Alcione

## AlcioneKingfisher

* Adult
* Juveniles

Took at least five years to grow

***“ Beneath this pile of seaweed, something is stirring. A tiny Alcione hatchling, just a few inches high, and weighing less than two ounces. Their mothers left the eggs here about two months ago. Calling to each other synchronizes hatching; there is safety in numbers. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
***Alcione*** (named after "Alcyone", a female figure in Greek mythology who was transformed into an "alkyṓn" or "halcyon bird", known today as a "common kingfisher") is a genus of pteranodontian pterosaur that lived in the Ouled Abdoun Basin in Morocco, North Africa, 66 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period.

## Paleobiology

***“ Their bones are extremely light, up to 90% air, and that makes the effort needed to take off much easier. Even so, test flights are essential. There will only be one chance to get it right when the time comes to launch. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
*Alcione* is a small pterosaur with a mere wingspan of 1.8 - 2.4 meters (6 - 8 feet), and is otherwise much like typical pterandontians, with a toothless bill suited for catching fish.

On Prehistoric Planet, *Alcione* chicks are shown to have a pycnofiber coat of white and dark brown spots, which can help camouflage them when young. The adults appear to be based on gannets, with yellowish-white coats and faces that are either blue or yellow. It isn't clear what this is meant to indicate, though it is likely that this coloration is a variation based on the animal's sex.

## Paleoecology

### Paleoenvironment

*Main: Ouled Abdoun Basin*

Main: Ouled Abdoun Basin

***“ It's especially rich here in the North Atlantic, where huge shoals of fish come close to the shore. One kind of animal thrives in such places and forms immense colonies. Flying reptiles, pterosaurs. Here, on the beaches of North Africa, there are seven different species of them. They come here to feed, to rest, and to raise their young. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
It was once believed that pterosaurs declined in diversity towards the end of the Cretaceous. But on the shores of what would one day become the Ouled Abdoun Phosphatic Basin, west of the Atlas Mountains, seven different species of pterosaurs (among them *Alcione*, *Tethydraco*, *Phosphatodraco*, and *Barbaridactylus*) showed that, up to the end, the pterosaurs were successful and diverse, only to be abruptly rendered extinct by the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event, which wiped out three-quarters of life on Earth 66 million years ago.

An *Alcione* appears in the seas of southern Europe in the first segment of Islands. While *Alcione* isn't known from this area, the distance from Morocco to southern Europe is not too great, and there is evidence of nyctosaurids in the area, thus, its presence there is plausible.

### Nesting and Parental Habits

***“ But some pterosaurs are less well-adapted to life on land. They have a slightly different nesting strategy. They make their nests where they will attract less attention from predators. Isolated cliffs like this are ideal. Pterosaur eggs are leathery, and can easily dry out, so they need to be covered. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
While *Alcione* adults are shown freely mingling with other pterosaurs on the beaches of Morocco, they are said to be less well-adapted to land. Hence, they lay their eggs far from the reach of others, in isolated offshore islands, with piles of seaweed covering the eggs to keep them from drying out.

***“ Hatchlings from hundreds of nests gather on the clifftop to prepare for their first flight. But their wings are still unformed. The bones of the long finger that supports their wing membrane must first straighten and lock together, and that will take some hours. But they can't stay here for long... ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
Due to this, unlike the *Tethydraco*, which are raised by their parents on the beach, *Alcione* chicks start life independently. They have a slight connection, synchronizing their hatching time so that there are as many of them as possible. Mere hours after their birth, they embark on their first flight (which they are understandably hesitant to take on at first) in a dangerous journey over the ocean, pursued by predators (and here, their safety in numbers comes into play, at the expense of the few who are caught and eaten). Should they survive this and make it to sanctuary, their future is slightly more secured. By this speculative depiction of Prehistoric Planet, *Alcione* is shown to be adhere to the r-selection strategy, since animals that take on this type of strategy rely on spawning many offspring that are given little to no parental care (with many of them not expected to survive), are born in a short span of time (stated to be two months for *Alcione*), and mature in a short span of time (stated to be five years for *Alcione*).

A weary *Alcione* is seen resting on debris drifting on the ocean in the first segment of Islands. Although at rest, the pterosaur is shown to be alert and quickly responsive to threats it may sense in the area, hence, it quickly flew off just before the drifting debris it was on got attacked by a hungry *Prognathodon*.

