Instinct (103)

[GateWorld]

TERRA NOVA - SEASON ONE INSTINCT EPISODE NUMBER - 103 The colony finds itself under threat from a massive flock of small but highly aggressive, flying dinosaurs. After Elisabeth learns that an old college friend is in Terra Nova, Jim begins to suspect that the man is responsible for recruiting her — hoping for a new chance at romance. VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE >>

[LtColCarter]

Liked this episode more than the first one. This week the teens weren't annoying...and it was nice to see the family settling in.

[morrismike]

Geez they're attacked by ducks with teeth. I guess they forgot to pack the wiffle ball bats.

[LtColCarter]

Geez they're attacked by ducks with teeth. I guess they forgot to pack the wiffle ball bats.

I was callin' 'em prehistoric crows...

[lookupwardsnshare]

Geez they're attacked by ducks with teeth.

They did look like prehistoric ducks...the long necks...but they had an annoying call as crows do...

[lookupwardsnshare]

Good 3rd episode. Character and relationship establishment.

[LtColCarter]

They did look like prehistoric ducks...the long necks...but they had an annoying call as crows do...

Then maybe they should be prehistoric Crucks (combination of CRow and dUCKS)

[senilegreen]

While there was less teen angst in this episode, a great deal of the story was made up of intra-family relationships as well as various cliched romances (teens', adults', flying dinosaurs').

Found the whole thing a bit monotonous.

Hope the next episode develops a more complex and/or mature story.

[mr_kennedy]

I like Crucks better than Malcolmus Terraformia

[Gollumpus]

Anyone else thinking about "The Birds" while this episode was on?

I'm not too surprised that they had a confrontation of this sort. I get what they were trying to do in this episode, however, I think the writers made a few errors.

SHORT READ: the dino's reproductive cycle is crazy long, such that they could become extinct really, really easily. They should have been around sooner.

The End.

regards,
G.


LONG READ: They did mention that they were aware of the idea of dino migration when the Terra Nova site was selected. I'm assuming that they might have delayed the construction of the town for a goodly amount of time (maybe a year?) to find a safe spot. This makes sense as you wouldn't want a sauropod migration rolling through town every year.

However, I'm not sure that they wouldn't have had this problem with the flying critters before now, say on an annual basis. While the critters present may have been sexually mature, what about the ones who might still be back at the coast? Why would they fly inland with the rest of the flock(?) if they had no biological imperative do to so (the need to breed)? I would think they would have stayed on the coast and wouldn't have flown inland until the urge took them. And when they went to breed, wouldn't they return to the original valley where the Terra Nova settlement was located?

I'm basing my thoughts on fish like the salmon, which migrate to spawn in various rivers along the coast. The fish return to the specific river in which they spawned. The thing of it is, only the fish which are ready to spawn return to the river system. The rest of the fish stay out in the ocean until they reach maturity. Yes, fish are different from the critters in the episode, but the idea is the same (I think).

The albatross is another example of an animal which returns to its point of origin in order to breed. Sea turtles also fall into this category of creatures who exhibit a trait know as "philopatry" (new word to me!). In each of these cases, there is an annual breeding event, but it does not include the entire species.

I find it hard to believe that the *entire* species in this episode breeds at the same time, hatches at one time, hangs around feeding on "something" in the original valley, and after they have earned their wings they fly off to the coast to eat for another 9 - 10 years. And when they have gained sexual maturity, the process repeats it self.

And what would they have been eating/feeding to their young once they hatched? There would have to be some sort of insect migration or other food source which would make that valley a desirable place to lay their eggs.

Maybe by moving them to another valley, Taylor and company have exterminated the entire breed.

regards,
G.

[morrismike]

Anyone else thinking about "The Birds" while this episode was on?

I'm not too surprised that they had a confrontation of this sort. I get what they were trying to do in this episode, however, I think the writers made a few errors.

SHORT READ: the dino's reproductive cycle is crazy long, such that they could become extinct really, really easily. They should have been around sooner.

The End.

regards,
G.


LONG READ: They did mention that they were aware of the idea of dino migration when the Terra Nova site was selected. I'm assuming that they might have delayed the construction of the town for a goodly amount of time (maybe a year?) to find a safe spot. This makes sense as you wouldn't want a sauropod migration rolling through town every year.

However, I'm not sure that they wouldn't have had this problem with the flying critters before now, say on an annual basis. While the critters present may have been sexually mature, what about the ones who might still be back at the coast? Why would they fly inland with the rest of the flock(?) if they had no biological imperative do to so (the need to breed)? I would think they would have stayed on the coast and wouldn't have flown inland until the urge took them. And when they went to breed, wouldn't they return to the original valley where the Terra Nova settlement was located?

I'm basing my thoughts on fish like the salmon, which migrate to spawn in various rivers along the coast. The fish return to the specific river in which they spawned. The thing of it is, only the fish which are ready to spawn return to the river system. The rest of the fish stay out in the ocean until they reach maturity. Yes, fish are different from the critters in the episode, but the idea is the same (I think).

The albatross is another example of an animal which returns to its point of origin in order to breed. Sea turtles also fall into this category of creatures who exhibit a trait know as "philopatry" (new word to me!). In each of these cases, there is an annual breeding event, but it does not include the entire species.

I find it hard to believe that the *entire* species in this episode breeds at the same time, hatches at one time, hangs around feeding on "something" in the original valley, and after they have earned their wings they fly off to the coast to eat for another 9 - 10 years. And when they have gained sexual maturity, the process repeats it self.

And what would they have been eating/feeding to their young once they hatched? There would have to be some sort of insect migration or other food source which would make that valley a desirable place to lay their eggs.

Maybe by moving them to another valley, Taylor and company have exterminated the entire breed.

regards,
G.

Salmon have a long spawning cycle too. You see them every year because of overlapping year classes. Many species (of fish anyway) only pull off a good year class every 4 or 5 years. This is why occasionally there are really good years for crappie and white bass on lakes. I'm thinking some other critter eats those things and this has resulted in various colonies breeding in various places (with some years no one breeding in significant numbers).

[Skydiver]

I'm thinking either the writers did some research...or are playing the 'evolutionary experiment' card. In other words, some critters tried things that didn't work and died out as a result. (such as what woulda happened to the crucks had there been a volcanic eruption or flood that ruined their breeding grounds)

[lookupwardsnshare]

then maybe they should be prehistoric crucks (combination of crow and ducks)

like that!! :d

[LoneStar1836]

While there was less teen angst in this episode, a great deal of the story was made up of intra-family relationships as well as various cliched romances (teens', adults', flying dinosaurs').

Found the whole thing a bit monotonous.

Hope the next episode develops a more complex and/or mature story.

Ditto. And I'd add really boring.

They may be going for some kind of family vibe to this but I'm not interested in that. At. All. *yawn*

Anyone else thinking about "The Birds" while this episode was on?

Crossed my mind at first but then when there became swarms of them I was thinking of the Kryll from Gears of War.


These things probably would have made for a great food source. Like people already said, they looked like ducks. Yum. Yum.

[LtColCarter]

These things probably would have made for a great food source. Like people already said, they looked like ducks. Yum. Yum.

No ducks...crucks!