lid-like top jaw has teeth that are small and conical. The bottom jaw is completely toothless with a pelican-esque pouch hanging from it. Its scaly skin is primarily a grayish, sage green with a lighter gray underbelly.

At over 33 feet long, this female is much bigger than any modern crocodilian. Despite still being larger than the Stomatosuchus, the Aegyptosaurus wanders away, letting it be. With the large sauropod out of the way, the odd croc is free to make her way further into the swamp.

***

Here she navigates a batch of mangrove trees and large tree ferns. The roots at the bottom of these trees form wooden, cage-like structures. They are ever present on the golden, sandy shores along with loose sticks and dead leaves. These tree roots also embed themselves in the water alongside batches of water ferns and lilies.

The Stomatosuchus holds her body high, her feet sprawling as she steps across the soft shore sand. As soon as she reaches the clear blue of the water, she slides in, making a light splash. Her feet turn backward as her tail starts to make sideways, wave-like motions, steadily propelling her through the liquid blue.

Lit by shimmering waves of sunlight is a whole new world. The softer, siltier floor is littered with the shells of dead and living mollusks. Oysters, cockles, and other saltwater clams lie on top and buried within the tidal seabed. They share the silt with grass-like underwater plants and tree root cages that house small fish.

Between the silt floor and the glistening is a vast variety of swimming sea life. Small seed shrimp float in great quantities, appearing like small dust particles. Fish of many shapes and sizes propel themselves through the clear blue. Some are small, long-bodied lungfish. Others are short and deep, resembling today's hatchet fish. The biggest of these is Mawsonia, a 17-foot-long relative of modern coelacanth fish. Stomatosuchus isn't even the only swimming reptile as sea snakes and long-necked turtles patrol these waters too.

Other large forms of entirely marine life flow through the liquid blue. Both butterfly and cownose rays comb the floor for bottom-dwelling prey and filter feed on microorganisms, respectively. Camouflaged angel sharks rest on the murky bed waiting for small fish to snatch up and swallow. Onchopristis roams here too, an early sawfish growing up to 14 feet long.

There is also some life here that has an uncanny resemblance to modern marine animals. Squalicorax is an early member of the mackerel sharks and thus greatly resembles both the mako and great white. The terrifying Scapanorhynchus appears like a dark-gray version of the goblin shark which is the only member of its family to live in our modern day. An ancient breed of cephalopod shares these waters too in the form of ammonites. They are relatives of squid and octopus, distinguished by the coiled shells on their bodies. Like their more familiar brethren, they use their tentacles to grasp small prey and pull it to their hidden, beaked mouths.

This exhibition of aquatic life litters the tidal waters at the coast. The Stomatosuchus, however, doesn't stay here for long. Instead, she follows the flow of the water down one of the many saltwater rivers. These guide her further into the mangroves of the swamp.

***

Here, the much larger trees that Aegyptosaurus and Paralititan feast on are almost non-existent. In their place is a greater abundance of smaller mangrove trees. Their root cages litter most of the shore sand and the riverbed, providing homes for young fish and crabs.

With so many of these trees, there's little space for a Stomatosuchus to drag itself back onto dry land. Fortunately, the croc starts to find a new sign to guide her to her destination. It doesn't come from the river itself, but rather, the sky.

Flowing through the air above is an Alanqa, a North African member of the pterosaur clade of flying reptiles. Like other pterosaurs, it soars above ground with the help of a thin, sail-shaped membrane. This patch of skin stretches from the tips of its elongated fourth fingers to the top of its hind legs. The wings this membrane is attached to stretch nearly 20 feet across. It belongs to the azhdarchid family known for their long necks that support a large head with a pointed, spear-shaped beak. Much of its body is covered with white, hair-like feathers called pycnofibers. The exposed, scaly skin of its head is a bright red while its beak is a yellowish tan.

The Alanqa continues flapping and floating through the wind with the Stomatosuchus following below. Eventually, the pterosaur descends along the mangrove shores until reaching a vacant shoreline. There, the Alanqa folds its fourth finger back as it lands on the soft, shell and leaf-littered sand on all fours. While pterosaurs are built for life in the skies, their limbs are still well built in a way that allows them to effectively walk on the ground as well. Now standing nearly as tall as an average human, it steps across the riverside, leaving a trail of imprints behind it.

