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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.
00:35What kind of an animal was it?
00:38What did it look like? How did it live?
00:41Now, scientific research has answered such questions,
00:45and not just about T. rex, but the other species that lived alongside it.
00:51And the latest imaging technology enables us to bring them all to life.
01:00Planet Earth 66 million years ago.
01:05The skies are filled with flying giants.
01:12In the seas, monstrous reptiles patrol the depths.
01:24And on land, dinosaurs of every kind.
01:29All facing the struggle to survive.
01:33We now know so much about a world that was ruled by the dinosaurs.
01:49This is their story.
01:51Is their story.
01:52For millions of years, the lands of planet Earth have been carved by
01:56water.
01:57And the rivers that flow here are still shaping these great
02:01waves.
02:02canyons.
02:03And the rivers that flow here are still shaping these great canyons.
02:07Such places are the home of flying reptiles.
02:12Pterosaurs.
02:13Pterosaurs.
02:14Pterosaurs.
02:15For millions of years, the lands of planet Earth have been carved by water.
02:22And the rivers that flow here are still shaping these great canyons.
02:32Such places are the home of flying reptiles.
02:40Pterosaurs.
02:45Their wings of skin stretch from finger to ankle.
02:58And they can fly for hundreds of miles in a day.
03:03They can fly inside the top of the planet.
03:09They know they can fly for thousands of years.
03:13And they have to leave.
03:15the
03:16the
03:18the
03:22the
03:24the
03:26the
03:28the
03:32the
03:34the
03:36the
03:38each evening they come to this canyon and huge numbers
03:42to roost on its narrow ledges
03:45there is safety in numbers
03:51and anyway few land living hunters venture here
03:58but one does
04:07a type of dinosaur
04:09velociraptor
04:11the
04:14their bodies are kept warm by feathers
04:17but they can't fly
04:20they are however
04:21exceptionally agile
04:31and just as well
04:35one false step here could bring disaster
04:37the
04:44the
04:45pterosaurs are skittish
04:46they will take to the air at the first sign of danger
04:50if the
04:56velociraptors are to get a meal
04:57the element of surprise
04:59will be crucial
05:00the
05:06the
05:07and
05:07the
05:08the
05:08the
05:09the
05:09the
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05:11Lightweight bodies and feathered arms help them to control their descent.
05:31And their broad tails assist them in keeping their balance.
05:41Those pterosaurs that are resting on the margins of the colony will be the easiest targets.
06:11The roar of the waterfall rounds the sound of slipping rocks.
06:41The female goes high.
06:53The two males stay low.
06:57A few tetanosaurs are almost within striking distance.
07:18She has one, but now the whole colony is alarmed.
07:43In the chaos, her victim slips from the ledge.
08:06The female puts the effectiveness of her feathered tail to the test.
08:13And in the end, she gets her meal.
08:18The males are left to face the pterosaurs.
08:25The power of freshwater is at work all around the planet.
08:32Global temperatures are high.
08:33There are violent storms and terrestrials.
08:34Global temperatures are high.
08:39There are violent storms and torrential rains.
08:40The power of fresh water is at work all around the planet.
08:53Global temperatures are high, there are violent storms and torrential rains.
09:07Much of North America is covered by thick, lush forest.
09:25Here live some of the most gigantic plant-eaters that have ever existed.
09:33And they, in turn, are prey for the most ferocious of hunters.
10:03Tyrannosaurus Rex.
10:10This old male has just brought down a triceratops.
10:18But in doing so, he's been injured.
10:37T-Rex are built for hunting large herbivores.
10:44And many of those have evolved heavy defensive weapons.
10:55Decades of battling armored prey has scarred his body.
11:07One battle even cost him the tip of his tail.
11:10These new injuries are more serious.
11:28At his great age, infection is a real risk.
11:32River water could help to clean his wounds.
11:50He stands a good chance of living to fight another day.
12:10But that day could come sooner than expected.
12:12Another T-Rex.
12:38A stranger.
12:42But this newcomer has a different smell.
13:02It's a female.
13:03She's younger.
13:04And smaller.
13:06But nonetheless, she might also be a rival.
