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Documentary, Allosaurus A Walking with Dinosaurs Special The Ballad of Big Al Part 1 of 2
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Animals
Transcript
00:00Transcription by CastingWords
00:30Transcription by CastingWords
01:00But if you know what you are looking for, the signs and scars of life are clear, as in this remarkable Allosaurus skeleton in Wyoming, nicknamed Big Al.
01:10By studying his bones, comparing him with other fossils and modern animals, there is just enough evidence to raise the ghost of Big Al from its 145 million year old grave.
01:30Bit by bit, a story of how he might have lived can be pieced together.
01:44It's a story that started, like all dinosaurs, with an egg.
01:50Buried in a pile of Jurassic sand is a clutch of eggs.
02:05It is the end of the dry season, and there are signs of life.
02:10This tiny little dinosaur is facing the first of life's challenges, escaping his egg chamber.
02:23He calls out for help.
02:25A huge carnivorous Allosaurus hears the squeak of the hatchlings and approaches the nest.
02:38They are at her mercy.
02:49Fortunately, this is their mother.
02:52Smell is important to Allosaurus, and from the moment mother and hatchling smell each other, they form a bond that is crucial for the hatchling's early survival.
03:01Gently, she uses her huge claws to free them.
03:21This is Big Al's first day.
03:24For now, he can rely on his mother's protection, but within weeks, he will have to learn to stand on his own two feet.
03:38In seven short years, he could become a gigantic predator like his mother, but the odds on him surviving that long are low.
03:54In seven short years, he will have to learn to stand on his own two feet.
04:24Other species rely on lightning-fast speed, while others, like Stegosaurus, stand and fight with lethal spines.
04:40It is a daunting prospect for this brood of tiny killers.
04:44They will have to learn very fast, and fighting among themselves is a good way to start.
04:54However, at this size, they are just as likely to be the hunted as the hunters.
05:05A pair of predatory Ornophilestes watch the brood, waiting for their chance.
05:18The mother Allosaurus is 50 times their weight, so they will not venture too close while she is present.
05:25However, the smell of all these new hatchlings will soon attract other, larger predators.
05:41So eventually, the mother decides it is time to lead her unruly brood away.
05:46Al's new home is a vast flood plain, which will one day become the badlands of Wyoming,
06:07but for now it is covered in lush conifer forest.
06:13Dinosaurs share this world with a host of other animals, including amphibians and insects.
06:18It is the insects that the infant Allosaurus are after.
06:32Born with sharp little teeth, Al is ready for his first meal.
06:37But even small prey require skill to catch.
06:41They are either liable to fly away, or worse still, stand and fight.
06:46What's that?
06:48What the matter?
07:06Mor팅!
07:09Morring!
07:10Arnh!
07:11Arnh!
07:12No woodland!
07:14Me and myеф!
07:14The hatchlings all have a lot to learn.
07:44That evening the mother abandons her brood while she hunts for food for herself.
07:59She is not the only one on the prowl tonight.
08:02The hatchlings are being watched by another predator.
08:28Laura returns to her station having lost one hatchling.
08:32The victim was not Al, but ironically the attacker is a year old Allosaurus.
08:41These youngsters only have a few weeks of protection before the mother's maternal instincts wear
08:46off and she too will view them as fast food.
08:50Al now hunts alone.
09:07Measuring almost three meters, insects are no longer on the menu.
09:10He is looking for dinosaur flesh.
09:13There is a wide choice in this conifer and cycad forest.
09:26A flock of small Othnelia look ideal, but there is a big problem.
09:31A heavily armoured Stegosaurus is working his way through a cycad stand nearby.
09:42The Othnelia feed off the smashed cycads he leaves behind.
09:48This means they are sticking very close to him.
09:54Too close for a small predator to get in between and attack.
10:04A mother Ornitholestes attending her nest mound may prove more promising.
10:11But the small Allosaurus is about to find out he is no match for an overprotected mother.
10:38Nearby a group of Dryasaurus offers Al one more chance.
10:45A mother or a poppier is about to find out just a surgery as an animal is about to go to a field.
