Documentary, Walking with Dinosaurs Ep-6 Island of Giants
#AncientEarth #Documentary #Dinosaurs #Prehistoric #Evolutionary
#AncientEarth #Documentary #Dinosaurs #Prehistoric #Evolutionary
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AnimalsTranscript
00:00Over 66 million years ago our world was
00:27ruled by dinosaurs the largest
00:39animals that have ever walked the earth
00:42today dinosaur experts across the globe
00:52are uncovering the bones they left behind
00:56allowing us to imagine how these
01:03extraordinary creatures may have lived
01:06so that we can tell their stories
01:13and they can walk again
01:21you
01:28you
01:30you
01:32you
01:51amongst the jagged mountain peaks majestic
01:56valleys
02:01and scattered hill towns
02:03of central portugal
02:07an astonishing discovery has been made
02:16a find so remarkable it's drawn a team of
02:19dinosaur hunters from across Europe
02:23buried here are the remains of a colossus
02:33we have a lot of bones in this area
02:35a monumental long-necked lucid titan
02:42these animals are giant of the thoracic
02:50known as old grande
02:54he's one of the largest dinosaurs ever to
02:59have lived
03:01and using his bones we can begin to
03:06imagine this giant's story
03:09in the late jurassic our planet looks very
03:32different
03:35amongst its shifting continents
03:39a small landmass known as the iberian
03:43merceda
03:44that one day will include portugal
03:47lies
03:49surrounded by ocean
03:51an island
03:54cut off from the rest of the world
03:57dense coniferous forest
04:04covers much of the land
04:12giving way to windswept beaches
04:15on the coast
04:22here
04:23if you're in luck
04:26an easy lunch can be found
04:33for tour the soros
04:39the islands top predator
04:41it's an opportunity
04:43worth fighting for
04:52but even these four-ton carnivores
05:11are no match
05:13for the enormous lucid titan
05:16old grande
05:21at a staggering forty tons
05:28he is the undisputed king of the island
05:34but as a herbivore
05:54he isn't on the hunt
05:56for food
06:03he's been drawn to the beach
06:06by the allure
06:11of a female
06:13of a female
06:18as an aging male
06:32this may be his last chance
06:33this may be his last chance
06:34to mate
06:35but female lucid titans
06:50the titans
06:51are only receptive
06:52for a few weeks
06:53for a few weeks of the year
06:57so he doesn't have long
06:59to make an impression
07:00a hundred and fifty million years later
07:15the true scale of old grande is emerging from deep beneath the ground
07:30the true scale of old grande is emerging from deep beneath the ground
07:37the
07:41we definitely have a huge specimen
07:44all the bones of this animal seem to be more or less complete here
07:50as the most complete lucid titan ever found
07:57his remains allow the team
08:00led by professor francisco ortega
08:04and doctors elizabeth malafaya
08:07and pedro macho
08:10to piece together the extraordinary dimensions of this animal
08:19so i think we have for this animal probably a leg between three and three and a half
08:25meters
08:27they're starting with how tall he was
08:32which they can estimate using the bones from his gigantic front limb
08:38so calculating how tall it is
08:41i would say around ten meters
08:43ten meters
08:45ten meters tall is very
08:47it's a big animal
08:49this animal is the biggest animal in his ecosystem
08:53at least the tallest one
08:55their calculations make old grande one of the tallest of his species ever discovered
09:08which is certainly one way
09:10to impress a mate
09:12female lucid titans may have been most attracted to the biggest males
09:29a sign their offspring will be healthy and strong
09:44so it should be easy for old grande to make his mark
09:50but it's not all about him
10:07before they will make
10:14female lucid items must first wait for the seasonal rain
10:21making sure there is enough fresh vegetation for their young
10:26and this year the rains are late
10:33old grande has no choice but to wait
10:43has no choice but to wait
10:57he must guard her closely
10:59and hope there is no other suitor close by
11:04but love rarely runs smoothly
11:19three miles from where old grande was found
11:22the team has made an important discovery
11:28can you look at this
11:31what do you think
11:33what is this
11:36we need to clean this area more
11:38but the bond is here
11:40and continues there
11:42this is bone also
11:44okay
11:45and
11:46this section seems a rib
11:49a rib fragment
11:55the fossilized rib is a similar size to old grande's
11:59but given its distance from the main dig
12:03it's unlikely to be his
12:06it's interesting because this bone
12:12is so big