13:25He, however, makes it clear that he's not interested in fighting.
13:29He would prefer to mate.
13:35She seems to approve.
13:49She seems to approve.
13:51The facial area of a tyrannosaur is very sensitive to touch.
14:06And they nuzzle.
14:13His great size and his battle scars are evidence that he is a survivor.
14:18And that perhaps, in her eyes, makes him an attractive partner.
14:21And that perhaps, in her eyes, makes him an attractive partner.
14:24So, they stay together.
14:25They stay together.
14:26And in the coming weeks, they mate frequently.
14:31Eventually, she'll lay up to fifteen eggs.
14:32And with them comes the promise.
14:33She'll lay up to fifteen eggs.
14:34And with them comes the promise.
14:35of the next generation.
14:36And with them comes the promise of the next generation.
14:37And with them comes the promise of the next generation.
14:42And with them comes the promise.
14:43And with them comes the promise of the next generation.
14:45And with them comes the promise of the next generation.
14:49And with them comes the promise.
14:50And with them comes the promise of the next generation.
14:51And with them comes the promise of the next generation.
14:56and with them comes the promise of the next generation.
15:14Habitats that depend on fresh water can change rapidly and radically.
15:26In parts of Central Asia, heavy seasonal rains fill the rivers
15:30until eventually they overflow their banks.
15:37The surrounding plains are flooded.
15:40And through the water wades one of the most bizarre of all dinosaurs.
15:58Dino Kairos.
16:20It's even taller than T. rex.
16:28And its massive duckbill snout is very effective in gathering water plants.
16:35This male feeds voraciously,
16:38having eaten very little during the long dry season.
16:41Water plants are rich in nutrients.
16:49And his huge curved claws, eight inches long,
16:53enable him to dredge them up from deep beneath the surface.
16:56He himself is a source of food for smaller creatures.
17:17Blood sucking flies, which infest his coat.
17:21They're irritating and even painful.
17:32And while his huge claws enable him to have a good scratch,
17:39there are always some spots that are just out of reach.
17:43To get to them, he needs assistance.
17:58A dead tree.
18:00That could be the answer.
18:13A dead tree.
18:23That's much better.
18:40And now he can get back to feeding.
18:43But a diet that consists almost entirely of wet vegetation
18:52does have one inevitable consequence.
18:56What was food for one becomes fertilizer for many others.
19:21And a giant as big as Dino Chirus can produce over 20 tons of dung every year.
19:40Southern Africa.
19:44Here too, the annual rains create floods.
19:50And the land turns into a maze of narrow channels running between countless small islands.
20:03This is now a swamp forest.
20:14And it attracts one of the largest flying animals that has ever lived on planet Earth.
20:23A giant pterosaur, Hetzalcoatlus.
20:36This is a female.
20:51Her wings are over 30 feet across.
20:57And she's come here for one particular reason.
21:04The small islands created by the rising waters are just the place for her to live.
21:29The small islands created by the rising waters are just the place for her to lay her eggs.
21:38Quetzalcoatlus are certainly masters of flight, but they're also, perhaps surprisingly, very competent on the ground.
21:58Each wing is supported by the single greatly elongated bone of her fourth finger.
22:08By turning her wings upwards, she can walk very effectively on all fours.
22:25She's come here to make a nest.
22:35She chooses to do so on damp, swampy soil that will prevent her soft-shelled eggs from drying out.
22:42Hmm.
23:10These first two are just the start.
23:13For the next three weeks, she will guard the open nest.
23:29And add two more eggs every few days.
23:50Producing eggs takes a lot of effort and energy.
23:55Each one is huge, weighing around a kilo.
23:59Each one is huge, weighing on both sides.
24:12Eventually, she produces a clutch of a dozen or so.
24:17She covers them with vegetation to conceal them.
24:33Now she needs to eat.
24:38There should be enough food on this island to sustain her youngsters when they hatch.
24:44But there's nothing substantial enough here to satisfy her own hunger.
24:56She must leave to hunt for prey elsewhere.
25:01And trust that the isolation of her nest will keep her unhatched young safe while she's away.
25:14Another much older Quetzalcoatlus female.
