You are in the wetlands of Brazil, South America, 110 million years ago.

The humid air of the early Cretaceous lagoon was thick with the scent of pine and decay. You crouched behind the mangrove roots, watching the water’s edge as something dark slowly submerged.

An Irritator emerged from the reeds, water cascading off its dark, scaly back. Its head was absurdly long, a narrow, crocodilian snout filled with straight, conical teeth tailored for snatching prehistoric fish, not breaking bone.

It swung its head slowly, a pair of subtle, knobby horns above its eyes tilting as it scanned the bank. It has sensed you. A low, vibrating hiss sounded from its throat, and it stamped a clawed foot into the mud, displaying a sharp, hook-like thumb claw. It was defending its fishing spot—an apex predator of the rivers, perfectly adapted and extremely irritable.