It is solar noon and the ball of yellow shine we know as the sun has hit its daily peak. In the clear blue sky, it's a still, unchanging display of rays amongst the few floating puffs of cloud. On the ocean surface below, the light dances and glimmers across its surface. Shifting tides flowing across the sea mix with this reflecting shine to create an almost hypnotic display.

    While it may not appear so, this massive body of water is what will one day be southern Europe. If Vienna were built here as it is today, it would be drowned in hundreds of feet of seawater. Polar ice caps have yet to take shape from how much warmer the global climate of the early Jurassic world is. As a result, the amount of water in the earth's oceans is much greater than it would be over 180 million years later.

    These tropical waters are home to many forms of life. Some are familiar to us today, while others are alien to today's oceans. A glimpse of this can be seen on the salty sea surface.

    Atop the clear reflective blue, a few stray logs float. These were brought out here by one of a few past monsoons that are common in this area. At first glance, all that is seen is a simple wet hunk of driftwood. However, its true nature is revealed just under the glistening surface.

    On the bottom of these logs, strange structures grow out from them, flowing in the ocean current. They attach themselves to the wood through long, thin, bristly stems, reaching anywhere from 20 to 80 feet in length. Hanging at the ends of these stalks is a bulbous, flower-like body with fern-like, bristled stems sprouting from them. These red structures are crinoids, or as they're most commonly called "sea lilies." Despite what their name and appearance may suggest, these peculiar organisms are not plants. Rather they are a type of echinoderm, the same group of aquatic organisms that includes sea urchins, starfish, brittle stars, and sea cucumbers. Not only are they still around today, but they're among the earliest forms of life to ever evolve, long before even the dinosaurs.

    Normally, these odd creatures would be found attached to the sea floor. Though sometimes, they'll attach themselves to the odd piece of floating wood. This allows them easier access to the algae and plankton they feed on, which get caught in their stem-like tentacles and sent to their hidden mouths.

    Tens or even hundreds of sea lilies can find themselves attached to these trunks, depending on the size of the wood. Such mass gatherings are also bound to attract predators. The first of these start swarming in mass around the odd structures.

    It is a school of Leptolepis fish. Their appearance is like that of modern herring, though they're unrelated. Gray scales cover their body along with white ones on their underbelly. Their gray, cartilaginous fins help to propel them through the seawater.

    As the fish flap their bodies in place around the log, they start to bite and nibble at the sea lilies. Dozens of them gather around the plant-like animals to munch them off the log. With no defenses, they're helpless against the hungry Leptolepis school. Some detach themselves and gently float down to the hidden ocean floor.

    Soon, another predatory animal is attracted to the gathering. It propels itself at astonishing speeds around the log, swallowing the fish around it. Frantically, the school begins to swim away at blinding speed. The predator reveals itself as it stops to bite down on one more fish.

    It is a Eurhinosaurus, a member of the ichthyosaur family of fish-like marine reptiles. Like fish, it sports pectoral and pelvic fins attached to its 23-foot-long body. It also has a dorsal fin in addition to the ones on its tail that greatly resemble that of a fish or shark. Like many other ichthyosaurs, it has large eyes that grant it excellent vision, even in the deeper, darker parts of the sea. What makes it unique amongst its family is its peculiar jaws. The top one is extremely long, almost twice the length of the lower one. This long, spear-like jaw is littered with sideways pointing teeth, giving it an exceptional overbite. Like all ichthyosaurs, its skin differs from most reptiles by having flexible, scaleless skin like those of dolphins. In the case of the Eurhinosaurus, this skin is primarily a dark navy blue with solid white stripes and an underbelly of the same color.

    Much like the fish they convergently evolved with, ichthyosaurs are perfectly built for an aquatic lifestyle. However, they can't stay underwater forever as they still have lungs. Thus, the Eurhinosaurus floats up and breaches the ocean's surface. It makes a loud hissing noise as it inhales oxygen into its body.

