Skybax
Encyclopedia
The Quetzalcoatlus
skybax is a fiction
al creature in Dinotopia
. It carries "skybax riders" to their destination, although the skybax itself does the steering. The master pilot that trains the riders is Oolu, one of the Aerial Habitat Partners. It is considered a separate species from Q. northropi, referred to as Quetzecoatlus skybax in one of the books.
as its sign. Its brother species, the Pteranodon, became hermit-like and remained below the canyons as a guardian of the World Beneath.
With the help of four prehistoric mammals and his hoverhead-friend (a type of robot) Fritz, Gideon made it to Highnest, a Pterosaur stronghold and the Air Scorpion's first target. The Ruby Sunstone has been recovered by the enemy and the threat of attack is imminent. The group meets up with Avatar and his friends and together they hide Pterosaur eggs. Once the eggs are safe, Avatar allows Gideon to ride on his back. Each of the primates rides with one of the pterosaurs and together they fly in joy, only to run into the Air Scorpion.
With a great effort, the group attacks, disables and ultimately destroys the Air Scorpion. After the victory, Avatar gave Gideon a rock with the image of a Skybax scratched into it, a token of their bond. This led to the formation of the Skybax Riders.
Once the race is won, the human pair may choose to serve in the Land, Sea, or Sky. The sky must be chosen to become a skybax rider. The youths then journey to Canyon City, where he or she is paired with a Skybax and commence training.
Together the Skybax and rider carry out a variety of tasks from delivering toys and medicine to escorting a convoy through dangerous territory.
in the human soul
and will not permit a human with excess fear to ride it.
To enter the corps, one must undergo the same studying in Waterfall City, though the youth camp is located at The Hatchery instead of Treetown. After great labor and meditation, the matriarch chooses which element the youth belongs in (Land, Sea or Sky). If placed in the Sky, the youth may be assigned to apply to the corps and become a cadet, or possibly a different assignment.
The corps is more military-like and the rider must train without a Skybax, usually on a contraption that simulates riding one. Tactical and strategic courses are also taken in the 100-days the training takes place. Part of the training includes climbing on dangerously steep cliffs and making a leap across two walls, then the cadet carves his or her name in the rock.
The cadet graduates by taking a saddle and signaling for a Skybax to fly to him or her by holding an arm out with a clenched fist. If the Skybax approaches, the cadet slings the saddle around it and flies for the first time. If a Skybax does not approach, the cadet has been rejected and is dismissed from the corps.
The uniform the cadets must wear is plain tan, as opposed to the colorful red in the main books. The cadets also must salute their squadron commander by slapping their clenched fist to their heart.
s, Quetzalcoatlus northropi and Pteranodon
.
The May 2001 Issue of National Geographic states that there was a separate species of Quetzalcoatlus with an 18-foot wingspan, smaller than the 30-foot wingspan of the larger northropi.
Quetzalcoatlus
Quetzalcoatlus was a pterodactyloid pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous of North America , and one of the largest known flying animals of all time. It was a member of the Azhdarchidae, a family of advanced toothless pterosaurs with unusually long, stiffened necks...
skybax is a fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al creature in Dinotopia
Dinotopia
Dinotopia is a fictional utopia created by author and illustrator James Gurney. It is the setting for the book series with which it shares its name. Dinotopia is an isolated island inhabited by shipwrecked humans and sentient dinosaurs who have learned to coexist peacefully as a single symbiotic...
. It carries "skybax riders" to their destination, although the skybax itself does the steering. The master pilot that trains the riders is Oolu, one of the Aerial Habitat Partners. It is considered a separate species from Q. northropi, referred to as Quetzecoatlus skybax in one of the books.
Ancient times
Long ago, the Skybax rose above the canyons and chose the rainbowRainbow
A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
as its sign. Its brother species, the Pteranodon, became hermit-like and remained below the canyons as a guardian of the World Beneath.
The first flight
Thousands of years ago, the advanced city of Poseidos was plotting to take over the rest of Dinotopia. One boy, Gideon Altaire, who loved the forbidden mainland, defied the law and stole the Ruby Sunstone from the Air Scorpion, a new vessel built for conquest, cutting off the machine's source of power. In the process, he discovers four trapped Pterosaurs, Catapult, Scimitar, Zanzibar, and Avatar. Avatar was a great skybax leader and made a connection with Gideon as soon as they met. Gideon frees the pterosaurs and escapes to the mainland.With the help of four prehistoric mammals and his hoverhead-friend (a type of robot) Fritz, Gideon made it to Highnest, a Pterosaur stronghold and the Air Scorpion's first target. The Ruby Sunstone has been recovered by the enemy and the threat of attack is imminent. The group meets up with Avatar and his friends and together they hide Pterosaur eggs. Once the eggs are safe, Avatar allows Gideon to ride on his back. Each of the primates rides with one of the pterosaurs and together they fly in joy, only to run into the Air Scorpion.
With a great effort, the group attacks, disables and ultimately destroys the Air Scorpion. After the victory, Avatar gave Gideon a rock with the image of a Skybax scratched into it, a token of their bond. This led to the formation of the Skybax Riders.
Skybax Riders
A young man or woman may become a skybax rider if he or she studies hard in Waterfall City, and then graduates from the youth camp in Treetown, and ultimately wins the ring race in Treetown where groups consisting of one boy, one girl and a bipedal dinosaur run laps around a ring. The boy must spear specific rings with a stick while the girl directs the running dinosaur.Once the race is won, the human pair may choose to serve in the Land, Sea, or Sky. The sky must be chosen to become a skybax rider. The youths then journey to Canyon City, where he or she is paired with a Skybax and commence training.
Together the Skybax and rider carry out a variety of tasks from delivering toys and medicine to escorting a convoy through dangerous territory.
Other information
The skybaxes will not fly beyond the Sentiels, large statues in the canyons by Canyon City. The skybax can sense fearFear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
in the human soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
and will not permit a human with excess fear to ride it.
Skybax in the mini-series
In the Dinotopia Mini-series, the skybax riders are instead referred to collectively as the Skybax Corps, and individual riders are still called riders but more commonly "cadets" or "Pilots".To enter the corps, one must undergo the same studying in Waterfall City, though the youth camp is located at The Hatchery instead of Treetown. After great labor and meditation, the matriarch chooses which element the youth belongs in (Land, Sea or Sky). If placed in the Sky, the youth may be assigned to apply to the corps and become a cadet, or possibly a different assignment.
The corps is more military-like and the rider must train without a Skybax, usually on a contraption that simulates riding one. Tactical and strategic courses are also taken in the 100-days the training takes place. Part of the training includes climbing on dangerously steep cliffs and making a leap across two walls, then the cadet carves his or her name in the rock.
The cadet graduates by taking a saddle and signaling for a Skybax to fly to him or her by holding an arm out with a clenched fist. If the Skybax approaches, the cadet slings the saddle around it and flies for the first time. If a Skybax does not approach, the cadet has been rejected and is dismissed from the corps.
The uniform the cadets must wear is plain tan, as opposed to the colorful red in the main books. The cadets also must salute their squadron commander by slapping their clenched fist to their heart.
Skybax in real life
The skybax is related to two real pterosaurPterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
s, Quetzalcoatlus northropi and Pteranodon
Pteranodon
Pteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
.
The May 2001 Issue of National Geographic states that there was a separate species of Quetzalcoatlus with an 18-foot wingspan, smaller than the 30-foot wingspan of the larger northropi.