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00:00Transcription by ESO. Translation by —
00:16Surely, one of the most remarkable animals that have ever existed,
00:22and certainly one of the most famous, is a dinosaur.
00:27Tyrannosaurus rex.
00:30An animal to spark the imagination for all of us.
00:36What kind of an animal was it?
00:38What did it look like?
00:40How did it live?
00:42Now, scientific research has answered such questions,
00:46and not just about T-Rex, but the other species that lived alongside it.
00:52And the latest imaging technology enables us to bring them all to life.
01:01Planet Earth 66 million years ago.
01:05The skies are filled with flying giants.
01:09In the seas, monstrous reptiles patrol the depths.
01:23And on land, dinosaurs of every kind, all facing the struggle to survive.
01:32To survive.
01:39We now know so much about a world that was ruled by the dinosaurs.
01:45This is their story.
01:46This is their story.
01:51Life is at its harshest in the far north and south of planet Earth.
01:52Life is at its harshest in the far north and south of planet Earth.
01:57Dinosaurs, however, have managed to colonize these Poles.
02:00In the far north and south of planet Earth.
02:05Dinosaurs, however, have managed to colonize these Poles regions.
02:15In the far north of America, this tiny hunter, a Dromaeus,
02:20has managed to survive three months of near total darkness.
02:41And now, at last, spring has come.
02:53She has a coat of feathers.
02:55For she's able to generate heat in her body and needs to retain all she can.
03:02A challenge for all dinosaurs in these cold latitudes.
03:06As she moves quickly over the surface of the snow,
03:12she checks on the places where she has found food in the past.
03:21In this icy world, no opportunity is too small to be ignored.
03:26And to succeed, as usual, you need good timing.
03:44Although at this time in Earth's history, the Polar regions are relatively warm,
03:56these lands are nonetheless ruled by extreme seasonal change.
04:06When the sun rises for the first time in almost three months,
04:10every animal must be ready to make the most of the daylight
04:16and the warmer days that are to come.
04:24The little Dromaeosaurs must work together,
04:27if they are to take on big prey.
04:30And here comes their first chance of the season.
04:40The herd of Hadrosaurs.
04:45These duck-billed dinosaurs pass through here every year.
04:51Nomads in search of the fresh vegetation brought by the spring.
04:56They're huge.
05:06The only chance the Dromaeosaurs will have is to work as a team.
05:19There's a river ahead which the herd will have to cross.
05:23And the Dromaeosaurs know that some never make it.
05:37And the Dromaeosaurs know that some never make it.
05:53They're huge.
05:59As winter slackens its grip, meltwater begins to flow with great power.
06:08The herd must wade through this deep, fast-flowing water.
06:16The leaders try to select the safest causing.
06:18The herd follow cautiously.
06:31Young keep close to their parents.
06:35Putting a foot wrong here could cost them their life.
06:38The adults, awaiting their turn, grow nervous.
06:44And this bottleneck gives the Dromaeosaurs a chance.
06:47And this bottleneck gives the Dromaeosaurs a chance.
07:03Their target will be the young.
07:05Panic begins to spread through the herd.
07:08Panic begins to spread through the herd.
07:14What should have been an orderly crossing turns to chaos.
07:19begins to spread to the herd.
07:27What should have been an orderly crossing turns to chaos.
07:37Parents and young are separated.
07:49You can tell me that you can only be two-year-old,
07:53but you can only have an orderly passer to the herd.
07:55Whether you're a person who's supposed to have a criminal or illegal abuse or a person who's supposed to have the evil.
08:01Who would have with this trigger?
08:01No, no, no, we're not all at the end.
08:03You can't get to see that.
08:07I want to see that.
08:08This is a great movie, H.O.A.
08:12It has a great movie, H.O.A.
08:14A lucky escape.
08:25The column reforms and continues its journey.
08:33The dromaeosaurs seem to have missed their chance.
08:39But the river has done their work for them.
08:45There are always casualties.
08:49It's a feast, and more food than these hunters have had all winter.
09:02In the ice world, seasonal opportunity is brief.
09:07Spring is short, and summer will soon be over.
09:11There's a lot to be done before the challenges of winter return.
09:24Downstream, as the rivers broaden and begin to slow, they start to drop their loads of silt, and a network of islands appears.
09:35Some animals have already seized the moment to assemble for the spring rituals.
09:49Spring, at last, has truly arrived.
09:52Dozens of male ornithomimus are preparing for the most important moment of their year.
10:05The first stage in making a nest.
10:08These strange ostrich-like dinosaurs choose the safety of these islands to scrape out shallow craters.
10:16The first stage in making a nest.
10:18When the females arrive, they will choose to mate with the males who've made the best one.
10:40Later rivals find that space is already in short supply.
10:44The only space left is on the island's margin.
10:59And finding a place to nest is only just the start.
11:08When eggs are eventually laid, they will need to be kept warm in the bed of vegetation.