    Here the Eurhinosaurus sees another form of life that it shares the southern European waters with. Splashes start to erupt from the water not far from it, revealing animals of similar shapes. They emerge and plop back under so fast, that their entire form is easy to miss. But like all aquatic animals, they are best seen under the waves.

    Zooming through at astonishing speed is a large gathering of over 70 Stenopterygius. They too are ichthyosaurs but are more medium-sized at up to 7 feet long. Their flippers are much the same as other members of their family, including their triangular dorsal fin on their backs and half-moon-shaped caudal fin at the end of their tails. The heads of these "fish lizards" are comparatively small but end in a long, beak-like structure armed with countless, pointed teeth.

Their skin is also smooth and scaleless, with blubber underneath to help regulate their body temperature. This same skin is primarily a very dark gray with a cream underbelly. In addition, they also have a pattern that runs from around their eyes to the midpoint of their body. For the females that make up much of this group, it's a pale yellow but the pattern on the few males stands out at a brighter gold shade. The ten or so sub-adults here have much fainter patterns on top of being 5-6 feet long.

Normally, Stenopterygius would travel through the sapphire ocean blue in much smaller groups. However, when it's time to head to their breeding grounds, they gather into large supergroups like this. It's in this group that they'll remain until reaching the shallow waters of what is now Austria.

For some females here, it's a trip they've made many times in the past. Others like young Vera, are taking this voyage for the first time. This odyssey has also been a long one, starting in modern England and taking the group all around the continent of Europe.

Such a long trip of just swimming around can easily become monotonous. To avoid boredom and to encourage the rest of the group, some of the Stenopterygius take to playing as they swim. This often includes propelling in circles around one another, but also jumping out of the water. As they spring out of the ocean surface, they flap and spin their bodies around and make high-pitched hissing noises. This play is more commonly seen amongst the younger members of the group, except for pregnant females like Vera. The young inside weigh them down so much that they only manage to partly breach the surface for air.

After many miles of fast swimming, the group starts to slow down. As the ichthyosaurs do, they start to find more forms of life, a sign that they're getting ever closer to their destination. A strange type of aquatic animal roams around the Stenopterygius group.

It's a Strongylosteus, a 15-foot-long fish in the same family as sturgeons and paddlefish. The most unique feature of this fish is its powerful lower jaw that faces upward. Its fin arrangement also makes it stand out having two pectoral ones, two caudal fins, two fins that form the end of its tail, one sticking on the bottom between its tail and caudal fins, and one dorsal fin. The smooth skin on its body is a tan gray with rows of white spots on each side of its body and a solid white underbelly.

This fish is a predator, but not one that shouldn't concern a group of Stenopterygius. Its primary diet is smaller fish that roam these waters such as Leptolepis. Although the ichthyosaurs are far from huge, they're far too large for the jaws of a Strongylosteus.

The same can't be said for another predator that is stalking the group. Paddling its body through the water is a type of primitive shark called Hybodus. Its body is remarkably familiar to the sharks of our modern day in its general shape. However, it has unique features such as having two dorsal fins, each with a rib-like spine sticking out of their tips. These ornamentations have hooked denticles on the posterior side. Their black eyes rest above a mouth filled with a mix of both sharp and flat teeth, making it well-equipped for catching slippery prey and crushing shelled animals. Its smooth, shining skin is a dark, bluish-gray with a completely white underbelly.

At nearly ten feet long, its size is bigger than any of the traveling Stenopterygius. If it were in its frenzy, the Hybodus would easily make a meal out of some members of the massive group. However, this is only a single female who knows better than to take on the whole group of these ichthyosaurs alone.

Even so, there are much bigger creatures that inhabit these waters. With an instantaneous burst of speed, the shark fleets away and vanishes into the opaque waters behind the Stenopterygius. As it does, the true king of the Early Jurassic oceans rises from the deep and into visibility.

