What animal forms would actually be good for vampires?

[Lvl 2 Expert]

"I art directed, designed the creatures to Jack Horner's specifications and did some Graphic design and matte painting on this show."

we're lucky this isn't a paleontology forum, we dino nerds love arguing over who of us disbelieves Jack Horner the most.

But okay, the look is pretty cool.

[Rogar Demonblud]

I disbelieve him so much I forgot he existed, and I am not a paleontology nerd.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I disbelieve him so much I forgot he existed, and I am not a paleontology nerd.

Okay, that could have used some explanation.

Jack Horner is the "T. rex was a(n obligatory) scavenger" guy. He was also the technical consultant for dinosaur stuff on the Jurassic Park movies, which is why the characters insist that this very predator-like looking creature with huge, forward facing eyes with good spacing between them and easily enough of a braincase to have space for processing the images was blind as a bat and could only see moving objects. "Just walking through the forest, following my nose, bumping into trees".

It works fine for the movies, and there are even alternative ways to explain the scenes in which it matters (most importantly: in the car scene in the original movie it just ate a whole goat, it's probably not really hungry right now), but it still seems like a kind of dumb idea to have about this dinosaur if you're supposed to be a world famous professional paleontologist. And it's not an off-hand idea about a dinosaur that doesn't really interest him, he was really pushing this concept for a while.

There, you're welcome. Now you can roll your eyes any time someone mentions Jack Horner too.

[Magic_Hat]

Tardigrade. Always go with tardigrade.

[Peelee]

Jack Horner is the "T. rex was a(n obligatory) scavenger" guy. He was also the technical consultant for dinosaur stuff on the Jurassic Park movies, which is why the characters insist that this very predator-like looking creature with huge, forward facing eyes with good spacing between them and easily enough of a braincase to have space for processing the images was blind as a bat and could only see moving objects.

To be fair, the same characters insist that the T-Rex wants to hunt, so I'm not entirely sure how much sway Horner really held in that role.

[Xania]

Haha... Yes, most likely it's an outdated documentary but that Tyrannosaurus looks ghoulish

I thought the sight based on movement was because the frog DNA.

[Tvtyrant]

I think it is based on cats, who automatically focus their attention on sudden movements. I imagine the nerd to director translation went something like: "if they run it will trigger the animals predator drive, and it will kill them." "So it can't see things that don't move?" "It does, it just won't trigger it to pounce." "So it can't see?..." "Essentially yeah."

[hamishspence]

I thought the sight based on movement was because the frog DNA.

Jack Horner is the "T. rex was a(n obligatory) scavenger" guy. He was also the technical consultant for dinosaur stuff on the Jurassic Park movies, which is why the characters insist that this very predator-like looking creature with huge, forward facing eyes with good spacing between them and easily enough of a braincase to have space for processing the images was blind as a bat and could only see moving objects. "Just walking through the forest, following my nose, bumping into trees".

It works fine for the movies, and there are even alternative ways to explain the scenes in which it matters (most importantly: in the car scene in the original movie it just ate a whole goat, it's probably not really hungry right now), but it still seems like a kind of dumb idea to have about this dinosaur if you're supposed to be a world famous professional paleontologist. And it's not an off-hand idea about a dinosaur that doesn't really interest him, he was really pushing this concept for a while.

In the novels, the belief that the T.Rex "could only see movement" was based on a palaeontologist who had scanned skull, got cast of braincase, analysed it, and concluded that the part of the brain that corresponded to vision, exactly matches that of a frog - all before Jurassic Park itself had been revealed.

The palaeontologist (Roxton) is probably the in-universe equivalent of Horner.

Probably Crichton, after the movie had come out (this explanation is in book 2 which was written after movie 1) taking a jab at Horner (the protagonists are extremely harshly critical about Roxton).




It's worth remembering Grant's spiel early in the movie about how T. rex "will lose you if you don't move. But not Velociraptor" also takes place before he's found out about Jurassic Park.

[Peelee]

In the novels, the belief that the T.Rex "could only see movement" was based on a palaeontologist who had scanned skull, got cast of braincase, analysed it, and concluded that the part of the brain that corresponded to vision, exactly matches that of a frog - all before Jurassic Park itself had been revealed.

