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September 14, 2025 16 mins
A Spinosaurus is going to the movies – if only he can find a place to park his sports car first.
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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Yea, Hello, My name's Josephine and this is the Animal
Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.
There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,
with a third premium only story every Friday. Our Animal
Tales short story books are available on Amazon, collecting your

(00:34):
favorite stories to help encourage reading. If you've bought a book,
please leave an Amazon review if you can, it would
be a great help. Leo is from Georgia in the USA,
and he is asked for a story featuring prehistoric animals.
You can learn more about these creatures in the animal
facts after the story. Okay, are you ready? That's good,

(00:59):
then I'll begin Prehistoric Parking. It had been a long
week of excitement for the spinosaurus called Leo, and finally
the big day was here. Leo was going to see
the brand new superhero film Prehistoric Power. He just couldn't wait.

(01:21):
He'd already bought his ticket online, so now all he
needed to do was get to the cinema in plenty
of time. This wasn't a problem for the spinosaurus because
he could drive to the film in his bright red
open top sports car. Leo collected the car. Keys from
the table, locked up the house and slid behind the

(01:43):
sports car's steering wheel. He had a specially adapted driver's
seat to fit the enormous sail that ran down his back.
The engine roared into life, and Leo was away with
plenty of time to spare. Fortunately, the journey to the
cinema was an easy one. Every traffic light was green,

(02:06):
there were no hold ups, and it was a long
time until rush hour. At this rate, I'm going to
be very early, Leo chuckled to himself. It was only
when the spinosaurus in a sports car drove into the
cinema's sprawling car park that he encountered a problem. There
was nowhere to park. Oh no, said Leo as he

(02:31):
drove up and down the endless rows chock full of
parked cars. I've driven around the entire car park and
there's not a single free space, he said to himself.
I'll just have to try again. So the Spinosaurus in
the sports car drove up and down every row all

(02:53):
over again, only to receive the same result. He checked
the time on the car. If he didn't find somewhere soon,
he ran the risk of missing the movie start. I'll
have to drive around again, he decided. This time though
there was a free space. The only trouble was that

(03:16):
there was another vehicle approaching it from the other direction.
Like Leo, it was signaling to pull in. This new
vehicle was a monster truck and a mosasaurus was leaning
out of the window. Hi, said the mosasaurus in the
monster truck. Would it be all right if I had

(03:37):
this space? I really really need it? Well, I guess so,
said the spinosaurus in the sports car. If you really
really need it, I can look for another one, Thanks, buddy,
said the mosasaurus, powering his monster truck into the spot.

(03:58):
Leo tried not to feel disp pointed he'd needed the
space as well, but he didn't really really need it,
not like the mossosaurus in the monster truck. There was
still time to look for another space. Leo returned to
driving up and down the rows, and when he didn't
find an empty space, he started all over again. He

(04:21):
was just turning his sports car into the second row
when he spied a blue car leaving. Great, said Leo
with delight. I can park here and still be in
time for the film. But that's when he saw he
wasn't the only one hoping to use the space. Another
vehicle had come up the row from the other direction

(04:43):
and was signaling to park there too. This new vehicle,
a delivery van, was being driven by a Demetrodon. She
lowered her window and called out to Leo. Excuse me,
she said, politely, it's really important that I park here.
Would you mind if I did? Leo did mind a

(05:06):
little bit, but she had said it was really important. Okay,
he said to the Demeitradon in the delivery truck, if
it's really important, you can park there. I'll look for
another space. Thank you so much, said the demitrid On,
steering her delivery truck into the spot. Leo was determined

(05:29):
not to feel down. Seeing a movie was fun, but
it wasn't really important. He couldn't say his need was
greater than the Demetrodon in the delivery truck. Besides, there
was still time to look for another space. Up and down,
and up and down went the spinosaurus in the sports car,

(05:51):
watching carefully for any empty spaces that might appear. Then,
as luck would have it, he spotted a vacant slot
in the car park's corner. At last, he said with relief,
and went to drive in. But as he did so,
a vehicle whizzed in front of him, coming from the

(06:12):
other direction. It was a motorcycle being ridden by a megalodon.
Ah sorry, mate, said the megalodon, when he realized what
he'd done. I didn't see you there. Look, you wouldn't
mind if I kept this space, would you? Otherwise? I'm
going to be late. Leo glanced down at the car's clock.

(06:34):
Time was getting tight, but he wasn't late for the film,
all right, he said to the megalodon on the motorcycle,
if it stops you from being late, then you can
park there. I'm sure I can find another space. You're
a star, said the megalodon on the motorcycle, and he
finished parking. Leo sighed. This was proving far more different

(07:00):
than he thought it would be, but there was still
time to find a space before the movie started. Round
and round the car park drove the Spinosaurus in the
sports car. He was twisting his long neck left and
right in his search for an empty parking bay, so
much so that it was beginning to ache. And then,

(07:23):
to his surprise, he turned a corner and there was
a space and What's more, there was no vehicle coming
the other way, trying to claim it as well. At last,
beep a horn blasted behind him. Checking his mirror, he
saw a bright yellow score bus. By twisting his aching neck,

(07:46):
he found himself looking directly at a saber toothed tiger
in the driver's seat. Leaning out of the window, she said, um,
hi there, look, I've got a busload of excited children
here who are going to miss the start of the movie.
You couldn't let us park in that spot, could you.
It would be a shame to disappoint them. It wasn't