12:14has to be another lucid titan
12:17it is interesting that we have here
12:20so close to individuals of these species
12:24unearthing two lucid titans so close together is unheard of
12:31so the team is keen to learn more
12:37can you put this in place please
12:42they cover the sections of rib in a layer of plaster
12:46so they can be removed safely
12:53and examined in one piece
12:57which is a massive three meters long
13:01you know this is a huge rib
13:08the tools are titans
13:10with such a huge size is definitely impressive
13:14they're very speculative but this could be another male
13:20amazing
13:22like elephants and rhinos today
13:27lucid titan bulls were likely solitary
13:30and very territorial
13:33if these
13:35two big
13:37strong animals
13:39life in the same ecosystem in the same time
13:42there is going to be some
13:44kind of competition
13:47just like old grande
13:50this rival male would have been searching for a mate
13:53creating the potential
13:56for a dangerous confrontation
14:10although this contender
14:12may be younger than old grande
14:15he's not afraid to challenge him
14:21for the attentions of the female
14:45old grande is a seasoned fighter
14:52and the largest bull on the island
14:56a stern warning
15:04should be enough to make this upstart back off
15:12but all is fair
15:19in love
15:21and war
15:24the surprise attack
15:40leaves old grande
15:42seriously hurt
15:47his leg
15:49badly injured
15:50struggling
16:03under his colossal weight
16:05he is unable to write himself
16:12he can only watch
16:26as the rival takes his place at the female side
16:30the
16:40the
16:41for a dinosaur of his size
16:43a badly damaged leg
16:45could mean
16:46the end of the road
16:48so could a lucid titan survive this kind of injury
17:01so could a lucid titan survive this kind of injury
17:05the
17:12okay
17:13on the coast
17:14a significant piece of evidence
17:16might provide the answer
17:18but reaching it
17:25won't be easy
17:28because what was once flat ground during the jurassic
17:31is now a near vertical cliff face
17:33a near vertical cliff face
17:37hi Francisco we are in position
17:40we can see you so you are ready to go
17:43so Francisco must descend
17:48over a hundred meters
17:50and
17:57and
18:00and
18:01and
18:02and
18:03and
18:04and
18:05and
18:20and
18:21and
18:22and
18:23and
18:24I
18:25I
18:26can see
18:27several footprints
18:28and
18:29this part of the truck
18:30he
18:31to me
18:32Etched into the cliff face are footprints thought to have been made by a large Lucititan.
18:46And they reveal something surprising.
18:54The length that there is between the footprints is one metre and 97 centimetres.
19:02OK, I got it.
19:09The right stride is 2 metres and 7 centimetres.
19:17We have a clear difference between the right and left stride.
19:24So, Francisco, we have a difference of about 10 centimetres from the right and left stride.
19:32The foot and the hands are OK, but this animal is not working normally.
19:41Probably because it's limping.
19:44The discovery of a limping Lucititan is important evidence.
19:53It suggests that injuries to their enormous limbs were survivable.
19:58Even so, old Grande is still weak and won't last long on a damaged leg.
20:11Even so, old Grande is still weak and won't last long on a damaged leg.
20:25But he does have a remarkable way to speed up the healing process.
20:39It's known as osteophagia.
20:40Like modern day giraffes, he supplements his diet by breaking apart and swallowing the skeletons
20:44of dead animals.
20:53Like the carcass of this pliosaur, whose bones are rich in the minerals he needs to repair his own body.
21:11But he's still a long way from recovery, and a limp like his may not have gone unnoticed.
21:40Following the path of the Lucititan footprints, something has caught Francisco's eye.
22:00From my position, I'm pretty sure that there are several other footprints also on the cliff.
22:11Do you think they can approach the position?
22:20OK, I'm going to try it.
22:22The second set of prints is another 85 metres down the sheer cliff face.
22:34No, I can't do it.
22:38It's very difficult to go down and take a look more closely.
22:43Unable to reach the prints by land, the team decides to take to the air.
22:58OK, Francisco, we send the drone up.
22:59The footprints are just to my right.
23:05Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
23:06I think...
23:07Oh, you see?
23:08It's very clear.
23:09Yeah.
23:10It's very clear.
23:11Yeah.
23:12Oh my gosh.
23:13And it is so close to the other.
23:15It's very clear.
23:16Yeah.
23:17And it is so close to the other trackway.
23:18The second set of prints follows the same path.