The palaeontologist (Roxton) is probably the in-universe equivalent of Horner.

Probably Crichton, after the movie had come out (this explanation is in book 2 which was written after movie 1) taking a jab at Horner (the protagonists are extremely harshly critical about Roxton).




It's worth remembering Grant's spiel early in the movie about how T. rex "will lose you if you don't move. But not Velociraptor" also takes place before he's found out about Jurassic Park.

You'd think Grant would have been more excited about getting with the dino handlers to get their notes and compare with current theory, instead of just going to look at them. Imean, he's there for an endorsement and all, but still.

[hamishspence]

You'd think Grant would have been more excited about getting with the dino handlers to get their notes and compare with current theory, instead of just going to look at them.

I would speculate that after the show "We used the DNA of a frog to fill in the holes and complete the code" there was an element of "Well, there goes that" in the back of his mind.

He's much more excited during the Brachiosaurus scene - we see him and Ellie deducing various things that they now know that they didn't know for certain before, and asking Hammond questions like "How fast are they?"

By JP3 "They're monsters, not dinosaurs" has become his official line - but in conversation with Billy, he's still treating the behaviours he saw in JP, as if they were accurate. So he might not entirely believe what he's telling the audience.

[Peelee]

I would speculate that after the show "We used the DNA of a frog to fill in the holes and complete the code" there was an element of "Well, there goes that" in the back of his mind.

He's much more excited during the Brachiosaurus scene - we see him and Ellie deducing various things that they now know that they didn't know for certain before, and asking Hammond questions like "How fast are they?"

By JP3 "They're monsters, not dinosaurs" has become his official line - but in conversation with Billy, he's still treating the behaviours he saw in JP, as if they were accurate. So he might not entirely believe what he's telling the audience.

Imean, JP3 was basically just using up all the part from the book that wasn't already in the first two movies, so that was probably at least some influence.

[hamishspence]

Well, almost all. The colour-changing in the first book (a Velociraptor) didn't make it to the screen until JP4 (the Indomitus rex).

[Peelee]

Well, almost all. The colour-changing in the first book (a Velociraptor) didn't make it to the screen until JP4 (the Indomitus rex).

I thought the active camouflage was the carnotaur in The Lost World novel. I don't remember the velociraptor changing colors.

[hamishspence]

I thought the active camouflage was the carnotaur in The Lost World novel. I don't remember the velociraptor changing colors.

Carnotaurus was better at it.

From the novel:



Muldoon was holding the leather collar with the small metal box attached to it. Grant heard the high-pitched beeping in the headset. "Is it a problem putting the collar on the animal?"


Lex was still petting the raptor, reaching through the cage. "I het he'll let me put it on him," she said.


"I wouldn't try," Muldoon said. "They're unpredictable."


"I het he'll let me," she said.


So Muldoon gave Lex the collar, and she held it out so the raptor could smell it. Then she slowly slipped it around the animal's neck. The raptor turned brighter green when Lex buckled it and closed the Velcro cover over the buckle. Then the animal relaxed, and turned paler again.


"I'll be damned," Muldoon said.


"It's a chameleon," Lex said.


"The other raptors couldn't do that," Muldoon said, frowning. "This wild animal must be different."

[Peelee]

Dang, I forgot about that. I'd still say the Indominus Rex was more Carnotaur-based, since that one could replicate chain-link fencing-like patterns while the raptor only seemed to do it as a response to stress, and was only mentioned that one time with that one raptor.

[hamishspence]

I can believe that the writers of Jurassic World had The Lost World in mind, yes.

I'm told that some of Ian Malcolm's spiel in Fallen Kingdom is from the Jurassic Park novel, at least. Even after JP3, there was still content to be mined from the books.

[Peelee]

I can believe that the writers of Jurassic World had The Lost World in mind, yes.

I'm told that some of Ian Malcolm's spiel in Fallen Kingdom is from the Jurassic Park novel, at least. Even after JP3, there was still content to be mined from the books.

The really creepy raptor group being synchronized in the underground lair springs to mind, right off the bat.