10:50See them if
10:57they don't care
11:03They don't care
11:08a place
11:13Al cannot possibly run down such swift prey.
11:22He needs to learn to ambush.
11:30He has also ended up too near the edge of the forest.
11:43A herd of Apatosaurus are crashing through the outer forest, looking for new plant to break.
11:57Not exactly suitable prey for Al.
12:03Back among the trees, Al finally finds something to take the edge off his hunger.
12:13A nearby stagnant pool offers plenty of opportunity to scavenge meat,
12:23as many dinosaurs have come here to drink and become stuck in its thick mud.
12:28A recent victim is this Stegosaurus that lies where it died of exhaustion, trying to drag itself free.
12:37But dead bodies also attract adult Allosaurus.
12:43This one is large enough to kill Al, but she would prefer a free meal.
12:49Unfortunately, the churned up swamp left by the Stegosaurus is dangerous.
12:54And one of her kind has already become trapped next to the carcass.
13:06Ignoring the danger signals, the new Allosaurus approaches the carcass to feed.
13:11By the time she realizes she is trapped, it is too late.
13:31Al watches from nearby, only escaping the same fate because he has learned to avoid carrying
13:58And the large carnivores that it usually attracts.
14:13By evening, two more carcasses lie beside the pond.
14:17This swamp is a natural predator trap, and before the Stegosaurus finally rots away,
14:24numerous more carnivores could fall for its attractions.
14:28The bodies are left to those that can feast here in safety, the flying pterosaurs.
14:33In the middle of Al's Jurassic world is a vast storm.
14:34A massive storm for the engine.
14:34The planet is only developed to allow people to pass away,
14:35the espíritus has gone away, they have fallen deeply.
14:35The fact that he's seen in the dark, when they can still have to go over.
14:36The wind is scattered, it can also be abandoned.
14:36The calm of this moon is scattered, it can also be abandoned.
14:37The sun is also common for its lightning doors.
14:38The sun is still there, they can't be empty, they can't be able to keep going.
14:38The sun is still there, they can't be perfect, it can be covered on the moon.
14:40At the sun, they can be preached on the moon.
14:40On your way, it can be a static universe.
14:42The sun is perfect.
14:43Cs to look at our mission.
14:44The moon is perfecting game.
14:46In the middle of Al's Jurassic World is a vast salt lake.
15:05Its crystalline white crust formed by the retreat of an ancient sea.
15:10Occasionally its shores see the movement of herds of dinosaurs.
15:16These are Diplodocus, heading for a nesting site to the south.
15:32It is a grim journey for these mighty creatures, and the heat and lack of drinking water weeds out the weaker animals.
15:39Predators know this.
15:42Predators like Al.
15:44He is now five years old, and although he is nine meters long, he is not yet fully grown.
15:54Al is an experienced hunter, but the herd itself presents a formidable barrier to predators.
16:00Still, Al is not the only predator stalking the herd.
16:10They can all smell that one of the Diplodocus is in a very bad way.
16:14The predators are getting impatient.
16:23They need to break up the herd and isolate the weakling.
16:26They can all carry on by theanciers to the eff Nicole.
16:27They can all carry on with theashes of the enemy.
16:33They have a nuclear disease, including a thousand people in the long, successful irrational molto game.
16:34And they can all dolly are trying to break up their motives.
16:37This is some sort of Lanomio.
16:38They are going to be sad.
16:39Or theWinds helps the herd.
16:41They can all cast squash as well.
16:42They are going to build an flag on land, that Pyramus is working to push the Norfolk,
16:42and this happens to say they're little pesar viper.
16:45This is a deadly disease dungeon, but it won't seem to kill them well.
16:46The Academy there is a evacuation of an Leonard coop forward.
16:48It has been kind of taking a meal around as well.
16:50And they have no provision.
16:50Like, 그다음에 they come with you back
16:52and it's shopping in a little tur dominant for them,
16:56Oh
17:26Oh
17:56The panicked herd has left the sick Diplodocus far behind. The Allosaurus gather for the feast. However, even a sick and exhausted Diplodocus is a fearsome adversary.