## Appearances

### Coasts

In the second segment of the episode, which takes place on the shores of Northern Africa, a colony of the *Tethydraco* is seen on a beach. Within the colony are a few *Alcione* and *Barbaridactylus*. The pterosaurs are on the beach to rest and raise their young. One *Tethydraco* hatchling is seen wandering around, though its mother quickly ushers it back in place to keep it from wandering too far from the nest. The concerns of the parents are justified, for, wandering the beach, is an opportunistic predator.

***“ Tethydraco are well-adapted to spend their time on the ground, and not only make their nests here, but stay to protect their brood. And their young certainly need protection... The dagger beak of Phosphatodraco. The nine foot-tall predator that stalks through these colonies, looking for a chance to snatch an unguarded hatchling. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
The *Tethydraco* clack their beaks to keep the larger pterosaur away from their nests and chicks, though the *Phosphatodraco* remained undaunted, completely disregarding these warnings as it continued patrolling through their colony.

Meanwhile, in some offshore islands, newly-hatched *Alcione* chicks emerge from beneath piles of seaweed. As they chirp, even more of them hatch and come out. By instinct, hundreds climb to the top of the cliff, doing short test flights as their wings slowly form up. The updrafts formed by the cliff edge provide favorable conditions for them to fly all the way to their destination, the mainland. Even so, there is initially an air of hesitance, until finally, one hatchling flies off, prompting the rest to follow suit. They're not heading for the colony on the beach, but the misty forest on the cliffs beyond the beach.

***“ Barbaridactylus. Powerful predatory pterosaurs that normally catch fish, but the hatchlings are too good to miss. One way to take evasive action is to simply fold their wings and drop. But losing height will make it harder for them to reach the forests. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
Unfortunately, the journey there is not straightforward. Sensing an easy meal, three *Barbaridactylus* swoop in and snap up some of the hatchlings in midair. The juvenile *Alcione* fold their wings and drop, momentarily evading their predators at the cost of lost height. Some end up flying too low to the ocean, and are easily grabbed by the *Barbaridactylus*. One unlucky *Alcione* hatchling crashes down on the beach, attracting the attention of the *Phosphatodraco* prowling the colony. The *Tethydraco* look on as the *Alcione* hatchling tries to stand up, while the opportunistic azhdarchid closes in on it, clacking its beak in satisfaction before grabbing the hatchling, devouring it as it screeched its last. The *Tethydraco* give one last glance as the predator swallowed and savored its meal, serving as a reminder of what fate could befall their chicks should they be left unguarded, before one turned its attention back to the *Alcione* that are still airborne, trying to escape the *Barbaridactylus*.

***“ A lucky survivor from the first wave of hatchlings, still heading in the right direction... sanctuary. Of the hatchlings that left the stack, few get as far as this. But for them, this forest offers all the shelter and food that a young pterosaur needs. For the next five years, this will be their home, then, they will be large enough to join the adults catching fish out on the open ocean. ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Coasts*
One hatchling is shown, still being pursued by a *Barbaridactylus*. It manages to finally reach the cover of trees, prompting the predator to stop just short of the forest and fly off at last. This survivor, among a few others, gather in the safety of the trees, resting and flapping their wings as they watch the open ocean. The segment ends with a shot of five adult *Alcione* flying across the ocean, giving the hatchlings a glimpse of the future ahead of them.

### Islands

***“ The mouth of a river in southern Europe, 66 million years ago. In the aftermath of a tropical storm, debris is drifting downstream. And amongst the wreckage, rafts of wreckage ripped from the land. For a weary pterosaur, this one may be a welcome place to rest. But it's far from safe... ”***

― **David Attenborough**, *Islands*
In the first segment of the episode, a weary adult *Alcione* rests on a collection of vegetation in southern Europe, a raft drifting out of a river into the sea. For a moment, it feels safe, flapping its wings as the raft drifts on peacefully. But suddenly, sensing that something is wrong, the *Alcione* takes to the skies just as a hungry *Prognathodon* lunges at its raft.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 As stated in Coasts.
2. ↑ Naish, Darren (July 4, 2023) on Facebook, bringing up the presence of nyctosaurids in Maastrichian Europe as justification for *Alcione's* appearance in the first segment of Islands.