11:13Finding enough nesting material is not easy.
11:25Finding enough nesting material is not easy.
11:32Which is why some ornithomimus resort to thievery.
11:43One advantage of arriving late is that your neighbors have already done the hard work.
11:57One advantage of arriving late is that your neighbors have already done the hard work.
11:57One more than aezomimus resort to the side and a
12:04six-year-old forest to enter the ground.
12:05One more than a tree.
12:06One more than a tree.
12:06One more than a tree.
12:11Two and a tree.
12:12One more than a tree.
12:23One more than a tree.
12:24An unguarded nest is too much of a temptation.
12:33In colonies like this, thievery can be so common
12:38that some nesting material at one time or another
12:41will have been part of almost every nest on the island.
12:45But robbery is risky.
12:47Caught in the act.
13:01A couple of hydrosaurs wander by.
13:07They will eat leafy branches.
13:12So you have to be able to defend your property.
13:17It can take several years to perfect nest-building skills.
13:29But success doesn't only rely on experience.
13:39In a crowded colony, there's always another potential victim.
13:47For Ornithomimus, these river islands will provide sanctuary
13:58for both the eggs and the young when they hatch.
14:07Further north, temperatures are lower and conditions are tougher.
14:12Yet, that's where these enormous crested hadrosaurs are heading.
14:16To take advantage of one site in particular.
14:21One that has something special to offer.
14:24The long necks of these dinosaurs are particularly elegant and give them their name.
14:39The Loro Titan, giant swan.
14:41Their cores are amplified by their head crests, which are hollow.
14:47They're heading for one of the world's largest volcanic regions.
14:51They're heading for one of the world's largest volcanic regions.
15:16It's a dangerous and hostile place.
15:21But the Eloro titans return to it year after year.
15:38Because the volcanoes keep the ground particularly well heated.
15:44So, this is where they nest.
15:55What are you doing now?
16:11The warm, volcanic sand serves as an incubator for their eggs.
16:35And a few weeks after the arrival of the herd, the eggs hatch.
16:41Hattosaurs look after their young with care.
16:59They bring mouthfuls of plants for them to eat.
17:08Each nest may contain over 20 youngsters.
17:17The babies have arrived at a time of brief but rich summer plenty.
17:35Fueled by a sun that for weeks never sets, horsetails here grow fast and in sufficient numbers
17:46to feed the whole herd.
17:50These plants contain more nutrients than the lushest grass.
18:00And in the long summer days, the Hattosaur babies grow quickly.
18:05They can reach half their adult size in their first year.
18:11Right now, these volcanic wetlands are the most productive places on the planet.
18:19Both above...
18:23...and below the surface of the water.
18:26But that very productivity brings problems for the hydrosaurs.
18:35Warm, shallow pools are an excellent breeding ground for mosquitoes.
18:42Every year, this paradise turns into a living hell.
18:56Hattosaurs have surprisingly thin skin and so have little defense against blood-sucking insects.
19:03Constant irritation makes it hard to feed and they become dangerously weakened.
19:17And babies can lose blood in life-threatening quantities.
19:27Eventually, the herd is forced to move on to escape the plague.
19:31If the young can't keep up, their mothers abandon them.
19:37If the young can't keep up, their mothers abandon them.
20:02As they go higher, stronger winds bring some relief.
20:09But only for those able to walk that far.
20:12That far.
20:26Of the hundreds of Hattosaur babies born, only one in ten survive their first year.
20:31But those that do have a good chance of reaching adulthood.
20:34But those that do have a good chance of reaching adulthood.
20:38losing their first in August...
20:42Mitchell and Come infiltrate,
20:45Come stay to date.
20:47I forgive the poor to she for old kids.
20:50достаточно.
20:52Don't you understand that,
20:53there is 어쨌 or may not be93 Kazuma.
20:58i probably win,
21:00a savings of hurt,
21:01By nesting in this volcanic valley, the parents give their young the best possible start in life.
21:22Although the short and warm polar summer is a time of great plenty, it can also bring perils.
21:31Warm air rises and becomes charged electrically, and that creates frequent and violent lightning storms.
21:44In the north of America, the lush growth fueled by the constant sunlight has now been baked tinder dry.
22:02Most animals flee from the flames, but for some, the disaster creates opportunities.
22:18This six-foot-long dinosaur, a truodontid, is one of the smaller members of the theropod group.
22:30Its huge eyes give it a cute sight, even in this smoky gloom.
22:47And for its size, its brain is one of the largest on the planet.
22:58It is the most intelligent, adaptable, and successful hunter in the Arctic.
23:04At the fire's edge, truodontids gather to prey on animals that are trying to escape the flames.
23:22Anything that spreads the fire creates more opportunities for the most ingenious Arctic hunter of its time.
23:38Time.
23:39Time.
24:08Success.
24:26With the short summer over, the forests that survived the summer fires start to change color.
24:38It is autumn's final flourish before the months of darkness begin.
