Oldest to Youngest

[Zenoah]

Sorry if this has been duplicated before...feel free to delete.

Anyway, a few days ago I was rearrangeing my game room that my nephew disorganized and, since the tv down there is'nt hooked up to the dish tv, I popped in Land Before Time for background noise.
Well, I was cleaning and it dawned on me. Ducky has to be the oldest of the five because it was her who hatched first, followed by Cera, then Littlefoot.
We have NO idea where Petre falls into place because he is, oddly, the only one we did'nt see hatch. He could very well be the oldest for all we know.

But it came to me because of how Ducky acts so young and I realised that she's the oldest by a few moments.
I guess we can discuss: Do they act their age, where does Petre fall in the catagory (and maybe why he was never seen hatch) and even some discussion on Spike?

[Kor]

With Petrie it is hard to say, he could be the oldest, also he could have hatched at the same time as someone else in the gang.  As for why it is not shown you'd have to go ask Don Bluth and the script writers and the executive producers, one of them likely knows, but may have forgotten.  

We also do not know how far apart in time the first 3 different hatchings occurred.  Not counting Spike's of course.  They may have happened days, weeks, months, or maybe even about the same time.  

As for how old they act.  Cera was likely taught to be tough, and a speciest, from the start and not allowed to really be a kid much, and maybe having her dad shout at her. Ducky had none of that and had many siblings so could act more naturally.  Littlefoot was an only child, so that may be partially why he acts as he does.

As for Spike, he is the youngest but does not act or look like it.  & how did he grow so fast between the time he hatched and we see him in the next scene.  I wonder how much time passed in the cut scenes (if any) and what happened for him to grow so fast.

[Malte279]

While the first movie does suggest Ducky to have hatched first, it also suggests (not with absolute certainty) Ducky, Cera, and Littlefoot to have hatched the same day in which case the age difference would be rather negligible when it comes to age-related character traits. In general however older people can be more playful than some younger people and even if we assume Ducky to be significantly older than the others (which I consider rather unlikely) she would still be a young kid.
As for Petrie I suppose they feared that they would bore the audience with yet another hatching scene in the beginning. It might have been interesting though to see Petrie hatch and perhaps make some first flying attempts (which may have been messed up enough to explain his extreme later fear of flying; but this is only speculation of course).

[WeirdRaptor]

I just go by how well each member of the group can talk to figure out how old they are.

Littlefoot and Cera was speak almost perfectly, so they're the oldest two. Ducky can speak pretty well, but its much simpler. And Petrie is still in the process of mastering speech. So oldest to youngest: Cera, Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike.

[Kor]

I wonder if not showing Petrie's hatching and some scenes with his family was intentional, or if that is among the cut scenes.    Personally I assume the 3 shown hatching did so at about the same time, more or less.

[buffypii]

I seriously don't know when Petrie hatched..
So I'm not gonna get too mixed into this!
God only knows when he hatched!

[Lillefot]

I've been thinking about this aswell.
This is a thought that I find worth reflecting about:

"How do we know that these events were shown in chronical order?"

My apologize if I'm boring.

Ok, we know one thing for sure: Spike was NOT born first.  

[Zenoah]

True, we dont know if what was shown on the movie was in order.  I would like to belive what we saw was how it went, because why show it if it was'nt in order? Then again, they proably wanted to save Littlefoot second to last since he's an important character.
In my opinion however, I think that they should have left the hatching of Cera and Ducky out and focused on Littlefoot.
I do love how Ducky hatches thou. Its one of my faveorite parts.

[Kor]

It is cute, and she runs off before she is even fully hatched.  

I always assumed that the shown hatchings were either in order or more or less at the same time and maybe Petrie's was cut for time, or happened before the movie began.

[Malte279]

I consider it very likely that at least back then they meant the hatching to be in the order shown in the movie (nobody was thinking of sequels at the time). One indicator for this is that the very thunderstorm which frightens Cera is also seen at the beginning of Littlefoot's hatchscene (though it doesn't last).

[Zenoah]

Yeah I recalled that as I was typing my last responce.
Peatre could have been after Littlefoot because for one, he cant fly and two, as someone stated, his speach is a little off.
I dont want to assume he was late hatching because his mother probaly would have abandoned the egg, thinking it was a dud.

[Kor]

Didn't me mention his siblings making fun of him because he can't fly.  That could be he is the youngest or he could have had a shock happen like falling out of the nest or something.

[Malte279]

I don't really think that Petrie's initial inability to fly is based on his age. There is no hint that any of his same aged siblings had any problem with flying. I'm not really convinced that the characteristic way of talking needs to be an indicator for age either (no matter if we are talking of Petrie or Ducky).
As for Petrie being left behind before even hatching; I consider that theory very unlikely as well. Who would have given Petrie his name if there hadn't been anyone around by the time he hatched and how would he have been able to recognize his family and be recognized right away at the end of the original movie? His knowing of Pterano (which must have occurred before the separation from his family) is further evidence that he was not abandoned as an egg.

[Kor]

I never  assumed he was abandoned.  Personally I assumed that with the earthshake he got separated from his family.  It could be the place that his mother had her nest in was broken up by the large earthshake and part of the cliff fell into the chasm.  Petrie's mother may have not seen Petrie in the confusion and thought he didn't make it out.    Maybe he was under some debris & knocked out or something and came to later after she and the rest of his siblings had left.  I just assumed something like that happened.

[Bruton the Iguanodon]

One indicator for this is that the very thunderstorm which frightens Cera is also seen at the beginning of Littlefoot's hatchscene (though it doesn't last).

I noticed that...short rains happen, I guess.

I wonder if not showing Petrie's hatching and some scenes with his family was intentional, or if that is among the cut scenes

Fingers crossed that we'll se it someday!  

[StrutEggStealer]

I was redirected here after a mix-up
But, while I was watching Mysterious Island the other day, the beginning struck me - when the Gang is watching the last tree star and are arguing over who should get it. Cera says, as she walks up to the tree. "I think it should go to, say, the oldest."
Littlefoot protests, "But that's you!"
Cera grins. "I know."
So that would Cera the oldest, and since Littlefoot confirmed it himself, it's further proof. Unless Cera just holds that above his head to jab at him
but another thing - we see Ducky hatching and everything, hopping along after the frog, but when it cuts to cera, we still see her in an egg, yet she is chasing her sisters! How would she know who they were without having been alive at least a little bit longer?
IDK, my chronology of the Gang falls as so: Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Littlefoot and Spike.

[Ducky123]

Ii think it doesn't matter, who's the oldest of them because the difference is negligible.
Cera likely just show of like she always do and said that she'd be the oldest of them and the others believe her

[StrutEggStealer]

^Heh, probably not. I don't really see it as a serious matter or anything, just a discussion
Incidentally, I love you signature with all those Ducky quote

[Ducky123]

hehe, Ducky's adorable isn't she Her quotes are the funniest ones imo

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

I could've sworn at some point Cera says she's the oldest. Not in the original film, but in a sequel.