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Explore the fascinating world of creatures that have managed to survive from the age of dinosaurs to the present day. Discover the incredible abilities of the only dinosaur that could potentially defeat the mighty T-Rex and learn more about the mysterious and resilient creatures that continue to thrive in our world today.
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00:00The Tyrannosaurus rex, the formidable predator, the world-known celebrity of the animal kingdom, the king of all dinos.
00:09Since its discovery in 1902, this dangerous predator has fascinated both researchers and the regular public.
00:18But despite its terrifying reputation, there were actually other beasts that could defeat the T. rex.
00:25And one of the true nemeses of this dinosaur was the Triceratops, a herbivore.
00:32But despite its plant-based diet, the dino was huge and had two nightmarish large horns and a smaller one,
00:40along with thickened bones which added to its defenses and helped protect itself from dreadful predators like the T. rex.
00:49This dino was something like proof that herbivores were no pushovers.
00:55Its formidable horns were about a foot wide at their base and tapered into mean points capable of skewering any
01:02predator,
01:02even a T. rex like juicy barbecue.
01:06The colossal skull of the Triceratops sported an enormous frill made of protective solid bone, which was topped with hornlets.
01:15From the tip of the animal's beak to the spiked rim of the frill, the head of the Triceratops could
01:21reach a whopping 10 feet in length and weigh around a ton.
01:27This gargantuan construction, the head of the dino, was attached to the body with the help of a ball and
01:33socket joint.
01:34This allowed the dino to swivel its head around with astonishing speed, brandishing its horns to scare predators away.
01:42That's one of the reasons why a T. rex that decided to attack a Triceratops was actually taking a big
01:50risk.
01:50The battle could easily go either way.
01:53Of course, the king of the dinosaur world could win and get its long-awaited feast.
01:58But just as likely, the hunted could become the hunter and end the T. rex's game.
02:08Now, how about we find some more cool and lesser-known facts about those intriguing creatures, dinosaurs.
02:15For example, dinos almost certainly did not roar.
02:19Scientists think they might have cooed instead.
02:22More accurately, they probably produced sounds in ways similar to the way ostriches boom or doves coo.
02:30You see, many modern birds use a method of producing sounds called closed-mouth vocalization.
02:37Sounds are made by inflating the throat rather than passing air through the syrinx, the vocal organ of birds.
02:44In other words, the Jurassic Park movies got it all wrong.
02:48A lot of early dino reconstructions appeared under the influence of those scary noises that we associate with modern predators,
02:56like lions.
02:57So, on screen, dinosaurs have their mouths open when they produce sounds, just like lions when they roar.
03:04But real dinos wouldn't have done that, especially not before charging at their prey.
03:09They wouldn't have advertised their presence to other animals nearby.
03:13Not when all they wanted was to have a meal.
03:19The Quetzalcoatlus was a member of the ancient group of flying reptiles, pterosaurs.
03:25And it was also the largest flying animal to have ever lived on Earth.
03:30The giraffe-sized creature had thin limbs, a startlingly long beak, and a staggering 40-foot wingspan.
03:38Researchers believe that these creatures could have also used their folded-up wings as legs.
03:43So, they probably walked on all fours.
03:47Scientists discovered the Quetzalcoatlus about 50 years ago.
03:50But they still have a tricky time trying to piece together the details of this animal's life.
03:56For example, how did it even manage to lift its ginormous body off the ground when flying?
04:02Whatever the answer is, this creature is our first real look at the entirety of the largest animals ever to
04:10fly.
04:10One of the reasons why it's been taking so long to unearth the secrets of the Quetzalcoatlus
04:15is because this creature had hollow bones that helped it to fly, just like modern flying animals.
04:22So, when you find these potato chips-like bones preserved in super hard rock,
04:28you need to somehow remove them without destroying them.
04:32And that's a really tough task.
04:37The Tyrannosaurus rex was quite a slow runner.
04:40Its speed was likely to be just about 10 miles per hour,
04:44which is approximately as fast as the speed of an average human runner.
04:48As for T. rex babies,
04:50according to hatchling recreations from the American Museum of Natural History,
04:55they were pretty cute.
04:57About the size of super skinny turkeys,
04:59and covered with downy feathers.
05:04The largest land-based dino was the Argentinosaurus.