18:26Built for speed, Al is frequently wounded in such situations, but he cannot afford to let this slow him down. The competition is too intense.
18:48The other carnivores hold back and wait for time and the heat to finish the giant herbivore.
18:56After several hours, heat exhaustion and his illness bring the Diplodocus to his knees.
19:08The predators finally get their reward. Although there is enough meat here for weeks, there is an urgency in their feeding. The smell of blood will soon bring others and every Allosaurus wants to eat its fill.
19:26Within the hour, a gigantic female Allosaurus appears out of the haze.
19:38She is about twice the weight of the other Allosaurus and four meters longer.
19:54Quickly, she establishes her dominance. When predators get to her size, they rarely have to bring down their own food. They just scavenge other kills.
20:04Al tries to find a safer place to eat.
20:18The floodplains where Al lives are ruled by the seasons. Short periods of heavy rain give way to long months of drought.
20:36It is now the end of the wet season, and with the floodwaters still receding, it is a time of plenty for the local dinosaurs.
20:54For many, it is also a time for mating. This pair of Stegosaurus are about to try what is for them a very complex process.
21:13Al is now six years old, and as a sign of age, the crests over his eyes are now reddening. Sexual maturity is dependent on his size, and at 10 meters long, Al is well on the way to being big enough.
21:34He is, however, making the locals at the waterhole nervous, and the smell of blood he brings with him is enough to interrupt the amorous Stegosaurus.
21:51Away from the lake, Al picks up a new scent.
22:19Dung left by a female Allosaurus has an immediate effect on Al, and for the first time in his life, he issues a mating call.
22:28The female is not far and picks up the low sounds in his call.
22:40She is much larger than Al. He will have to be careful.
22:51She is not interested, but Al's inexperience shows, and he gets too close.
23:06The female is not too close.
23:08The female is not too close.
23:09The female is not too close.
23:13The female is not too close.
23:17The female is not too close.
23:42torn arm, ripped claw and smashed ribs, he has escaped having his throat torn out.
24:00After five months, the dry season begins to bite.
24:04The sick and the old are being weeded out.
24:07This is good news for scavengers.
24:12This carcass is dried hard, and the pterosaur burrows deeper to find softer meat.
24:18But it is never safe to become too preoccupied.
24:35Al has managed to recover from his fight, although one arm is still not functioning properly.
24:40The pterosaur was not much of a meal, and there is little left on the carcass.
24:46He needs fresh meat.
24:48In the blistering heat, he starts to stalk a flock of swift dryasaurus.
25:01It will take skill, but he has done this hundreds of times before.
25:04kind of guild and some confecute.
25:08Theemosy
25:10Carcass
25:13Carcass
25:17Carcass
25:17Carcass
25:19Carcass
25:22Carcass
25:25Carcass
25:28Carcass
25:31Carcass
25:32Carcass
25:34The attack is a disaster.
25:41Al has fallen badly.
25:43As he tries to get up, it's clear he has broken something in his right foot.
25:48With prey getting scarcer and scarcer, his chances of survival now look remote.
26:04Two months later, and the drought has continued longer than usual.
26:20It has cost Al dear.
26:23If anything, his limp has got worse.
26:34Because of his poor condition, his body is not healing well.
26:42It appears he broke his middle toe in the fall, and it is now badly infected.
26:51Too weak to hunt, he'll be lucky to survive much longer.
27:01The drought drags on.
27:05A pair of young Allosaurus are out hunting for insects amongst the sand dunes.
27:14Instead, they find something much larger.
27:18The emaciated body of Big Al.
27:27Al never reached his full size.
27:30Instead, he died as a mature adolescent in a dried up riverbed.
27:34Eventually, the rains would arrive and gently bury his body in silt for 145 million years.
27:41The process preserved his skeleton perfectly, including the lumps where his ribs healed after their break.
28:03The raging infection on his middle toe, and at least 17 other injuries and diseases.
28:11In death, Big Al represents a frozen moment in the fast and furious life of a carnivorous dinosaur.
28:18The price of a homeowner's
28:43Transcription by CastingWords
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