“It’s not like us… it’s unlike us. I don’t know what it wants, or if it wants, but it’ll grow until it encompasses everything. Our bodies and our minds will be fragmented into their smallest parts until not one part remains… Annihilation.”
Dr. Ventress, Annihilation
I remember the scifi film known as Annihilation, which featured an energy field called The Shimmer. The Shimmer operated like a prism that refracted the DNA of all organisms within its area of influence. As a result, the plants and animals within the Shimmer became mutants. Some of these mutants were beautiful while others were grotesque. The important thing was it was taking the genetic material of Earth’s biosphere and remodeling it into something new. I will be taking a similar route in The Kaligen Experiment where the manmade dinosaurs possess something that changes every lifeform it comes in contact with.
Some dinosaurs possessed ornate crests on their heads that are designed to attract mates and discourage rivals. Several of my fictional dinosaurs in the Kaligen Experiment will have ornate crests on their heads.
I plan to create my own unique species of Stegosaur for the Kaligen Experiment. To make it more distinct than its precursors, I will be adding some extra features that you will never find in the fossil record.
One of the most iconic groups of dinosaurs are the sauropods or long-necked dinosaurs. Among the largest of the sauropods was Argentinosaurus, which was over 100 feet long, 30 feet tall, and weighed over 100 tons. Those measurements make it one of the largest and heaviest land animals ever to evolve. I will be creating my own fictional species of sauropod for the Kaligen Experiment and it will be as big and as heavy as Argentinosaurus. However, my creature will have features you will never find in real life sauropods.
During both the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, there were small bipedal herbivores such as Dryosaurus and Othnielia. These creatures served as a staple in a predator’s diet when larger prey was hard to come by. I will be creating my own species of dinosaur that is similar to this and it will serve the same purpose in its ecosystem.
Easily one of the largest species of hadrosaur would be Edmontosaurus AKA Anatotitan. While most hadrosaurs measured 30 feet long, Edmontosaurus measured up to 40 feet long. I am planning to make one of my fictional herbivores as big as Edmontosaurus, which will provide a good challenge for predators.
Other large reptiles lived alongside the dinosaurs such as massive crocodilians. These prehistoric crocodilians began as a group of ancient reptiles called archosaurs before evolving and diversifying into countless different species. Some of these ancient crocodilians lived the amphibious lifestyle of their modern descendants. Some became marine reptiles and lived exclusively in the ocean. Some lived a purely terrestrial and would hunt prey on dry land. Since crocodilians and dinosaurs share a common ancestry, I will be creating my own breed of primeval crocodilian for the Kaligen Experiment.
One of the more iconic groups of dinosaurs would be the ceratopsians, which gave rise to famous dinosaurs such as Triceratops. For the Kaligen Experiment, I will be featuring my own fictional species of ceratopsian, but it will have several notable features that the ceratopsians of the past did not have.
When I was in elementary school, I did a detailed report on the second dinosaur to be discovered: Iguanodon. I decided to do a homage for this dinosaur in the Kaligen Experiment to honor it. One of my fictional dinosaurs will have the same body shape as Iguanodon, but its head will be completely different. I already came up with a name and what the creature’s head should look like. I look forward to when it is this animal’s turn to be illustrated.
Every experiment starts with a single prototype. For the first manmade dinosaur in the Kaligen Experiment, I have decided to make it the same size as Coelophysis. Coelophysis was one of the earliest dinosaurs to evolve. Therefore, it would make sense that I would start the dinosaurs’ rebirth with a creature that is the same size and physical structure as Coelophysis.
Grady P Brown - Author 