(08:10):
a big school bus, but it was full of noisy,
prehistoric children, all looking forward to seeing a film. Leo
would hate to be the one responsible for disappointing so
many children. Very well, said Leo to the sabertooth in
the school bus. If it stops them from being disappointed,

(08:32):
you can have the space. If I'm lucky, there's just
enough time to find another. That's very kind of you,
smiled the sabertooth. The spino saw us in the sports
car pulled forward, allowing the sabertooth in the school bus
to pull in. Leo drove on. He was in real

(08:53):
danger of missing the start time if he didn't find
a space quickly. He tried to reassure himself that at
least those children were happy. He was gripping the wheel
of his sports car really tightly, so had to keep
telling himself to relax, But every time the car's clock
moved forward another minute, he just tens up again. With

(09:17):
the start time seconds away, he saw a yellow camper
van pull out halfway along the row he was turning into. Frustratingly,
an ice cream van was coming down the row from
the other direction. It appeared to want the space too well.
This time it was Leo's turn to ask to have

(09:38):
the space. The spina saw us in the sports car slowed,
as did the ice cream van. But before Leo had
the chance to speak, a nichthea saw us was shouting
out of the van's window. Listen, dude, you've really got
to let me park there. I'm going to be in
so much trouble if I can't park right now. This

(10:02):
took Leo by surprise. He didn't want anyone getting into
trouble just because he couldn't spare a parking space. You
go right ahead, he said to the Ichtheosaurus in the
ice cream van, quite forgetting how determined he'd been to
park just a few seconds ago. I hope that helps. Oh,

(10:24):
it really really does, called out the ichtheosaurus in the
ice cream van as he turned into the spot. Thank you.
Although he felt like he'd done a good deed, Leo
was now going to be late for the start of
the movie. All he could do was keep looking, so
the spinosaus in the sports car drove on. He'd lost

(10:48):
count of how many times he'd been around the car
park now, but he could afford to miss a few
minutes of his film. He told himself that wouldn't hurt.
A space, he shouted out loud as he saw an
empty bay right near the entrance. He couldn't see any
other moving cars in the car park, so this time

(11:10):
the space just had to be his. Except as he
drew near a tractor drove through the entrance and went
to swing into the spot. There was a tyrannosaurus driving it.
You've got to let me have this space, insisted the
tyrannosaurus on the tractor. It's an emergency. An emergency, gulped Leo.

(11:36):
He couldn't begin to think what sort of emergency A
Tyrannosaus driving a tractor needed to deal with, but he
wasn't about to get in the way of it. If
it's an emergency, you'd better have the space, said the
Spinosaus in the sports car. You're a real gentleman, said
the Tearannosaurus on the tractor. Gratefully, in leaped off of

(12:01):
the tractor and rushed into the cinema. Oh boy, groaned Leo.
He was going to miss even more of the film now,
and all because he'd been so helpful to others. Was
there any point in driving around the car park again?
Surely if he did, he'd only lose the space to

(12:23):
someone else. No, I'm not going to get upset, and
I'm not going to give up, he said to himself.
I will get myself a parking space. So once again,
the spino saw Us in the sports car made another
trip around the car park, up one row and down

(12:45):
the next. He went, his eyes darting to and fro.
Surely somewhere there had to be an empty parking bay
for him, And then in the very last row there was,
and there was no fine of another vehicle anywhere. Carefully,
he parked his bright red open top sports car and

(13:07):
let out a huge sigh of relief. He'd done it.
He could still catch some of the movie. He was
expecting to find the lobby of the cinema empty, but
it was full. There were customers everywhere, including the Sabertooth
and the children. Leo went over to buy some popcorn

(13:29):
and was pleased to see the Mosasaurus serving behind the counter.
What's going on, Leo asked, Oh, everyone's been cutting it
close all day, said the Mossosaurus. I would have been
late for work if you'd not given me your space.
We ran out of popcorn and ice cream, but the

(13:50):
Demetridon delivery lady and the Ichtheosaurus ice cream guy got
here right when we needed them. The Megalodon that operates
the projector got stuck in traffic, but managed to get
here just in time, and then the projector broke down. Fortunately,
the Tyrannosaurus repair man got here quickly and has just

(14:11):
fixed it. You mean I've not missed the start of
the movie, asked Leo. That's right, smiled the Mossosaurus. It
seemed as if all Leo's kind acts hadn't made him
late at all. In fact, if he hadn't been so generous,

(14:31):
the film wouldn't even be starting now. May I have
a tub of popcorn? Please? Leo asked here, said the
massasaurus have this on me for being so kind to
me In the car park. With a smile and a
thank you, Leo went at long last to watch his

(14:52):
movie Animal Fact. Life on Earth is over three billion
years old, and in that time there have been many
kinds of creatures. The most famous of those are the dinosaurs,
including Spinosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. Mososaurus and Ichthiosaurus aren't dinosaurs, but

(15:18):
we're alive at the same time. They're known as marine reptiles. Megelodon, though,
is not a marine reptile, but a giant kind of
extinct shark. Before the dinosaurs were around, one of the
biggest predators was Demetridon. Sabertooth tigers didn't evolve until after

(15:39):
the dinosaurs, and they're the only animal in our story
that would have met humans. Thank you for your suggestions, Leo.
We hope you enjoyed it, and thank you to all
of you across the world for listening to it. If
you prefer your story's advert free, then all the Animal
tell stories plus over sixty premium only stories are available

(16:03):
from our premium service. You can sign up with Apple
or supercarst find out how to do so in the
text that accompanies this episode, and remember, for a tiny
fee its advert free join us next time for another
great animal tale. Good Bye,
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