Giant pre-historic insects * which DO NOT make good pets Giant flea Giant slug BzzzzZZZZZzzzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzz... The giant dragonfly whizzed around and around Arg s cave. Faster and faster. It sounded like a swarm of angry bees. Its wings were a blur, flicking up a tornado of dust. But there was no way the dragonfly could escape. Not with a cycad-frond lasso around its tail. It had taken Arg all morning to snare the dragonfly. He knew he d get it in the end. A dragonfly could never outsmart a boy with a brain as big as Arg s. Giant mosquito Giant stag beetle BzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz... * During pre-historic times many creatures, 8 as well as dinosaurs, grew to great sizes. This was caused by huge forests which created 14% more oxygen in the air than today. 9
Arg gave the lasso a tug. The dragonfly bucked and weaved and spun and twirled. It didn t like being lassoed. Arg had to hold on tight to stop it yanking the string from his grasp. Krrk-Krrk raced round and round Arg s feet, yapping wildly. Each time the dragonfly whizzed past, Krrk-Krrk leapt up and tried to snatch it out of the air. Microceratops liked eating dragonflies. 10 11
If it was a really big dragonfly, it sometimes ate the Microceratops instead. I m not going to hurt you, Arg said for the hundredth time. He thought having a pet dragonfly would be a lot of fun. He could teach it all sorts of tricks. Well, he could try to teach it tricks. Like the time he tried to teach a giant spider to weave a web around his bed to stop the mosquitos biting him and But that s another story. Arg never imagined a dragonfly could be so stubborn. Or have so much energy. Krrk-Krrk puffed to a halt. Even he was getting bored. But Arg couldn t let the dragonfly go now. If it flew off with a string around its tail, it would get tangled in a branch in no time. If you just stop for a second, I ll untie you, Arg sighed. Maybe having a pet dragonfly wasn t such a good idea after all. 12
Arg s sigh turned into a huge yawn. The dragonfly hovered to a halt in front of Arg s face. It buzzed left. Then right. Then it plunged straight into Arg s gaping mouth! Arg s head shook like an earthquake as the insect s wings beat furiously against his cheeks. He tried to grab its tail, but it squirmed out of his grasp. There was only one thing to do 14 15
CHOMP! Arg s teeth snapped shut. His mouth filled with bitterness as the insect s body slid down his chin. But its head was stuck in Arg s throat, cutting off his air. Arg squeezed his neck and beat madly on his chest. What a stupid way to die, he thought, as his face slowly turned blue. His mum s shadow flitted across the cave entrance. Arg stumbled towards her. He was saved! Gurgle, gurgle, gasp, he said, pointing wildly at his throat. His mum frowned. She fished some earwax from her ear and sucked it off her finger. Gurgle, gurgle, Arg repeated, frantically waving his arms. His mum s hand slowly rose again. Arg groaned. If she didn t act quickly... 16 17
WHACK! Arg s mum swung her hand like a club. It slammed into Arg s back, nearly knocking him off his feet. The dragonfly s head exploded from his mouth. It shot across the cave and splattered against the far wall. As it slid to the ground, it left a smear of greasy green ooze. Arg no eat, Arg s mum grunted, grabbing his arm. She waved a hairy finger in front of Arg s face and shook her head like she was rattling her tiny brain. Urgh! said Arg. I wasn t trying to eat it. I was trying to train it. His mum didn t understand. She dragged him to the dragonfly s head and pointed at it. Arg no eat, she repeated firmly, squelching it with her foot. Krrk-Krrk started licking up the ooze. No, Mum, Arg sighed. Arg no eat. Arg s mum gave a satisfied grunt, then let him go. On her way out, she scooped up the
dragonfly s still-quivering body and crunched it greedily in half. A spurt of green juice dribbled down her chin. Mmmmm, good, she said, licking her lips. Arg trailed her outside. Maybe she was going to do something interesting. Like collect ingredients to make medicines. Or gather roots and berries for dinner. Or She plonked down beside the fire with the rest of the tribe. Arg huffed with disappointment. Being a cave boy was very boring sometimes. Especially when you had a big brain. Cave people were very lazy. They could sit around doing nothing for days. They only moved when they were hungry or thirsty. Sometimes they didn t even bother moving to go to the toilet. S-C-R-E-E-C-H! Suddenly a loud rattled through the village. The men leapt to their feet and grabbed their spears. The women snatched up their babies and began herding all the children into the caves. There was one thing that did get cave people moving quickly. That was the screech of an approaching T-rex. As the screech got louder, Arg s face split in a grin. That wasn t just any T-rex. It was his friend, Skeet. The only time Skeet came near the village was when he needed Arg s help. With a whoop of excitement, Arg rushed into the jungle. 20 21