05:08This massive animal often reached up to 130 feet in length and 69 feet in height.
05:16Considering the average blue whale is around 70 feet long,
05:21you can easily imagine just how giant that dinosaur was.
05:27Many dinos had feathers, and I'm not only talking about avian ones.
05:32The largest feathered dinosaur we know about was the Eutyranus huwali,
05:37which translates as a beautiful feathered tyrant.
05:41It was a super predator and cousin of the T. rex.
05:45Scientists think that the dino most likely relied on its feathers to stay warm.
05:51However surprising it may sound,
05:53some of the biggest dinosaurs were actually herbivores.
05:57Let's take the Brachiosaurus and Apatosaurus, for example.
06:01These creatures were giant, but followed a plant-based diet.
06:08Now, I'm not sure if you should try it or not,
06:10but apparently, you can tell the difference between a simple stone
06:14and a dinosaur fossil by licking it.
06:17It may not sound like the most legitimate approach,
06:20but even paleontologists sometimes find themselves doing this.
06:25The thing is, if you lick a potential fossil,
06:28it will slightly stick to your tongue.
06:30That's because fossils are way more porous than stones.
06:36When dinosaurs first saw the light of day during the Triassic period,
06:40around 230 million years ago,
06:43Earth's continents were clustered together
06:45and formed one giant supercontinent called Pangaea.
06:49Over the next 165 million years,
06:53Pangaea slowly drifted apart,
06:55and that separated many dinosaur species from one another.
06:58And still, most of the world's dinosaur fossils are found in three places.
07:03The high-altitude badlands of China, North America, and Argentina
07:08have the largest amount of fossils,
07:10or at least easily accessible ones.
07:14In reality, most parts of the world are covered with fossils.
07:18But those located in desert-like environments are easier to find
07:22due to the lack of vegetation.
07:27Interestingly, most fossilized dino bones aren't bones anymore.
07:31The fossilization process often occurs
07:33when something gets trapped between layers of sediment or sand.
07:37For millions of years, those remnants stay there.
07:41At one point, they got surrounded by a layer of water.
07:44It replaces the original organic material with minerals.
07:48In other words, it's not the real thing anymore.
07:51It's a rock-like copy.
07:53The Triceratops boasted three giant horns sticking out of its head,
07:58but its teeth were even more fascinating.
08:01This dino had around 800 teeth,
08:04and new ones kept growing throughout its life.
08:07These teeth grew in sets of 36 to 40-tooth columns,
08:11with each column having three to five teeth,
08:15vertically stacked on one another.
08:18Some dinos had hollow bones, like today's birds.
08:21These creatures stored air in their bones,
08:24which helped them improve their breathing abilities.
08:26It made these dinosaurs lighter on their feet,
08:29and allowed them to breathe much more efficiently.
08:33The Nijesaurus replaced its teeth every two weeks.
08:37This unique creature had rows and rows of teeth in reserve.
08:41They were hidden away in its mouth,
08:43and when a set of teeth wore out, they fell out,
08:46and the next row moved into position.
08:51Dinosaurs didn't all go extinct at the same time,
08:54as soon as the asteroid crashed into Earth.
08:57Instead, the space rock likely triggered a chain reaction of events,
09:01which changed the face of the planet.
09:03Of course, it didn't happen overnight,
09:06but over the next few hundred or even thousands of years.
09:10As a result, all but avian dinosaurs went extinct.
09:16The word dinosaur came from the Greek language.
09:20Dinos means terrible, and soros means lizard.
09:25So basically, dinosaur can be translated to terrible lizard.
09:30You may object that not all dinosaurs were terrifying predators.
09:33This name might be appropriate for the T-Rex,
09:36but not, let's say, the tiny May.
09:40Rumor has it that when Sir Richard Owen,
09:42an English biologist, came up with the name for dinosaurs,
09:45he used the word terrible in a different sense.
09:48He described those ancient creatures as fearfully great,
09:52as in far larger in size than any previously discovered reptiles.
10:00Now, you can't find living dinosaurs nowadays,
10:03which is a good thing, mostly.
10:05But you can still meet some creatures
10:07that might have gone to lunch with them.
10:10The frilled shark, for example, is a living fossil
10:13that comes from a family of sharks
10:15that have been around for about 80 million years.