23:19It's very clear.
23:20Yeah.
23:21Oh my gosh.
23:22And it is so close to the other trackway.
23:24The second set of prints follows the same path as the luciditon.
23:25But from their distinctive shape, it is very clear.
23:26It is so close to the other trackway.
23:31The second set of prints follows the same path as the luciditon, but from their distinctive
23:53shape, it's clear they've been made by a different species.
23:57You have the middle finger.
23:59It's very large.
24:00Yeah.
24:01Very different from the other prints that are rounded.
24:05So this could be a potential predator to this luciditon.
24:10It's a medium, large-sized theropods, clearly.
24:16Theropods are a group of dinosaurs that includes T. rex.
24:22But on this island, the prints are likely to come from a predator old Grande would be
24:32much more familiar with.
24:37The Torvosaurus.
24:49Ten meters long and over three meters tall, this adult female would normally be no match
24:56for a healthy luciditon.
24:57But the pain in old Grande's leg has become unbearable.
25:11And he must rest until he can recover.
25:16It could mean days without food or water, leaving him exhausted and vulnerable.
25:36An opportunity this big is rare.
25:43But old Grande is too strong to take on now.
25:55He's prepared to stay close.
25:56And wait.
26:02As the days pass, Old Grande rests.
26:29The Torvosaurus risks an approach.
26:54A close call.
27:15Old Grande must recover soon.
27:26Because next time, he may not be so lucky.
27:30The Torvosaurus must recover soon.
27:37Oh, my God.
28:07Oh, my God.
28:37Old Grande's leg is finally on the mend.
28:42And he has unfinished business, finding the female that left him behind.
29:01But both she and his rival are now miles away, and the clock is ticking.
29:16He must move as quickly as he can.
29:30150 million years later, the team has made a discovery that could reveal how fast a giant
29:43like Old Grande travel.
29:44It's particularly interesting because it's a fragment of the scapula that is part of the
29:54shoulder.
29:55We have also the humerus.
29:58We have the yulna, so we have the arm.
30:04The new find gives the team an almost complete profile of Old Grande's front limb.
30:11So we have here more or less 1,8 m for the humerus and 1,8 m for this scapula.
30:28Using these measurements together with their findings from the cliffside footprints...
30:33His stride is 2 metres and 7 centimetres.
30:38They can now calculate his speed.
30:41We can estimate that this animal can walk from 4 to 5 miles per hour.
30:51This is really interesting.
30:55It may sound slow, but like modern elephants, it's thought luciditans could keep up this pace
31:02over huge distances.
31:18This is just what Old Grande needs to do.
31:22As he travels miles across the island, looking for the female.
31:39But he's almost out of time.
31:44A distant storm heralds the arrival of the seasonal rains.
32:03The female will finally be ready to mate, leaving Old Grande in danger of missing out to his rival.
32:18But he's not just relying on his pace alone.
32:25He's using an extraordinary ability to locate the female.
32:33One he's thought to share with modern day elephants.
32:40His stomps send powerful seismic waves through the ground.
32:48Many miles away, she feels the earth move through specialized nerve endings in her feet.
33:07And she answers her suitors' call.
33:26Detecting her response keeps Grande heading in the right direction.
33:33But he must reach her before he misses his chance.
33:41At the dig site, a new section of old Grande's bones is emerging from the rock.
34:00So perhaps, this is the first one, sure.
34:05And probably this is the second one.
34:07Including fossils that belong to his giant tail.
34:11Like that?
34:12Yeah.
34:13I would say this one will be…
34:15That's bigger.
34:17But laying them out from the biggest on the right to the tip on the left, Pedro has noticed something unusual.
34:27Everything should belong to the same individual.
34:30If we compare all these tail bones here, this seems to be smaller.
34:36One of the bones doesn't belong in the sequence.
34:40And it's too small to be part of old Grande.
34:44So I think we have two individuals in this garden.
34:48I would say they have another smaller adult.
34:52Amazing.
34:53It's a significant find.
34:58Because a second adult so close to old Grande could mean he did find his mate.
35:07So we will look up there and propose too.
35:23After miles of walking, he's reached the area where the female last responded to his call.
35:37Why he testified he looked away.
35:40It's ajet in his stare.
35:41But looking at the worker'sank, of example.
35:42It's notamento from the center of a Alsace.
35:43Now wait in the back in the corner.
35:44Is there a fift single gun giveaway to find his mate?