The Alanqa marches across the shore for a short bit before stopping in front of an odd structure. It's an assortment of mud, twigs, and other pieces of plant material. All of it is clumped together into a single large, brown mass. The pterosaur begins to inspect the pile by poking its beak into it.

Suddenly, a loud, grumbling bellow fills the air, prompting the Alanqa to spring backward. It directs its attention to the shoreline, witnessing the source of the sound. The Stomatosuchus has begun to leave the river waters and drag itself back onto land. As the croc hisses and bellows, the Alanqa lets out a honk as it flaps its wings. Before long, it lifts itself off the ground and flies into the far distance.

With the pterosaur gone, the Stomatosuchus ceases her noises. Then, she starts to crawl to the mass. She drags her body onto the pile of mud and vegetation, placing her head on top.

Just like modern crocodiles, the Stomatosuchus does this to listen inside of the mass. She shortly hears the secrets of what lies inside this odd clump. A series of small, soft chirps start to be heard. These high-pitched sounds only increase in frequency by the minute.

This is no ordinary dirt pile, but rather a nest. With her stubby legs, she starts to dig away at the pile. One by one, bits and pieces of marl and sand are tossed away.

Suddenly, the Stomatosuchus freezes in motion. Deep gurgles and loud snaps start to sound off, neither of them coming from the croc. Her eyes roll around as she scans the area around her. All remains still and quiet, with little alteration from when she reached the shore. This changes as she starts to spot something rather odd. A part of the mangrove trees behind the nest start to move. The Stomatosuchus steadily steps away as the moving, snapping branches start to reveal their true shape. They are only a series of brown lines on a thin, half-circle-shaped, fleshy sail. Dark greens and sandy beige colors cover it too, camouflaging it into the mangrove trees.

As the sail further emerges from the trees, a large back is revealed. Soon, the entire animal steps out of the greenery. The odd structure belongs to Egypt's largest predator, a Spinosaurus. Its name means "spine lizard," after the tall vertebrae that make up its recognizable sail. The top and edges of this sail are forest green while the rest is sandy beige with a series of branch-like brown lines scattered throughout. A random array of partly, healed cuts and holes decorated this odd structure as well.

This sail emerges from a long, muscular body that's 46 feet long and weighs 8 tons, rivaling even a T-Rex in size. Sprouting from the rear is an elongated, flexible, oar-shaped tail. This appendage is so massive that it almost grazes the ground. It has large, robust arms that are almost as long as their relatively short legs. Such odd proportions are rarely seen in theropod dinosaurs. The hands of this oddity have three fingers, the first of which has an enlarged, sharp claw. Its head is long, low, and narrow, none too dissimilar to those of modern crocodiles. A small, semicircular crest rests above its two lime-colored eyes. Straight, unserrated, conical teeth litter its jaws. Its scaly skin is primarily forest, green with a sandy beige underbelly.

Just like the Stomatosuchus, this growling Spinosaurus is a female. Upon seeing the strange croc, she waves her arms in slashing motions while marching forward. The Stomatosuchus steps away as the Spinosaurus sets her claws into the massive nest and lets out a deep, gurgling below.

Promptly, the croc responds with a loud hiss as she leaves her mouth agape. This hissing continues as she steadily steps toward her massive rival. Abruptly, the Stomatosuchus lunges toward the Spinosaurus, closing her jaws with a snap. The sailback only narrowly evades this attack as the Stomatosuchus lands her head onto the nest.

Each of the carnivores stays at a standstill, growling and hissing at each other. The Spinosaurus starts to employ a new intimidation strategy. By flushing blood to her sail, she changes its beige colors to an alarming red. She waves the sail back and swipes her claws in the air in front of the croc.

However, the Stomatosuchus isn't deterred. Instead, she lunges again, clamping her jaws onto her opponent's right arm. The Spinosaurus lets out a higher-pitched, grumbling bellow as she struggles to pull her arm from the croc's mouth. She tugs with an increasing amount of effort only for the Stomatosuchus' grip to strengthen. The Spinosaurus then takes her left arm and swipes her claws across the croc's face. A loud hiss exists in the Stomatosuchus' mouth as she lets go and backs away. Now, a long gash is present in front of the croc's right eye.

