Can we replace T. rex? Should we?

Quetzalcoatlis Hatzegopteryx — Quetzalcoatlis/Hatzegopteryx

With a snap of the neck, the tyrant lizard king was killed, and a new lord rules Isla Sorna now. The cold, menacing Spinosaurus is a terrific antagonist, unlike the antiheroic T. rex, who was responsible for killing several baddies in both canons, such as George Baselton, Howard King, Lewis Dodgson (that creep), The Big One, Billy Yoder and Peter Ludlow (don't say it), but was still sort of villainous at times. Now, I have nothing against Spinosaurus as a dinosaur, but as a character I consider it to be a villain. Just ask Nash, Cooper and the young male T. rex. So ultimately, the hero, namely T. rex, has to end it's days at the end of JPIV or a later movie. Since Spinosaurus was actually a juvenile in JPIII (smaller than the fossil record indicates), that could be a hard battle. A suggestion by MismeretMonk prompted me to consider the following - suppose the mortally wounded Rexy, or whoever it may be, dies after killing Spino? Then who will replace T. rex?

There are, fortunately, a lot of possible candidates. And here are the contestants for So You Think You Can Roar? (Hardy hardy har :P

Giganatosaurus: Already fairly infamous, Gig was among the largest carnivorous dinosaurs to ever live, aside from the obvious Spinosaurus. They were bigger than T. rex and killed giant sauropods. I think Giganotosaurus would be an obvious choice for T. rex replacement. The link is here: 1

Charcharodontosaurus: The natural enemy of Spinosaurus, Charcharodontosaurus was not only a mouthful to say, but it was a force to be reckoned with. These things were used to bringing down gigantic Paralatitans and fought with giant crocodiles, packs of Rugops and the current king of Isla Sorna, and I say they could be awesome in Jurassic Park. The link is here: 2

Carnotaurus: C'mon, look at those horns! Sure, they were smaller than T. rex, but they had giant horns and could turn invisible! Maybe InGen's tampering made them bigger? It was probably the cause of the invisibility too. Who knows, it could be the mystery dinosaur Jack Horner was referring to. The link is here: 3

Albertosaurus: In the words of Connor Temple in Primeval: New World:

Like T. rex, but smaller, faster… meaner.

That pretty much sums up Albertosaurus sarcophagus, which translates as "flesh-consuming lizard from Alberta." Sweet species name. And Alberta! Canadian pride! (Um, that wasn't a hint as to where I live. Really. Oh dear) The link is here: 4

Allosaurus: The king of the Jurassic is long overdue for an appearance. These guys were awesome! They were, contrary to popular belief, capable of growing bigger than T. rex, and they ruled their world. Allosaurus was an apex predator for the majority of the planet. They've been found on multiple continents. They were big. They were fast. They were deadly. They were freaking awesome.

Quetzalcoatlus/Hatzegopteryx: Hey, who says it even has to be a dinosaur? Quetzalcoatlus or Hatzegopteryx, depending on whether or not Hatzegopteryx was actually a valid genus, (they were pretty much interchangeable) are pretty mysterious. Some scientists estimate they were as big as giraffes, though that is doubtless extreme exaggeration. We theorize they might have been primarily scavengers, but what do we really know? The fossils are extremely fragmentary and we still haven't found a Quetzalcoatlis head! So they could have been gigantic aerial carnivores! Now THAT would be entertaining!

Of course, there is the matter of whether or not we should replace T. rex, even if we can. Some say it is the heart and soul of the franchise. After all, the park's logo has a T. rex on it. If you can't say "we have a T. rex", is it still JP? Could you take out the raptors and still be faithful to the series? I think it is possible. After all, they replaced T. rex already for the third instalment. Could they do it again? It depends - did it actually work the first time, for the fans? That's up to you.

There were a lot of amazing super-carnivores out there. Maybe we should give them breathing space and let sleeping T. rexs lie.

I have returned. I am a king. Therefore, I am THE RETURN OF THE KING!! Speak to me, peasants! 03:15, June 10, 2013 (UTC)