It is a Temnodontosaurus, a sea dragon. Much like the Stenopterygius, it is a member of the ichthyosaur family and thus retains the fish-like shape of its cousins. At 33 feet long, it is easily among the largest of its family, just barely exceeding the size of the biggest orca. Their eyes are among the most massive of any known vertebrate, nearly 8 inches in diameter. Its long, narrow mouth is filled with many conical teeth. The skin of this large ichthyosaur is primarily black with a white patch behind each of its eyes and a white underbelly.

Not only is this a predator, but it is at the top of the food chain. The Stenopterygius know to keep swimming as Temnodontosaurs are known to prey on them. So, a massive gathering is already too good of an opportunity for the sea dragon to pass up. However, some of the smaller ichthyosaurs start to do something different.

The males start to circle the massive sea dragon. As they do, they butt their heads against its large body. At first, the Temnodontosaurus continues to swim alongside the group. So, they lightly bite at the predator's body and flippers.

Normally, such a scene would be unheard of in this area, like a shark being scared off by seals. Fortunately, this is one of the advantages of moving in such a large group. The Stenopterygius males act as bodyguards against any potential threats to the pregnant females. Thus, when faced with larger threats like a Temnodontosaurus, they're able to easily outnumber it.

After enough biting and butting, the sea dragon retreats into the dark depths below. With the predator gone, the Stenopterygius are free to keep moving on their excursion. Even Vera can glimpse the distant shore while taking breaths above the surface.

Little does she and the rest of the group know that they haven't seen the last of their larger cousins. Rapidly, two Temnodontosaurs propel themselves from the sunlight depths like living torpedoes. They each clasp their jaws around a pair of unlucky Stenopterygius. In exploding clouds of crimson, the two smaller fish lizards vanish.

Before the bodyguards can react, more of the sea dragons shoot up from below to catch Stenopterygius in their mouths. First, it's a third, then a fourth, and even a fifth Temnodontosaur. Before long, eight of the large predators are chasing the smaller ichthyosaurs around through the ocean water. One by one, many of the Stenopterygius disappear in the jaws of the Temnodontosaurs. These swift catches often leave clouds of dark red in the water around them.

By far the most dangerous of the sea dragons are the three youngsters. They may only be three-quarters the size of the adults, but they make up for it with their speed but also their more "playful" hunting tactics. The female juvenile whacks her prey with her tail, stunning it long enough for her to make the kill with less resistance. Sometimes, these tail slaps are powerful enough to send a Stenopterygius hurling through the ocean surface. One older male tosses his prey out of the water and into the air above. This softens his prey but also serves as a way for him to play with his food. The youngest male is content in shaking the body of his quarry, causing air to leave its body as it drowns.

Chaos ensues as each member of the Stenopterygius group frantically propels themselves every which way. The fates of some are sealed in blinding white splashes and veils of scarlet. Many of them only narrowly miss the jaws of a Temnodontosaur. One of these is Vera, who as a pregnant female is much slower and more vulnerable prey. She tries to position herself behind the head of one of the adult sea dragons, one of their few blind spots. However, this doesn't stop her from attracting the attention of one of the younger predators in the pod.

Instantly, Vera propels herself away from the pursuing Temnodontosaur. They both end up jumping through the ocean surface, great, white splashes erupting out with them. Even in mid-air, she's still able to contort herself to escape the attempting bites of the sea dragon. After a loud, inhaling hiss, she dives back into the azure waters. The larger predator plops in on its side allowing the Vera to make a hasty escape.

***

Many Stenopterygius are lost in the feeding frenzy. Despite this, many more, including pregnant females, are able to escape and press on with their journey. Unfortunately, they soon find another obstacle. The path to the shallow lagoon is blocked off by two large, sandy islands. Connecting them is a patch of sand nearly 20 feet wide. This beige mound also sticks out nearly five feet above the wavering surface of the water. With the Temnodontosaur pod fast approaching, the Stenopterygius group doesn't have enough time to circle the islands for a higher-tide passage.

