Daspletosaurus

***Daspletosaurus*** is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 78 to 74 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Montana and Canada. Only two species have been described, *D. horneri*, and *D.* *torosus*, though a possible third species is awaiting description.

## In *Dinosaur Planet*

### "Little Das' Hunt"

*Daspletosaurus horneri* is the main subject. A family of *Daspletosaurus* are first seen hunting a herd of *Maiasaura*. One individual, known as Little Das chases two *Maiasaura* individuals known as Buck and Blaze from the herd and sent into an ambush, where his mother injures Buck before being run into by Little Das, causing her to release the *Maiasaura*. They later attempt to hunt Buck again, this time ditching Das in a grove of trees so he wouldn't mess them up again. He then startles a herd of *Einiosaurus*, which foils the hunt anyway in their panic and cause Buck to get away again. With the herds now traveling together, the *Daspletosaurus* attempt to separate Buck, but the best Little Das can do is corral him in between a pair of *Einiosaurus*. The *Einiosaurus* are able to get into a defensive circle, allowing Buck to escape. The *Daspletosaurus* family eventually get around them and continue the hunt, having a dead *Quetzalcoatlus* land in front of them along the way. The family approaches the herd as a field of volcanic ash from a nearby erupting volcano causes total darkness and covers the ground. Even though Buck had officially collapsed, the tyrannosaurs aborted the hunt to save themselves from the volcano. A pyroclastic flow suddenly bursts from the volcano, and while the family attempts to get away, they are engulfed in the debris and killed.

### Errors

* Juvenile tyrannosaurids of all species are more slender-looking than adults, this is especially evident in Little Das himself who looks more like a miniature adult, though his sisters could be transitional in their appearances.
* Oddly, the mother *Daspletosaurus* was shown as the slowest of the quartet, which is unlikely in real life: other tyrannosaurs were considered speedy even as bulky adults.
* Their arms are depicted as being pronated when in real life they would've been facing forwards in a clapping like position(Although there are some shots where their arms are in the correct position).
* Juvenile tyrannosaurids including *Daspletosaurus* were better suited to hunting smaller dinosaurs while adults were capable of hunting massive herbivores. This is due to the fact that a young *Gorgosaurus* has been found with caenagnathid legs inside its stomach cavity.
* Lastly, *Daspletosaurus* did not evolve into *Tyrannosaurus* as the episode suggests.
* *Daspletosaurus* would have made low-frequency sounds without opening their mouths, in the same way that certain bird species (e.g. cassowaries) and crocodilians (e.g. alligators) do today. However, this was not known at the time of production.

### Trivia

* As pointed out by the narrator, juvenile tyrannosaurs of all species, including *Daspletosaurus*, could indeed have served as scouts for adults since they were the only medium predators in their native locations to fill the niche between adult tyrannosaurs and smaller theropods.
* Some other animal sounds used for both the Carcharodontosaurs and the *Daspletosaurus* include various snarls and growls from big cats (tigers, lions, and leopards), and grunts from a walrus.
* In the 2008 Korean film *Tarbosaurus: The Mightiest Ever*, Patch, his wife, and his mother use the same sounds as the *Daspletosaurus* from "Little Das' Hunt".
* The *T. rex* (named Tyra) that appears in the 2012 computer-animated Korean film *Dino Time* uses the same sound effects as the Carcharodontosaurs from "Alpha's Egg", as well as the *Aucasaurus andy prehistoric adventures used for acrocanthosaurud*
	+ Since these are both sounds from *Dinosaur Planet*, it's likely that they were directly taken from the series for this film.
* *Daspletosaurus* may have occaisonally produced sound without opening its mouth, much like modern alligators and bitterns.
* A petrified forest has been found in the two medicine formation, meaning the episode at least might be partly based on it