00:00The Tyrannosaurus rex, this feared predator and emblematic figure of the animal kingdom,
00:06is considered as the undisputed sovereign of dinosaurs.
00:10Since its discovery in 1902, this fascinating creature has captivated the interest of scientists and the general public.
00:17However, despite its frightening reputation, other creatures could rival and even defeat the T-rex.
00:26Among its true adversaries was the Triceratops, a surprisingly formidable herbivore.
00:33Despite its plant-based diet, this impressive dinosaur had two imposing horns, as well as a smaller one,
00:40in addition to its reinforced bone structure, which constituted an effective defense against terrifying predators such as the T-rex.
00:49This dinosaur demonstrates that herbivores were not to be taken lightly.
00:54Its formidable horns, reaching a width of about 30 cm at the base and ending in a sharp point, could pierce any predator, including a T-rex.
01:05The Triceratops also had a colossal skull, equipped with a large bone collar, solid and protective, adorned with small horns.
01:16From the tip of its beak to the spiny edge of the collar, the head of the Triceratops could reach an impressive length of 3 meters and weigh nearly a ton.
01:27This gargantuan structure, the dinosaur's head, was linked to the body by a rotule joint,
01:35which allowed the Triceratops to turn its head with great agility and to stretch its horns to repel predators.
01:43This is one of the reasons why a T-rex who decided to take a Triceratops, was actually taking a significant risk.
01:50The outcome of a fight between these two giants could vary considerably.
01:54The king of the dinosaurs could triumph and enjoy the feast so much awaited.
01:59But it was not uncommon for the hunter to become the hunter, turning the situation to his advantage.
02:05And if we now explore some more unusual and unknown facts about these fascinating creatures, what are dinosaurs?
02:11Did you know, for example, that dinosaurs probably did not roar?
02:15Scientists think they emitted rather soft sounds, similar to roars.
02:20They probably produced sounds comparable to those of ostriches, which emit growls, or columns, which roar.
02:29Indeed, many modern birds use a method of communication called closed-mouth vocalization,
02:36where sounds are generated by inflating the throat rather than by passing air through the syrinx, the vocal organ of birds.
02:43In other words, the Jurassic Park movies were heavily mistaken.
02:47Many of the first reconstitutions of dinosaurs were influenced by the scary sounds associated with modern predators such as lions.
02:55In the movies, dinosaurs often appear with their mouths wide open when they produce sounds, like lions when they roar.
03:02However, the real dinosaurs probably did not act like this, especially before attacking their prey.
03:08They would not have tried to signal their presence to other animals nearby, especially when they were in search of food.
03:15The Quetzalcoatlus, belonging to the ancient group of pterosaurs, was the largest flying animal to have ever existed on Earth.
03:22This being the size of a giraffe had fat limbs, an incredibly long beak and an impressive wingspan of 12 meters.
03:30Researchers estimate that these creatures probably used their folded wings as legs and therefore moved on four legs.
03:39Discovered about 50 years ago, the Quetzalcoatlus remains a complex subject of study for scientists,
03:46who are still struggling to reconstruct the details of its way of life.
03:51For example, we still wonder how it managed to lift its huge body from the ground to take off.
03:58Whatever the answer, this animal offers a fascinating overview of the largest flying creatures that have ever existed.
04:04One of the reasons why it was so difficult to unravel the mysteries of the Quetzalcoatlus is related to its hollow bones,
04:10similar to those of modern flying animals that facilitate its flight.
04:15But when its fragile bones, similar to chips, are broken, it is impossible to move.
04:21The Tyrannosaurus Rex was not a fast runner.
04:24Its maximum speed was probably about 16 km per hour, which is about that of an average human runner.
04:31As for the young T-Rex, according to the records, it had a maximum speed of about 20 km per hour.
04:37Its maximum speed was about 20 km per hour, which is about that of an average human runner.
04:44The largest known terrestrial dinosaur is the Argentinosaurus.