10:19One of the coolest things about it
10:20is its long, eel-like body
10:23that can grow as long as 6 feet.
10:25It has 6 pairs of gills on its throat,
10:28which help the frilled shark breathe
10:29in the deep, cold ocean where there isn't much oxygen.
10:32The shark can move very quickly, like a snake,
10:35to catch its prey when it least expects it.
10:39Little frilled sharks take an exceptionally long time to grow,
10:43up to 3 and a half years,
10:44which is one of the longest times
10:46for any animal with a backbone.
10:49The Chinese giant salamander is another living fossil
10:53that can tell you what was going on on Earth
10:55around 170 million years ago.
10:58Now, when I say tell, I really mean it,
11:01as it can make sounds like kisses,
11:03whistles, and barks,
11:06and even a noise that sounds like a crying kid.
11:10The biggest Chinese salamander found so far
11:13weighed 130 pounds,
11:15as heavy as 2 Dalmatians,
11:17and was almost 6 feet long.
11:20Giant salamanders like to be alone
11:22and will chase away other salamanders
11:25from their space,
11:26except when it's time to start a family.
11:30During the day,
11:31they hide and sleep under rocks.
11:33They can make a special substance
11:34from their skin that keeps predators away.
11:40Now, gurils are reptiles
11:42that have been around for about 38 million years.
11:45They live in India and Nepal
11:47in slow-moving, muddy rivers.
11:49Sadly, there are very few gurils left in the wild,
11:52less than 100.
11:54These creatures can't control their body temperature,
11:57so they need to sunbathe to get warm
11:59or cool down in the water if they get too hot.
12:02Their eyes are close together and face forward,
12:05which helps them see in three dimensions
12:07and judge distances more accurately.
12:10Gurils also have a transparent third eyelid
12:14that protects their eyes when they're underwater.
12:16They have over 100 sharp teeth,
12:18but they can't chew their food.
12:20Instead, they use their strong jaws
12:22to grab prey and then, uh-oh, swallow it whole.
12:27The alligator gar is a fish
12:29that has a family history
12:30of more than 100 million years.
12:33It still has some cool features from ancient times,
12:37like being able to breathe both air and water.
12:40It also has a special spiral-shaped intestine,
12:43like a shark.
12:45The alligator gar is one of the biggest
12:47and heaviest fish in North America.
12:49Just like an alligator,
12:51it has a long body and snout,
12:53plus a row of sharp teeth.
12:55But instead of legs,
12:56the gar has fins to help it swim underwater.
13:01The tuatara isn't a lizard,
13:03as you might think,
13:04and isn't a dinosaur either.
13:06This New Zealand resident
13:08is one of the most unique animals in the world.
13:10Scientists love studying tuataras
13:12because they can help us understand
13:14how today's lizards and snakes evolve.
13:17One of the coolest things about the tuatara
13:19is its third eye,
13:21called a parietal eye,
13:22on its head.
13:23It has its own lens, retina,
13:25and a nerve that connects it to the brain.
13:28Scientists think it might help the tuatara
13:30know when it's light or dark outside
13:32and absorb sunlight
13:34to make vitamin D
13:35or help them keep their body temperature
13:37exactly right.
13:39Tuataras can live an extraordinarily long time,
13:42up to 100 years.
13:46Cassowaries are the youngsters on our list,
13:48as they've been around for only 60 million years.
13:52They have some things in common with dinosaurs,
13:54like their three-toed feet
13:55and how they breathe.
13:58Cassowaries love to eat fruit,
14:00lots and lots of fruit.
14:02This love of fruit helps the rainforest,
14:04because when cassowaries eat the fruit,
14:06their bodies don't harm the seeds inside.
14:09As they move around the forest,
14:11they spread these seeds,
14:12you can guess how,
14:13with their own natural fertilizer,
14:15helping new plants grow.
14:18Cassowaries are big birds,
14:20about 6 feet tall
14:21and weigh over 100 pounds.
14:23They have a special claw on each foot
14:26that is 5 inches long,
14:27and they can use it to kick real fast.
14:30If they feel threatened,
14:31they can charge, kick,
14:33and even jump on someone.
14:34They can also leap up to 5 feet in the air.
14:37So, the best thing to do
14:39is stay far, far away from where they live.