Suddenly, the Stomatosuchus rushes toward the Spinosaurus. She clasps her long jaws around the neck of her opponent. The Spinosaurus bellows as she steps backward and raises her body. She sways the croc back and forth, flopping its tale against the shore sand and the surface of the river. Despite this, the Stomatosuchus' grip fails to release.

The Spinosaurus once again employs her claws. She lunges them into the sides of the croc, crimson dripping from the wounds. The Stomatosuchus hisses as her grip only loosens slightly. Again, the sail-backed predator thrusts her claws, now dragging them backward to create scratches on the croc's skin. The Stomatosuchus grows ever weaker, her grip on her opponent loosening with each passing second.

Instantly, the Spinosaurus takes her arms and grasps the head of the croc. She claws and pierces the Stomatosuchus' skin, stains of scarlet left with each bit of damage. Finally, the Spinosaurus shakes her opponent off, causing the croc to crash into the river. The Stomatosuchus seemingly vanishes in the flare of splashing water. In a moment, the disturbed water calms as the croc pops back up to the surface. She softly hisses as blood runs down from scratches and gashes on her face. The Spinosaurus splays out her arms as she lets out another grumbling bellow. Promptly, the Stomatosuchus swims away, diving back into the waters of the stream.

With the croc now gone, the Spinosaurus turns back around, her tail lightly dragging across the shell and leaving covered grains beneath her. She stops as she faces the large nest. Like the Stomatosuchus before her, she places the side of her head on top of the mound. She too hears muffled chirping, now mixed with small cracking noises. Using her claws, she digs away at the nest's foundation. Large clumps are flung onto the shore sand, littering it as they crumble on impact.

Only mere seconds of clawing away parts of the nest creates a large hole, revealing the contents inside. Bundled in the soft dirt and dead vegetation of the nest are over a dozen white-shelled, ovular eggs. For the most part, they are completely motionless but as the chirping of the young inside intensifies, they start to wiggle. The Spinosaurus pokes her head in closer, her jaws slightly gaping.

With the predator's mouth just inches away, the first egg starts to snap. Thin cracks form along the surface with more sprouting from them like tree branches. The shell breaks, shards of it slowly caving in. Soon, the first signs of emerging life can be seen in the form of small, webbed feet. The skin of these feet is a yellowish, pickle green with grayish streaks of olive green all over. A tiny, narrow snout pokes out as well, opening and closing with each of its chirps. The rest of the head pokes out revealing proportionately large, lime-colored eyes. A few kicks and wiggles later, the rest of its body breaks free of the egg. This reveals its most distinctive feature, a half-circular sail on top of its back.

Now free, the hatchling turns all about while continuing its chirping. This seizes once the Spinosaur reaches much closer. She then rubs the side of her face against the little newborn while letting out soothing rumbles. Such a practice allows the bond to start forming between mother and child. Not long after the bonding starts, more baby Spinosaurus hatch out of their fragile prisons. Moist pieces of eggshells quickly litter the nest as the infants start to crawl all about.

Now is the time for the mother to start the next phase of rearing her offspring. Delicately, she snatches a mouthful of her brood into her lower jaw and lifts them out of the nest. With each hatchling being less than a foot long, they fit nicely and comfortably in their mother's mouth. Then, she trudges a few feet away from the crumbled cradle of dirt. Finally, she stops at the edge of a small body of water. Here, the clear water is no more than a foot deep and filled with small water ferns and horsetails. The mother Spinosaur lowers her head to the pond and releases her youngsters. While she retrieves the rest of her brood, the free newborns take full advantage of their nursery by paddling their tails through the waters and munching on tiny fish.

The lives of young carnivores like Spinosaurus are a very vulnerable one. They may one day grow into one of the largest terrestrial predators of all time, but they can easily be a potential meal for other animals of Cretaceous Egypt. However, their survival in the long term is greatly ensured by living under the watchful eye of the river mother.

Chapter art by u/Spinosaurenjoyer on Reddit