Predators vs. Dinosaurs: Guide To Jurassic Yautja Hunts

Ever since the T-Rex skull appeared in the trophy case in Predator 2, it has been clear that the Yautja have hunted dinosaurs before. The Dinosaurs are perfect prey for the Predators, as they are the ultimate apex predators, offering the biggest game. Even though they are seemingly extinct on Earth, the Predators have found ways to hunt (and breed) them on other planets, or even inside the mysterious "Earth's Core". This is an overview of Predators hunting dinosaurs in the Alien vs. Predator franchise, including taking trophies from T-Rex and Triceratops.

T-Rex Trophy in Predator 2

The Yautja trophy wall discovered by Mike Harrigan in the ship at the end of Predator 2 included several skulls, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex one. The dinosaur skull looked a bit otherworldly, with side-tusks on the lower jaw. However, these could have just been decorations by the Predators. With the inclusion of the flintlock pistol from 1715, the movie heavily implies that the Predators have hunted on Earth throughout history, possibly even during the age of dinosaurs millions of years ago. The alternate theory is that the T-Rex skull was just a creature from another planet. Predators have also been shown to imprison humans and other creatures in "stasis farms" to be thawed up on later hunts, a concept that could extend to dinosaurs.

Predators vs. T-Rex in Tarzan vs. Predator

In the Tarzan vs. Predator comic, Tarzan returned to the Earth's Core (he visited it years ago in another book) at the request of an old friend David Innes. The world inside the hollow earth (also known as Pellucidar) included dinosaurs, even featuring packs of wild T-Rexes. Pellucidar was also discovered by the Predators, who found it as a perfect hunting ground. A memorable scene in the comic featured a clan of Predators fighting a pair of T-Rexes. One of the R-Rexes was sniped by the shoulder cannon, while the other was stabbed in the neck by the Predator's wristblades. After their victory, Tarzan observed the Yautja extracting the giant skull of one of the Tyrannosauruses.

Triceratops Trophy In Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem tried to one-up the scene from Predator 2 by having a trophy wall with even more skulls from exotic creatures. The trophies included a Space Jockey, a Xenomorph Queen, and also the skull of a Triceratops, a herbivorous dinosaur. Again, the trophy could have originated from Earth millions of years ago, been a creature from another planet, or perhaps the Predators had hunted in Earth's Core again. The skull was destroyed along with the ship when Wolf Predator set it to self-destruct on Earth.

Predator vs. Triceratops

The Predators located in Earth's Core lead an oppressive regime against the peaceful tribal people living there. With Tarzan's help, the people rebelled against the Predators. Tarzan rode a Triceratops to battle, leading a pack of dinosaurs against the Predators. The Predators were quickly overwhelmed and the Triceratopses crashed into their ship, pushing it over a cliff. The Predator leader appeared to accept their fate, finding honor in their inevitable demise. The ship exploded and like in many other Predator stories, all the Yautja died.

Predator vs. Extraterrestrial Dinosaurs

The Chameleons of LV-1201 were massive, dinosaur-like creatures with gorilla-like movement, appearing in Aliens vs. Predator 2: Primal Hunt. They possessed unique abilities, such as curling into a camouflaged ball and emitting a concussive beam by ionizing oxygen. Coexisting with Xenomorphs, these creatures were among the alien prey hunted by Predators, showcasing that Yautja hunts extended beyond Earth’s dinosaurs. While initially targeted by Predators, Chameleons proved deadly and evaded infra-red detection, requiring specialized vision modes. Eventually, the Predators shifted focus to Xenomorphs, but their dominance on LV-1201 was short-lived as the Xenomorphs overran their camps.

Predators vs. Dinosaurs in Fan Art

Predators fighting dinosaurs has been a popular topic among fan art. Above is an awesome scene of a Yautja riding a Xenomorph T-Rex by artist Stjepan Sejic. A T-Rex Xenomorph would theoretically be possible if a giant Facehugger impregnated a T-Rex. Although this hasn't happened in the Predator lore, Batman did fight a similar Xenomorph creature that burst from a giant crocodile in the Batman vs. Aliens comic. Below is an image of a Predator about to stab a T-Rex by an artist nicknamed LLirik-13. There seems to be a Jurassic Park influence, so perhaps this is a T-Rex cloned and resurrected using old DNA.

Conclusion

The dinosaurs prove to be the biggest prey that the Predators have ever hunted. However, the Yautja have hunted more than Earth’s dinosaurs, as seen in the expanded Alien vs. Predator franchise. From the T-Rex skull in Predator 2 to encounters with extraterrestrial dinosaur-like creatures such as the Chameleons of LV-1201, the Yautja demonstrate their pursuit of apex prey across worlds. In Tarzan vs. Predator, they hunted dinosaurs in the hollow Earth realm of Pellucidar, including T-Rexes and Triceratopses. While the Predators succeeded in killing at least two T-Rexes, they all died during the Triceratops stampede. The trophy walls in Predator 2 and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem hint at hunts both terrestrial and alien, featuring skulls of creatures resembling prehistoric Earth dinosaurs.

Tag Categories: Predator Hunt