14:43The order Notostraca
14:45is a group of crustaceans
14:47that you may know as tadpole shrimp
14:49or shield shrimps.
14:51These animals have been around
14:53for about 360 million years.
14:55They have a wide, flat shell
14:57that covers their head,
14:58and they have a pair of eyes on top.
15:00These creatures can be found
15:01all over the world
15:03in different kinds of water,
15:04like fresh water,
15:05brackish water,
15:06and even salty pools.
15:08They can also look different
15:10depending on where they live.
15:12Notostraca aren't picky eaters,
15:14and can snack on pretty much anything,
15:16from plants to small animals
15:18and other shrimps.
15:20Some of them are considered pests
15:22in places like California rice paddies,
15:24because they stir up the mud,
15:26which blocks sunlight
15:27from reaching the young rice plants.
15:31Sturgeons are some of the largest
15:32fish species on the planet.
15:34They live only in the cool waters
15:36of the Northern Hemisphere
15:37and never travel below the equator.
15:40Even though they are huge,
15:42sturgeons don't have teeth.
15:44They eat by sucking food
15:45off the bottom of rivers,
15:47gulfs, lakes, and oceans.
15:49Scientists believe that sturgeons
15:51came from a group of fish
15:52that first appeared
15:53around 419 million years ago,
15:56long before dinosaurs even existed.
15:59Their ancestors survived
16:00a big extinction event
16:01that wiped out 90% of all species
16:05and went on to become
16:06the largest fish in many rivers
16:08in North America and Eurasia.
16:11Sturgeons can live up to 100 years old
16:13or even older.
16:15Female sturgeons can lay up
16:16to 3 million eggs at a time,
16:18but not all of the eggs
16:20eventually turn into real fish.
16:23Our next hero,
16:24the Pacific lamprey,
16:26has successfully lived
16:27through at least 4 mass extinctions.
16:30Its ancient ancestors
16:31evolved over 450 million years ago.
16:35These creatures have cartilage
16:37instead of bones
16:38and a third eye,
16:39which is a special light-sensing organ
16:41on top of their heads.
16:43Instead of a regular jaw,
16:45they have a mouth
16:46surrounded by teeth.
16:48They latch on to prey
16:49and sup up body fluids
16:51like real underwater vampires.
16:53And although he wasn't
16:55living underwater,
16:56the story goes
16:57that King Henry I of England
16:59might have lost his life
17:01because of a lamprey.
17:02The English monarch
17:03loved this fish so much
17:04that he defied doctors' orders
17:06to stop eating its flesh.
17:08He got sick
17:09every time he'd have it,
17:11but the lack of bones
17:12and the unusual taste
17:13made the royal fall in love with it.
17:16As a result,
17:17he got some scary symptoms
17:18from eating lamprey
17:19and eventually passed away.
17:21Can you say clueless?
17:25The elephant fish,
17:26also called the Australian ghost shark,
17:29has been on Earth
17:30for around 400 million years.
17:32Even though they're related to sharks,
17:35they aren't actually sharks.
17:36Instead of bones,
17:38their bodies are made
17:39entirely of cartilage.
17:40These fish have a special shiny tissue
17:43in their eyes
17:44that can make their eyes
17:45look like they change color
17:46from yellow to green.
17:48Elephant fish can be pretty tough
17:50and will fight back
17:51if they feel threatened.
17:53They like to be alone
17:54and usually don't hang out
17:56with other fish.
17:59Horseshoe crabs
18:00also deserve the title
18:02of survival champs,
18:03as they've been around
18:04even before dinosaurs
18:06since 450 million years ago.
18:09Four species are still roaming the ocean
18:12from Maine
18:12all the way to Mexico.
18:14Horseshoe crabs
18:15are more like spiders than ticks
18:17than they are like real crabs.
18:19They have nine eyes,
18:20plus extra light sensors
18:22near their tails
18:23so they can see really well.
18:26They breathe underwater
18:27using flap-like gills
18:29near their belly,
18:30and sometimes,
18:30they use these gills
18:32to swim upside down.
18:34Every spring,
18:35when the tide is high,
18:37these creatures come up
18:38to the beach at night
18:38to mate and lay their eggs,
18:40and you can see
18:41hundreds of thousands of them.
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