25:19Another much older Quetzalcoatlus female.
25:28She, too, is looking for a safe place to lay her eggs.
25:34And there may not be enough food here for two sets of giant nestlings.
25:39But there is a way to solve that problem.
25:45She, too, is looking for a safe place to lay her eggs.
25:50And there may not be enough food here for two sets of giant nestlings.
25:57But there is a way to solve that problem.
26:00And eggs, after all, are very nutritious.
26:14And eggs, after all, are very nutritious.
26:17To the other, are very delicious.
26:42The owner of the nest is back.
26:45All right.
27:15The older female is driven off, but the younger female's nest is wrecked.
27:37Out of the dozen eggs that she laid, only three have survived.
28:07The success of her breeding season now rests on these three fragile eggs.
28:23She will protect them as best she can until they hatch in a few months' time.
28:32And after that, her young will have to fend for themselves.
28:43As river water flows downstream, it scars out billions of tons of sand and gravel and even
28:49shifts great boulders.
28:54The finer sediments may be transported for hundreds of miles, but as the river broadens,
29:00it slows, and as a consequence, it begins to drop some of its load.
29:07And animals whose ancestors lived in the sea begin to appear.
29:22Crabs.
29:23In some places, there may be dozens per square meter.
29:35This is Mashikasaurus, a female, six feet long, and she has a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth.
30:00Crabs need to deal with awkward multi-legged prey.
30:23Crabs may have hard shells, but they're full of protein.
30:30Too good an opportunity to miss.
30:44And not only for her.
30:51She has three young.
30:57Only four inches tall.
31:03And not quite ready to take on large crabs.
31:15They still rely on their mother's leftovers.
31:23But some youngsters develop hunting instincts early.
31:37Very tempting.
31:45The smallest crabs can be swallowed whole.
31:54Unfortunately, what they lack in size, they make up for in speed.
32:00It's best for the young not to stray too far.
32:21Beelzebufo, the Devil Toad.
32:48One of the largest frogs that has ever existed.
33:05He won't need to feed again for a month.
33:16These sandbars may be a rich feeding ground, but there can be a high price to pay for living here.
33:25The river water is now approaching the sea.
33:37A taste of salt in its waters is already detectable.
33:44At high tide, visitors come in from the open sea to explore these channels.
33:59The mountain.
34:00A taste of salt, the river water is also according to the river's
34:29Elasmosaurs, these are true ocean-going reptiles, but some come to estuaries to explore the brackish
34:49waters.
35:19Now the millions of tons of sediment carried here by rivers
35:32is finally delivered into the sea.
35:41The river water takes time to mix with the ocean
35:44and for a while the two waters flow side by side.
35:49Nonetheless, great shoals of fish find plenty on which to feed in these waters.
36:01The clouds of sediment conceal the fish if they're any distance away.
36:09But the elysmosaurs don't hesitate to swim into the murkiest of waters
36:14to pursue their prey.
36:19There is no escape to the fish.
36:24Even above the water.
36:29There is no escape to the fish.
36:45Even above the water.
36:47These elysmosaurs collect the last of the river's gifts before its traces are finally lost in the oceans of the planet.
37:06prehistoric planet.
37:07Next on prehistoric planet, the bond between mother and young
37:11is tested to the limit as they struggle to survive.
37:16Ancient foes battle each other and freezing blitzes.
37:17Ancient foes battle each other and freezing blitzes.
37:21And feathered dinosaurs rule the ice worlds.
37:22Ancient foes battle each other and freezing blitzes.
37:24And feathered dinosaurs rule the ice worlds.
37:26To discover the science behind the stories.
37:27Go now to the prehistoric planet.
37:28The prehistoric planet.
37:29Next on prehistoric planet, the bond between mother and young is tested to the limit as they
37:38struggle to survive.
37:39Ancient foes battle each other and freezing blitzes.
37:44And feathered dinosaurs rule the ice worlds.
37:49To discover the science behind the stories.
37:53Go now to the prehistoric planet show page.
38:14From a prehistoric planet.
38:21wichtig portal each other andlands recover theass falls off into the planet.
38:37Into reality.
38:40NONco in heaven and everything is Ethan.