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00:16Over 66 million years ago our world was ruled
00:29by dinosaurs.
00:38The largest animals that have ever walked the earth.
00:49Today, dinosaur experts across the globe are uncovering
00:55the bones they left behind.
01:01Allowing us to imagine how these extraordinary creatures may have lived.
01:10So that we can tell their stories.
01:17And they can walk again.
01:22They can walk again.
01:24They can walk again.
01:28They can walk again.
01:34They can walk again.
01:50Deep in the ancient forests of Alberta, Canada.
02:01A team of dinosaur hunters has come to unearth an astonishing find.
02:09We've got at least three bones sticking out here.
02:12Discovered on the edge of a creek are the bones of a pachyrhinosaurus.
02:22A unique horned dinosaur.
02:29Lying here is a toddler.
02:31With such a tiny little bone.
02:33They call Albie.
02:36I don't think I've seen one that small before.
02:41And he's not alone.
02:44He's part of one of the largest dinosaur herds ever found.
02:50Numbering in the thousands.
02:54We have big adults.
02:56We have big adults.
02:56We have little babies.
02:57We have every age in between.
02:59This was a huge herd of animals.
03:03Why so many are buried here is a mystery.
03:10But by studying the bones, we can begin to tell their extraordinary story.
03:43What will one day be northwestern Canada is part of a landmass called Laramidia.
03:55Mountain ranges extend for thousands of miles.
04:01Towering over a wilderness of dense forested valleys.
04:14This vast terrain is roamed by gigantic groups of plant eating dinosaurs.
04:24That like today's caribou or elk.
04:28Migrate each season.
04:35And by far the largest of these prehistoric herds.
04:47are the Pachyrhinosaurus.
05:00A close relative of Triceratops, these social dinosaurs have spent the winter in the south.
05:14But with the land now almost completely bared, staying here would mean starvation.
05:32So the herd is setting out on an epic 400-mile trek north, where by summer the vegetation should be
05:42abundant.
05:50It will be a grueling journey.
05:54Especially if you're one of the youngest.
05:57the forest.
05:59Like Albie.
06:15At less than a year old, he's only half a meter tall.
06:22Which makes keeping up a bit of a challenge.
06:34Even so, he must stay close to his mother.
06:40Because the herd aren't the only ones that are hungry.
06:48Following in their wake, an Ajdarkid pterosaur.
06:58With a six-meter wingspan and estimated speed of 60 miles an hour, a young Pachyrhinosaurus makes for an easy
07:11target.
07:40A close call.
07:50But it's only the start of the challenges they will face.
08:01As the search for food takes them across the prehistoric wilderness.
08:2273 million years later, the work to understand this enormous herd is well underway.
08:33There's a pretty large cluster of bones there.
08:35Seem to belong potentially to a large animal.
08:41It's a painstaking process.
08:44led by Dr. Emily Bamforth, who is piecing together the journey that brought the herd here.
08:58And in one corner of the site.
09:02Is that a little vertebrae?
09:05Something has caught her eye.
09:07Oh man, that is so little.
09:11Right in this corner.
09:13Baby bone, baby bone, baby bone.
09:18Emerging from the rock are not just Albie's bones.
09:21But those of other youngsters.
09:29And comparing their size.
09:32Juvenile vertebrae is seven centimeters.
09:36That's another really young animal.
09:39Reveals something significant.
09:41All of the juveniles here, these are all about a year old.
09:44Wow.
09:46They are all the same age.
09:49Born around the same time.
09:53They have to have been born on the previous summer's migration.
09:57That to me is interesting.
10:01Emily's findings suggest the herd was making its yearly journey for more than just food.
10:18They were returning to their summer nesting ground.
10:30And joining them are thousands more.
10:36As every Pachyrhinosaurus on the continent heads north.
10:49Merging into one of the greatest spectacles of the prehistoric world.
11:09But with such a colossal gathering.
11:14Tension is in the air.
11:22Breeding season is upon them.
11:25So bulls in the herd must compete for their right to mate.
11:33From old veterans.
11:41To their younger rivals.
11:50And there's only one way.
11:53To prove their worth.
12:11In a contest as brutal as this.
12:15Albi's mother must keep a watchful eye.
12:22Making sure he isn't trampled.
12:24Or even killed.
12:41But as one of the youngest.
12:44Curiosity.
12:46Gets the better of him.
13:00Using their thick armoured noses.
13:07Each male.
13:09Seeks to deliver a bone shattering blow.
13:18And the ultimate target.
13:23Is behind the other's horned armour.
13:30The young rival.