At this point, one female Stenopterygius employs a desperate last resort. She starts by swimming backward a few feet. Then, with a powerful burst of speed, she propels herself forward through the saltwater. Finally, she springs over the sandbank and slams into the surface of the shallows. She disappears as she ruptures the water, creating a massive white splash. The rest of the group remains, waiting for a sign that the bold female made it. For a while, all the rest of the Stenopterygius can hear is settling splashes of the water around them. Soon, the near silence is broken by the bold female sticking her head from the surface of the shallows and letting out a loud, hissing call.

Promptly, the other members of the Stenopterygius group follow in the footsteps of their more audacious comrade. One by one, each of the remaining small ichthyosaurs bound over the lump of land and enter the vast shallows on the other side. Steadily, Vera waits her turn amongst the other survivors of her group.

Even as the Stenopterygius surpass their last great obstacle, one still stalks them from behind, a Temnodontosaurus. Much like the others in his pod, this large male has already eaten three of the smaller ichthyosaurs. However, he still has room for just one more, but only if he can catch it.

With the sea dragon actively approaching, Vera urges her group mates to hurry in their jumping. Anywhere from one to two jump out at a time, leaving 4 left in the deeper waters. Hastily, Vera and the other remaining Stenopterygius all jump out at once.

Such an act of impatience only makes their situation more grievous. In her desperation, she ends up colliding with her remaining companions in mid-air. Half of them are barely able to make it into the shallows. Yet, Vera and an older female end up crashing in the middle of the sandbank. Although they survive, their lungs will be crushed under their weight if they don't return to water soon.

On top of this, the Temnodontosaur is still approaching. From nearly 80 feet away, the sea dragon breaches the surface, letting out a hiss as it breathes. With the predator still pursuing, the two remaining Stenopterygius attempt their most desperate action yet. They ungulate themselves across the sand, scuttling across it by wiggling their tails and bodies back and forth. Their bodies are not built for terrestrial travel; thus, this is the best they're able to do in such dire circumstances.

This process is a slow one, only allowing Vera and her older counterpart to move inches per second. Meanwhile, the Temnodontosaur takes another breath above the waves, now 50 feet away. The two Stenopterygius struggle to increase their speed across the coarse shore sand.

The sea dragon has now become closer, taking his breath above the surface less than 10 feet away. Vera and the older female continue their difficult squirm across the sandbank. Now nearly halfway through, the two Stenopterygius are neck and neck, both attempting to outpace each other.

In an unexpected event, the Temnodontosaur partly beaches himself on the sandbank. Such a surprise event prompts Vera and the elder Stenopterygius to speed up their scuffling. The sea dragon does this too, squirming his body side to side along the beige sand.

Soon, both Stenopterygius find themselves only a few feet from the shallows. Suddenly, the Temnodontosaur manages to clasp his jaws around the tail of the elder. She hisses loudly as the predator's teeth sink into her flesh. The old female squirms and contorts her body in the hopes of breaking free but to no avail. In a surge of pure strength, the sea dragon pushes itself off the sandbank and back into the deeper waters. The Temnodontosaur dives away with prey in its mouth, vanishing in a thick cloud of crimson.

***

With the giant predator now gone, Vera drags herself just a foot more before dropping into the shallows. Here, she reunites with the rest of the group and swims away with them. 25 Stenopterygius lost their lives trying to escape the Temnodontosaur pod, but over 40 remain. Many of the survivors are females ready to let their offspring into the world.

As a place to raise one's young, the Stenopterygius couldn't have picked a better one. The azure waters here are only 300 feet deep, a fraction of what's seen in the open ocean. Despite this, life thrives in this vast, closed-off lagoon.

    The seafloor is mainly fields of silt with black rocks of varying sizes scattered throughout. Sea lilies comfortably rest on many of these submerged stones, catching up all the red and green algae they can get. Barnacles also litter the boulders as well as tubeworms and black, spiny sea urchins. Relatives of the latter in the form of starfish, sea cucumbers, and brittle stars are also found here in abundance.