04:49This gigantic animal could reach up to 40 meters long for 21 minutes,
04:54and could reach a maximum speed of up to 20 km per hour.
04:59The largest known terrestrial dinosaur is the Argentinosaurus.
05:04This gigantic animal could reach up to 40 meters long for 21 minutes,
05:10This gigantic animal could reach up to 40 meters long for 21 meters high.
05:15For comparison, an average blue whale measures about 21 meters long,
05:21which makes it easier to visualize the enormity of this dinosaur.
05:28Many dinosaurs had feathers, and not just birds.
05:33The largest feathered dinosaur is the Yutyrannus Walli, whose name means the tyrant with beautiful feathers.
05:41According to researchers, this super predator, related to the T-Rex,
05:45probably used its feathers to keep its heat.
05:51It is surprising to note that some of the largest dinosaurs were actually herbivores.
05:57Among them, the Brachiosaurus and Apatosaurus,
06:01two colossal creatures that fed exclusively on plants.
06:09As strange as it may seem,
06:11it could be possible to differentiate a simple stone from a fossil of a dinosaur just by licking it.
06:18Although this method does not seem very orthodox,
06:21paleontologists sometimes even use it.
06:25Indeed, a fossil will stick slightly to the tongue due to its porosity,
06:30which will not be the case with an ordinary stone.
06:37When dinosaurs were born during the Triassic period,
06:40about 230 million years ago,
06:43the terrestrial continents were grouped into a single supercontinent called Pangaea.
06:49During the next 165 million years, Pangaea slowly fragmented,
06:54which led to the separation of many species of dinosaurs.
06:58Despite the distribution of fossils of dinosaurs around the world,
07:02most are found mainly in three regions,
07:05the high-altitude Badlands in China, North America and Argentina,
07:10which house the largest quantities of fossils easily accessible.
07:14In reality, fossils are present everywhere,
07:18but they are more easily discovered in desert environments where vegetation is rare.
07:25Interestingly, most fossilized dinosaur bones are no longer bones.
07:31Fossilization often occurs when an organism is trapped between layers of sediment or sand.
07:38Over millions of years,
07:41the remains are surrounded by a layer of water,
07:44which replaces the organic materials of origin with minerals.
07:48Thus, the fossil becomes a copy similar to a rock, rather than the original.
07:54The Triceratops had three huge horns on its head,
07:58but these teeth were even more remarkable.
08:01This dinosaur had about 800 teeth,
08:04and new ones grew continuously throughout its life.
08:08They were divided into groups of 36 to 40 columns,
08:12each containing 3 to 5 teeth stacked vertically on top of each other.
08:18Some dinosaurs, like modern birds,
08:21had hollow bones that were used to store air.
08:24This adaptation allowed them to improve their respiratory capacity,
08:28lightening their mass and allowing them to breathe much more efficiently.
08:33The Nigersaurus had the particularity of renewing its teeth every two weeks.
08:37This creature had successive rows of teeth in reserve, hidden in its mouth.
08:43When a tooth decayed, it fell, and the next row took its place.
08:50Unlike a sudden extinction caused by the collision of an asteroid with Earth,
08:55the extinction of dinosaurs took place gradually.
08:59The impact probably triggered a series of events that changed the terrestrial environment.
09:04This process lasted for several hundred, even thousands of years,
09:09resulting in the extinction of all dinosaurs, except for avian dinosaurs.
09:19The term dinosaur comes from Ancient Greek, where deinos means terrible,
09:24and soros means lizard.
09:27The whole thing is translated as terrible lizard.
09:30Although this name seems to be suitable for formidable predators like the T-Rex,
09:35it is much less suitable for small creatures like the Mii.
09:39Rumor has it that when Sir Richard Owen, an English biologist,
09:43invented the term to designate these creatures,
09:46he would have heard terrible in a different sense.
09:49He described them as terribly large, referring to their colossal size,
09:54much larger than those of the reptiles discovered before.
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