13:34Gains the upper hand.
13:36Gains the upper hand.
13:39Gains the upper hand.
13:40Gains the upper hand.
13:49At the dig site.
13:51Uncovering what appears to be the rib of a huge bull.
13:56It seems like the rib trends this way, but then starts back up that way.
14:03Emily and her teammate Max Scott are finding evidence of a punishing injury.
14:13This part of the rib and that part of the rib are slightly offset.
14:17So it looks as if this rib is actually being broken in the middle.
14:22Yes, it seems like it was almost shoved off to one side.
14:26The rib is twice as thick as a bear's.
14:31The fact it snapped means this bull suffered a potentially fatal blow.
14:38What would have to be a considerable impact is either the opponent striking it really hard, or when it fell
14:45sideways.
14:45Whatever happened, it would have been very painful.
14:48Like with an impact this size, the rib could puncture the lung.
14:58But examining the fossil reveals something curious.
15:03It's really bulgy there.
15:04I think that's a bone callus.
15:07Bone calluses form over a break as part of the healing process.
15:13The bone has broken and has actually shifted sideways while the animal was alive.
15:19And this big bony bump healed around it and set it.
15:23It would have been very painful for the animal, but they would have survived it.
15:26It's really quite an impressive feat.
15:28It really shows just how tough he really is.
15:35The healed injury is important evidence.
15:43It suggests the strongest bulls in the herd
15:48were capable of taking severe punishment
15:56and getting back on their feet.
16:28An ability they need.
16:31to come out on top.
16:45With a winner firmly established.
16:52The monumental herd continues its journey to the fertile north.
17:11But though the fighting may have subsided,
17:15for Albi, the danger
17:17is only just beginning.
17:31In the chaos,
17:33he has become separated from his mother
17:36and lost in the crowd.
17:46In a herd of this magnitude,
17:51finding her won't be easy.
18:12Look at this.
18:13But at the dig site,
18:16evidence is emerging that suggests
18:17every one of this enormous herd
18:20may have looked unique.
18:24It looks like it's relatively complete.
18:26And this is a big one.
18:28Buried in the rock
18:29is an incredibly rare find.
18:32An adult's bony headdress
18:36known as the frill.
18:40This might be the front.
18:42And that's the back.
18:43Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.
18:45So like that,
18:46the nose is over here somewhere.
18:48And like the body is back there.
18:49I don't think I've ever seen any
18:51where one of the middle horns
18:54is going the opposite direction of the other.
18:58Given this frill's highly unusual shape,
19:02Emily is keen to compare it
19:03with others found in the creek.
19:09So on this individual,
19:11the horns that stick out the side of the frill,
19:14they're straight.
19:16Whereas this one is interesting.
19:17This is an asymmetrical frill.
19:19So this horn is straight
19:22and that one is curled.
19:28Each frill is distinct from the other.
19:33It is very striking
19:34that these frills,
19:35despite being from
19:36almost exactly the same place in the bone bed,
19:38from the same community of animals,
19:40like they're still very different from one another.
19:46Remarkably,
19:47no two frills found at the site
19:49have ever looked the same.
19:54Leading the team to think their variation
19:56served a crucial purpose.
19:58Based on the differences in these frill horns,
20:01it would be very easy
20:02for the individuals to recognize each other.
20:04Yeah, in a herd environment like this,
20:07it's very important to be able to recognize your friends
20:10and your family easily.
20:19With every member of the herd
20:21displaying their own unique frill,
20:29it could help a youngster like Albie
20:33pick out his mother
20:35from the masses
20:43by scanning each and every one
20:46for her familiar features.
21:00But in the sea of Pachyrhinosaurus,
21:03streaming past,
21:08she is still
21:11nowhere to be seen.
21:12She is still nowhere to be seen.
21:34without his mother's protection,
21:38he has little chance
21:39of surviving the long journey.
21:42alone.
21:45alone.
22:09Until, finally.
22:14The distinctive outline of a frill he knows better than any other, and a mother relieved
22:30to have found her young. But though reunited, there is much danger still
22:57ahead.
23:14Thirty miles from the main dig site.
23:24Emily and paleontologist Jackson Swede have travelled to the edge of a forest.
23:37Here, ancient footprints follow the herd's route.
23:45That's a toe. And then that's a toe, missing the third one here. See it again? Missing
23:50that toe over there. Yep. Once you get your eye in, they're actually all over the place.
23:54They're everywhere. And one stands out from all the others.
24:03Clearly a carnivore. And you can even see the claws. That's a point.
24:10They're a big animal as well. What? Eight metres? Yeah.