35:46It's track for the number one.
35:47Yes.
35:48Ultimately, 4th former.
35:49Theпmayı workshop was the only one.
35:50Yes!
35:52Dr.明 Salak is not in luck way.
35:53Yes, we are.
35:55So the area will mark another turtle if you see me.
35:56If you saw me, medical ladder, thema 정erak has been found overseas.
35:58Reunited at last.
36:25But the moment...
36:27...is short-lived.
36:48The rival male has stayed close.
36:52And he isn't going to give up without a fight.
36:55Each bull uses his colossal weight as a battering ram.
37:17But these giants are too closely matched.
37:32So changing tactics...
37:40...they use their teeth...
37:44...to inflict intense pain.
37:47But neither is backing down.
37:56Taking his chance...
38:08...the rival pins Old Grandy.
38:12Rearing up to the height of a four-story building...
38:24...he bears down...
38:28...he bears down...
38:29...with his enormous weight.
38:30But this time...
38:43...Old Grandy...
38:46...refuses to go down.
38:48A decisive victory.
39:07But Old Grandy still faces one last challenge.
39:24Persuading the female...
39:26...he really is...
39:29...the bull for her.
39:31And it could be that Francisco has discovered the key...
39:48...to what made Old Grandy irresistible.
39:51I can recognize that we have this group of bones here...
39:56...that are very close...
39:57...and are one touching the other.
40:00It's a series of disc-shaped vertebrae...
40:04...that once formed part of his long neck.
40:11It's not complete...
40:12...but it's particularly well-preserved.
40:16Structurally, it's very delicate.
40:20The bones are incredibly fragile.
40:25So the team covers them in a protective membrane.
40:30We need to glue all these small cracks...
40:32...because if we take out the vertebra...
40:35...we can lose the bones completely.
40:41But these neck bones are not delicate...
40:43...simply because of their age.
40:48Each one has a hollow structure...
40:50...which may have served a vital purpose.
40:58These animals are huge giants of the thoracic.
41:02They have very long necks, huge tensions and stress.
41:06So one of the probably advantages...
41:10...on having these hollow bones...
41:12...is that this helps the animal...
41:15...to be lighter and more dynamic...
41:17...in the movement of these huge necks.
41:20Very useful.
41:22This dynamic movement...
41:27...would have allowed old Grande...
41:29...to walk, fight...
41:31...and crucially...
41:32...display.
41:41It's exactly what he needs...
41:42...to charm the female.
41:45...because he hasn't won her over yet.
41:50Like many birds today...
42:12...it's thought he would use...
42:15...his long, lightweight neck...
42:16...and flexible tail...
42:18...in an elaborate courtship display.
42:21With every move he makes...
42:31...carefully assessed...
42:33...by this most discerning of judges...
42:37...and she responds.
42:47Staying in sync with each other's moves...
42:53...will be crucial...
42:56...to proving they're compatible.
42:59But just as everything was going so well...
43:15...old Grande...
43:20...gets a little overexcited.
43:22Fortunately, he has one last trick...
43:45...up his sleeve.
43:46Just like modern birds such as frigates...
44:04...old Grande has an inflatable sack...
44:08...to attract attention.
44:10It seems to have worked.
44:34It seems to have worked.
44:38And in the hills of central Portugal...
45:01...Pedro...
45:02...Elizabeth...
45:04...and Francisco...
45:06...have also completed their mission...
45:08...finishing this year's dig...
45:12...with a treasure trove of fossils.
45:14This is a very good season.
45:16This is a very good season.
45:17We have a lot of new things this year.
45:21200...
45:22256.
45:24Some of them are really large bones.
45:28Even as they pack up...
45:30...they're already making plans...
45:32...to return next year.
45:34It's interesting to try to find more bones...
45:38...of both individuals here.
45:41There's more areas to explore.
45:44While they may never know...
45:49...how old Grande met his end...
45:54...his bones appear to be entwined...
45:57...with a female Lucer Titan.
46:08And so...
46:09...just maybe...
46:10...with her...
46:11...he was able...
46:12...to secure...
46:13...his legacy.
46:14A batch...
46:31...of giant eggs.
46:33...ESE G Eastern powers...
46:34...HA?
46:35FIFTY
46:48...
46:52...
46:55...
46:57Buried safely beneath the ground, this next generation of Lusititans will soon begin their
47:21own story.
47:27We'll see you next time.
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