24:54In the Antarctic, ice clings to the highest mountains even in the summer months.
25:00But now, with temperatures falling and the days shortening, the polar winter is spreading once more across the land.
25:12Animals must now prepare for its return.
25:18Animals must now prepare for its return.
25:30Animals must now prepare for its return.
25:35The southern hemisphere has its own species of dinosaurs.
25:51These three are young Antarctopelta, small plant-eating dinosaurs.
26:09They're also one of this world's most heavily armored animals.
26:13Even so, youngsters are safer together.
26:33This far south, the plants on which they depend stop growing for months on end.
26:39You have to move with an island.
26:43As winter approaches, these juveniles spend more time resting.
27:13Sheltering together conserves heat and therefore energy.
27:27With powerful front limbs, they can enlarge this winter den.
27:41But each time they return, they've grown a little bigger.
27:48Their den seems a little smaller.
27:53And the brotherly bond starts to wear a little thin.
28:15For every growing animal, this is a vulnerable time.
28:24A time when they need to separate and each take its first tentative steps to find a territory
28:32of its own.
28:50Herds of hadrosaurs are once again on the move.
28:54With little to eat, these huge herbivores return to look for food in warmer lands.
29:13Leaving others to endure the freezing polar winter.
29:32Finding a suitable territory can take animals far from the place where their lives began.
29:38It's a search that many will not survive.
29:55A good territory must have a place in which to shelter.
30:02a cave, perhaps.
30:12Even in the coldest months, the temperature in most caves hardly varies.
30:21But he is not the first to be attracted by this one.
30:30This cave glows.
30:34This cave glows.
30:47These are the tiny lures of fungus gnat larvae that produce light to attract their insect prey.
30:59This is the perfect place for an antarctopelter to escape the worst winter weather.
31:18He'll be safe beneath these strange living stars.
31:23While outside, snow begins to fall.
31:30In the coldest months, the far north of the Arctic can freeze into a spectacular winter wonderland.
31:47Not all dinosaurs choose to leave or to seek shelter.
31:54The largest have the strength to tough it out.
31:59Pachyrhinosaurs.
32:04Two-ton herbivores with extravagantly armored heads.
32:12They seek refuge in the forest, stripping the last leaves from dormant trees and rooting through ferns for fallen fruit.
32:21The autumn rut is over.
32:28But less dominant males still try to push their way up the social hierarchy.
32:34But they've forgotten who's in charge.
32:46This old bull is still a formidable force, and one that few dare to challenge.
32:53They've forgotten who's in charge.
32:54They've forgotten who's in charge.
32:55They've forgotten who's in charge.
32:56They've forgotten who's in charge.
33:01Battling males barely have time to eat or rest.
33:06With food now scarce, it's hard to rebuild strength.
33:11And injuries take longer to heal.
33:14To make matters worse, the Arctic's most powerful predator is always on the prowl.
33:39Nanooksaurus.
33:45A smaller relative of T-Rex, it's still just big enough to tackle a Pachyrhinosaur.
34:01For these ancient adversaries, in these conditions, the battle will be resolved not by surprise,
34:08but by strategy.
34:26Amongst the trees, it's hard for the herd to stand as one.
34:30Individuals could be quickly isolated.
34:39The novice herd makes a tactical retreat to open ground.
34:49The Nanooksaurus follow.
35:00Out here, the herd will be able to close ranks and form an impenetrable wall of armored heads and muscle.
35:23The blizzard worsens.
35:24It's an uneasy standoff.
35:25The blizzard worsens.
35:26It's an uneasy standoff.
35:30The blizzard can last for days.
35:31The blizzard rolls, they can make it easier for him to stay together.
35:33It's an uneasy standoff.
35:34The blizzard worsens.
35:35It's an uneasy standoff.
35:40The blizzard worsens.
35:43It's an uneasy standoff.
35:47These confrontations can last for days.
35:56The herd should be safe as long as they stick together, but the Nanooksaws bide their time
36:24and occasionally test for weakness.
36:42The Blizzard now brings a temporary truce.
36:54But as soon as it's over, battle resumes.
37:14In this test of nerve, all it takes is for one animal to break ranks, and panic quickly spreads.
37:34With the herd on the run, the predators have a chance.
37:42As the chase goes on, one tiring bull fails to keep up with the rest.
38:00Until all he can do is turn and face his attackers.
38:12One pachyrhinosaur has lost the battle.
38:24One pachyrhinosaur has lost the battle.
38:38But the war will go on all winter.
38:50The animals here now face months of total darkness before the sun returns and brings relief to the extraordinary creatures in the world of ice.
39:02Next on prehistoric planet, a flying giant the size of a giraffe hunts its prey amongst the tangled trees of a prehistoric forest.
39:21And under the canopy on this green planet, dinosaurs ambush, display, and even journey underground.
39:31To discover the science behind the stories, go now to the prehistoric planet show page.
39:39To discover the science behind the story, we may end up playing it.