You are in the floodplains of Madagascar, 70 million years ago.

The heat of the Late Cretaceous Madagascar sun was suffocating, filtering through the thick foliage of the Maevarano Formation. you were crouching near a shallow, muddy riverbank, trying to stay perfectly still. That’s when you heard the low, snapping sound—like wood breaking—only it was coming from the mud.

Through the tangled ferns, you saw a Masiakasaurus. It was small, barely three feet tall, but its appearance was jarring. Instead of straight, dagger-like teeth, its front jaw was lined with long, spoon-shaped teeth that projected straight forward, hooked like fish-hooks. It looked less like a traditional raptor and more like a scaly, feathered demon with a terrible overbite.

The creature didn’t notice you immediately. Its head moved with a jerky, bird-like motion, focusing on the water’s edge. It was hunting. It abruptly dived its snout into the shallow water, snapping its beak-like jaws. With a flick of its neck, a small fish was caught in those forward-projecting teeth. It shook its head, moving the slippery prey back to its serrated rear teeth to swallow.

Suddenly, its amber eyes locked onto you. It didn’t hiss or run away. Instead, it tilted its head, that bizarre mouth slightly agape, looking disturbingly curious rather than afraid. You stayed frozen as it took a tentative step towards you…