The Jurassic Park franchise showed audiences that dinosaurs could be seen as majestic and even beautiful. That said, while many of the creations were meant to inspire the guests that would visit, those that made these dinosaurs loved to push the limits. As a result, the Jurassic World movies and TV show Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous showed that genetic power could also breed monsters like the Indomius Rex and Scorpius Rex. But unlike the twisted creations in Jurassic World, one of the scariest dinosaurs actually existed in the Triassic Period, though it sadly never got the big screen treatment.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous was a survival tale about a group of children stranded on Isla Nublar after the events of Jurassic World. While it didn't get the same attention as the movies, the show managed to bridge the gap between each Jurassic World movie. For example, the children had to evade the Indominus Rex in between the chaos of the first movie as well as face corporations like Biosyn, the antagonist of Jurassic World Dominion. But the most memorable part of the series was the unique dinosaurs that appeared on the show but never in the movies, like the deadly Nothosaurus.
What Is a Nothosaurus?
Like a Plesiosaurus, the Nothosaurus had a long neck and semi-aquatic body. But the major difference was that it had legs with webbed feet and incredibly long and sharp teeth. It was also much smaller than a Plesiosaurus, which allowed it to be much faster and ferocious. Thanks to Camp Cretaceous, it was shown to devour a Dilophosaurus with ease and was a deadly predator in its domain. However, Camp Cretaceous showed the creature's more violent side, thanks to the company that created it.
Like Biosyn and InGen, Mantah Corp had the genetic power to create dinosaurs and species that many didn't even know were discovered. The Nothosaurus was a perfect example of this and was used as a form of security for the sewers of Mantah Corp Island. It attacked the children of the series on more than one occasion and showed that if the Mosasaurus was like the T-Rex of the water, then the Nothosaurus was the Velociraptor. Its speed and ferocity showed that it was incredibly aggressive and deadly on land and in the water. While Mantah Corp Island was eventually used as a dinosaur sanctuary, the fact that Biosyn played a role in the company could've led to the Nothosaurus' presence in Jurassic World: Dominion.
The Nothosaurus Would've Been Great in Jurassic World Dominion
In Camp Cretaceous, Mantah Corp and Biosyn had dealings until Kenji Kon took over the company. However, being that Biosyn was no stranger to underhanded tactics, like using Dennis Nedry to steal InGen embryo samples, it would be no surprise that they'd do it again. With the potential that they stole data or samples from Mantah Corp Island, it's possible they had a template to create creatures for the sanctuary shown in Jurassic World Dominion, making it the perfect bridge to bring the Nothosaurus to live-action.
The Nothosaurus brought an unexpected edge to the Jurassic Park franchise and showed that the dangers of dinosaurs could come from literally anywhere. With the Spinosaurus being the only amphibious dinosaur shown in the franchise, a much faster and smaller carnivore would continue the trend of growth through genetics the franchise was known for. While it was fun to see creations made from a mixture of DNA, there's no denying the terrifying impact the franchise would've had with a creature like the Nothosaurus on the big screen.