24:23To confirm the identity of this large predator, Emily and Jackson use liquid rubber to make
24:33a cast that reveals how it moved.
24:39The back of the track is shallower than these toes here.
24:43The toes are super deep.
24:45So it's moving on the front of his feet, sort of like the fast animals today, like cheetahs
24:49would do.
24:50Definitely wider than it is deep, so it can move side to side if it has to.
24:54So probably a very agile animal as well. This kind of speed and agility belongs to only one
25:03predator in the region. A terrifying relative of T-Rex that hunted in packs.
25:13Those Pachyranosaurus definitely would have had to worry about this animal.
25:18Yeah.
25:18It's very efficient at moving long distances. It could follow them for miles and just wait
25:23for an opportunity.
25:26The Gorgosaurus.
25:38With exceptional hearing.
25:43And a sense of smell more powerful than any other dinosaur.
25:51It's thought they could track their prey from up to ten miles away.
26:05Allowing them to ambush at a moment of their choosing.
26:22Allowing them to buy.
26:26Unaware of the approaching threat, the herd moves deeper into the forest.
26:34Surrounded by its narrow pathways, an attack could come from any direction.
27:05But there is no sign of the danger, yet.
27:41The sound of intruders draws Albie away from the herd.
27:56But these aren't the stealthy footsteps of a Gorgosaurus.
28:02Something else is closing in.
28:19Take care with your footing.
28:24Journeying along the herd's migration route,
28:27Emily and her team have discovered evidence of another mysterious dinosaur,
28:35which has emerged on the edge of what is now a river.
28:49Exposed by receding water, its fossilised remains are all along the riverbank.
28:58It's huge.
29:01It's just packed with stuff.
29:04It's crazy that it's just kind of sitting out here on the surface.
29:07Man, that's big.
29:11It definitely seems to be in a layer here.
29:14Whatever this is.
29:19And it isn't long before the team hits the jackpot.
29:23Oh my goodness.
29:30That's a huge bone.
29:34Buried in the rock is part of its gigantic hind limb.
29:38Do you have your measuring tape?
29:40Yeah, let's just take a quick measurement.
29:43They can use this to estimate the animal's full size.
29:49It's really long.
29:50Even if it's only to there, that's still definitely over a metre.
29:55Yeah, so I would say with legs like this,
29:58it's probably about the size of a school bus, about nine metres long or so.
30:01That's huge.
30:03There's not much that gets bigger than this.
30:06Even larger than a Gorgosaurus, its nine metre length means it could be only one dinosaur.
30:22And the forest is the ideal place for it to find its next meal.
30:42But this isn't a killer.
30:50It's an Edmontosaurus.
30:56Which along with its herd, is on the same migration north.
31:03As plant eaters, they pose no threat.
31:09But these six-ton giants make a lot of noise.
31:31And it's drawing the pack of hungry Gorgosaurus straight towards them.
31:36...
31:40...
31:41...
31:44...
31:46...
31:55I don't know.
32:32For Albi, it's another narrow escape.
32:50And as the herd pushes on, the aurora lighting up the skies above is a sign that journey
32:58north is almost over.
33:18Do you have a chisel?
33:20Not far from the main dig site, Emily and Jackson are finding evidence of exactly what the herd
33:30was looking for.
33:33That is huge.
33:34Yeah.
33:35An abundance of food just waiting to be discovered.
33:39There's so many different plants here.
33:41Just on this one slab, not just big leaves like this.
33:46Also, lots of flowering plants as well.
33:49All of these things would be really great food for pachyranosaurs.
33:53The plants in these rocks would have flourished in the summer, in time for the herd's nesting
34:01season.
34:03Looking at all of these plants, there's enough food for the adults and the juveniles.
34:09More than enough to draw the pachyranosaurs up here.
34:11And when the babies hatch, there's food for the babies as well.
34:17This place would mark the end of the herd's long migration.
34:28A haven, where they could settle and begin to nest.
34:37Here we go.
34:40Re-hanging.
34:41Here we go.
34:42Here we are.
34:47Here we go.
34:58Here we go.
35:01But while the exhausting 400-mile walk may finally be over, there is one problem they
35:14haven't left behind.
35:21The Gorgosaurus have stayed close, and with the Pachyrhinosaurus backed up against the
35:36river, it gives these ferocious predators the perfect opportunity.
35:46To pick off one of the herd's more vulnerable members.
36:11But Albie is not alone.
36:17His mother's instinct is to fight.
36:32But their confrontation is about to pale into insignificance.
36:42Both predator and prey face a far greater threat.