    They also occasionally travel across the seabed, but only at a sluggish pace. Other active creatures on the bottom of the shallows include moon snails and sea slugs. Ancient crustaceans are found in abundance such as seed shrimp, hermit crabs, mantis shrimp, prawns, and rock lobsters. More stationary life is dispersed across the seafloor in the form of various clams, scallops, and oysters.

    Life here isn't just restricted to the bottom of the shallows. Rays float inches above the sea floor, the sides of their bodies moving like ocean waves. They're not quite as deadly as the sharks they're related to, but they'll make a quick meal of most bottom-dwelling animals.

    A plethora of other sea life treads the waters above the submerged sand. Most commonly are various types of fish. Their shapes vary between being elongated and deep-bodied. Another familiar marine life form in the form of squid also litters the shallows as well. They also share the waters with a relative that isn't seen in modern waters. They are called ammonites, a member of the cephalopod family known for wearing shells like a snail or hermit crab. The shape of these shells can often vary but are generally round with a spiral print on each side. Aside from this odd distinction, their bodies retain the same tentacles and hidden beaks as squid and octopus.

    These and a few of the other smaller residents here are the food of another recent arrival. Gliding through the waters are 10-foot Hauffiosaurus, members of the long-neck plesiosaur family of marine reptiles. Like the rest of their family, they have four long, flipper-shaped legs that help in thrusting them through the water. A short tail with a small fluke on top protrudes from the back of their flat, broad bodies. On the other side is a long, stalk-like neck that supports a comparatively small head. Their snouts are long and thin, packed with elongated teeth that sport fine, longitudinal ridges. Such adaptations are perfect for feeding on soft prey like fish and squid. Rather than being further down their snouts, their nostrils are instead positioned farther back on their heads near their eyes. This allows their nostrils to act the same way as the blowholes of a whale or dolphin. Their skin is thin and smooth, covering an insulating layer of fat that is 3 inches thick. This skin is also primarily dark gray with a white underbelly.

    Like the Stenopterygius, they've come here to breed but arrived a day or so earlier before the tide lowered. Thus, Hauffiosaurus calves swim in these shallows too. They differ from the adults by having skin that's primarily a very dark black that still sports the underbelly of white. Despite being only a day old, they've already been born a third of the size of their respective mothers.

    Now that they've arrived at this sanctuary, it's time for the Stenopterygius to bring their young into the world. Though, their method of doing so is a far cry from most reptiles. A hint to this can be seen by smaller, fish-like tails, sticking out of a canal on the bottom of the females. Just like mammals, all marine reptiles of this era give live birth as opposed to laying eggs. Such an idea is bizarre to most, but it's carried on in our modern day by skinks as well as some snakes and chameleons.

    Just as it is for any mammal, the birthing process is a slow and painful one. To alleviate this excruciating process, Vera and the other soon-to-be mothers stay at the surface to breathe frequently. As they do, their tales point upward to push out their offspring.

    After a few of the longest, most painful minutes of Vera's life, her baby is born. It slides out of its mother's birth canal, followed by a cloud of thick, white liquid. The infant is a small male, only a fifth of his adult size. His skin color is also heavily different from the adults, being a much darker shade with no pattern around his proportionately larger eyes.

    Eventually, more newborns enter the world around him. Just like the little male, their first instinct is to float up to the surface. There they experience their first taste of fresh air as they greet their mothers for the first time. Before long he returns underwater with the rest of the babies. As the newborns dive down, Vera gives birth to a second youngster, a tiny female. Only she and a handful of the other mothers were able to produce a second infant.

    The first few months of these babies' lives will be spent here in the shallows away from potential predators. After this time, the young Stenopterygius will be able to enter the open ocean with their mothers, with whom they'll stay until reaching sexual maturity. Eventually, it will be them that will make the trip to the shallows and rear their own offspring. Such a day is extremely far off, but one they will inevitably be ready for, even if it means partaking in another race from the sea dragons.

Author's Note: As of June 26th, 2024, this story has been added to the collection Prehistoric Wild: Life in the Mesozoic. If you're Interested in checking out the other stories I've written in one place, do consider checking it out.