37:12Investigating what happened at the end of the herd's journey.
37:15OK, move to the next point.
37:20And why so many are buried here.
37:25Emily's team is mapping the bones.
37:29We've obviously got a pretty large cluster in that corner.
37:32Those two are so close together.
37:34They're so close together, man.
37:35It's pretty much right up against.
37:36Yeah.
37:37All right.
37:38Let's go.
37:43They can then scan them to create a full 3D model of the site.
37:54It's coming through really well.
37:55Yeah.
37:56You can see the patterning on the surface of the bone.
37:59The imaging allows them to see exactly how the fossils are laid out.
38:04You can see how the bones are stacked on top of each other.
38:11Everything here is bone.
38:14There's actually very little rock in between there.
38:16It's just a solid mass of bone material.
38:18You can kind of see ribs of just about every size just even in this one pocket here.
38:22And they're clearly all from different individuals because they're all different sizes.
38:26The bones of young and old are jumbled together.
38:34And there's even more in the ground than the team first realized.
38:40You think of the sheer density of bones in just this little area that we've scanned
38:45and then put that together with the grid mapping.
38:47Perfect.
38:49There's something like 100 to 300 bones per square metre.
38:53And then we know the bone bed goes back into the hill for another kilometre.
38:57Good for now.
38:59Their findings bring the estimate of Pachyrhinosaurus preserved at the site.
39:05Into the tens of thousands.
39:11To have died in such large numbers, they must have faced a catastrophic event.
39:29Looking for answers, Emily and Max cut deep into the rock that encases the herd.
39:41Tilt it up.
39:42I just want to take a look at the cross-section.
39:45It reveals a vital clue.
39:50Look at this piece.
39:51All of that black, it's plant material, it's been shredded.
39:56Something has picked up the mud and has, like, twisted it with enough energy to move the amount of material
40:02and to shred the plants up like that.
40:04And that's right in with the bones.
40:08And all these swirls in here, something dramatic has happened that's involved water.
40:15You can see where it's actually cut down into the rock underneath it, like a fossilized wave.
40:20So this was a huge energy event.
40:25The evidence all points to one thing.
40:36A devastating flash flood.
40:45Triggered by huge storms.
40:49Raging over the mountains.
41:00Water cascades into the valley, swelling into an unstoppable torrent that destroys everything in its path.
41:11Right now.
41:22Mkay?
41:47As the flood waters near, the herd begins to panic.
41:58Mother and child, waiting by each other's side.
42:41Little could have withstood a flood on this scale.
43:02And for Albi, and much of his herd, it marks a tragic end.
43:29But despite the devastation...
43:32This was perhaps not the end for them all.
43:49Just under 30 miles north of the main dig site...
43:56Emily and Jackson have travelled out into the hills of Canada's Grand Prairie...
44:04To investigate an incredible find.
44:12So there's three sites that have been identified.
44:16Right.
44:17That's one of them.
44:20And the other two...
44:22I think there's one over there.
44:24And there's one behind us as well.
44:31Across the area, a series of fossils has been unearthed...
44:36That point to an extraordinary possibility.
44:41It looks like a toe bone.
44:45But absolutely tiny.
44:48That also is from a very, very small animal.
44:50Yeah.
44:51Like that to me looks like this is from an animal that has either just hatched...
44:56Like a hatchling.
44:57Yeah.
44:57Or is actually still in the egg.
44:58It's an embryonic dinosaur.
45:00An animal this size has to have been born here.
45:04The young belong to both Pachyrhinosaurus and Edmontosaurus.
45:13Dinosaurs that were heading for the same destination.
45:16To me it's not a coincidence that they're both here.
45:20We're only 30 or 40 kilometers away from the site of the flood.
45:25So surviving animals could eventually have made their way here.
45:28This might have been the nesting ground for both of these megaherbivores after the flood.
45:36Emily and Jackson are continuing to look for more evidence.
45:43But this remarkable discovery means that maybe...
45:54Despite all the odds, some of the herd did survive.
46:05Continuing on...
46:08To find another place to nest.
46:22Continuing on...
46:24To find another place to nest.
46:25The wildlings of the sea.
46:25Over theika.
46:36Over the sea.
46:43Survivors...
46:45With a chance...
46:46To pave the way...
46:52For the next generation.
46:54to thrive.
47:09So that one day
47:15their herd
47:17can rise again.
47:30Next time,
47:32one of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk the earth
47:38goes looking
47:39for love.
47:43A quest
47:45that will become a life and death struggle.
47:54A quest
47:55of life
47:56a
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48:18Transcription by CastingWords
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