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Ep 1 The Dinosaurs
Transcript
00:00:04Oh
00:00:35Earth
00:00:3666 million years ago
00:00:39During the great reign
00:00:42Of the dinosaurs
00:00:47Majestic creatures
00:00:51Giants
00:00:52And monsters
00:00:53That can often seem more imagined
00:00:56Than real
00:01:00Including
00:01:02This Pachycephalosaurus
00:01:08He's an old alpha male
00:01:10Eager to get back
00:01:12To his harem of females
00:01:18But something's caught their attention
00:01:24A rival male
00:01:30If the alpha doesn't get there
00:01:31He may lose them to the intruder
00:01:37There's just one problem
00:01:41There's a herd of giants in his way
00:01:54But holding on to his family
00:01:57Is all that matters
00:02:06He'll risk his life to reach them
00:02:22He may have survived
00:02:24But
00:02:36He may have survived
00:02:38But
00:02:38The crossing
00:02:40But the battle
00:02:40Has just begun
00:02:44The trespasser
00:02:45Is younger
00:02:46Stronger
00:02:47And more aggressive
00:02:55And he won't surrender these females
00:02:57Sculls
00:02:59Without a fight
00:03:03Their four inch thick skulls
00:03:05Are designed for a brutal style of combat
00:03:26Neither side
00:03:28Is backing down
00:03:29Neither side
00:03:32Is backing down
00:03:39This time
00:03:41The alpha is hurt
00:03:46Dazed
00:03:46And fading fast
00:03:48His hold on his family is slipping away
00:03:53Sensing his weakness
00:03:55Sensing his weakness
00:03:55The intruder prepares
00:03:56For a finishing blow
00:04:10But in the world of Tyrannosaurus Rex
00:04:16The only battle that counts
00:04:18Is for survival
00:04:24This is the age
00:04:26The age
00:04:26Of the dinosaurs
00:04:56The same
00:04:58The last one
00:05:25Is the same
00:05:26in the world
00:05:42This is the story of the dinosaurs, as it has never been told before.
00:05:59It takes place in a world lost to time, long before the infamous asteroid, millions and
00:06:15millions of years in the past, on a planet that looks nothing like it does today, where
00:06:26extraordinary beasts clash and struggle to survive, and where Earth's violent forces
00:06:36determine their fates.
00:06:40The story begins 235 million years ago, in an era known as the Triassic, where a twist
00:06:52of evolution will change the course of history.
00:07:00The supercontinent of Pangaea.
00:07:05A single immense land mass that stretches from pole to pole.
00:07:28Its vast desert interior is more like the surface of Mars than planet Earth.
00:07:44Temperatures here are brutally hot.
00:07:54In some places, it hasn't rained in thousands of years.
00:08:02But there is something far worse than the heat.
00:08:17Sandstorms.
00:08:23Few creatures can survive in a world this extreme.
00:08:27Few creatures can survive in a world this extreme.
00:08:47But not all of Pangaea is a desert wasteland.
00:08:53Along its fringes, the warm, lush coastlines are the perfect place for life to thrive.
00:09:04This is a time long before the age of the dinosaurs.
00:09:08It is the age of the ancient reptiles.
00:09:18Like Tynastrophus.
00:09:22A six-meter-long nightmare that starts the shallow sea.
00:09:34And Rhynchosaurs, one of the most successful reptiles in all of Pangaea.
00:09:50To each other, they're brutes and bullies.
00:09:59But to this reptile, they're just the terrified locals.
00:10:08Luperasuchus.
00:10:10The four-meter-long apex predator of his time.
00:10:21But he's not here for the Rhynchosaurs.
00:10:24He's sniffed out an easier target.
00:10:33A clutch of eggs.
00:10:40Very special eggs.
00:10:44Because growing inside them are the very first of their kind.
00:11:03A baby Marasuchus.
00:11:06A baby Marasuchus.
00:11:13She waves no more than a mouse.
00:11:18But she makes up for it.
00:11:21Because she has a set of skills that sets her apart from the ancient reptiles.
00:11:29including the remarkable ability to stand on two legs, not just four.
00:11:43She also has advanced lungs and lighter bones.
00:11:51Adaptations that give these little hatchlings an invaluable gift.
00:11:58They are born to run.
00:12:03And in this day and age, they need to.
00:12:22Their only hope is to find a place to hide.
00:12:29Easier said than done when you've hatched into hell.
00:12:41All her siblings are gone.
00:12:46The survival of her bloodline is now hanging by a thread.
00:12:53But thanks to her, it's still intact.
00:12:58Which is vital.
00:13:01Because her descendants are the dinosaurs.
00:13:18One year later, Marasuchus is now fully grown.
00:13:26But when you're the size of a pigeon in a land of monsters, you're still just prey.
00:13:38Now, Marasuchus must make it through another night.
00:13:43It's critical.
00:13:45Because if this dinosaur in the making doesn't survive,
00:13:49her family tree could be cut down before it even takes root.
00:13:59She's picked up a scent.
00:14:02Something worthy of her bloodline.
00:14:10A rhynchosaur carcass.
00:14:22A rhynchosaur carcass.
00:14:28But it's already been claimed.
00:14:35By her old nemesis, Luperasuchus.
00:14:39This is his kill.
00:14:41And he does not intend to share.
00:14:50But as night approaches, temperatures start to drop.
00:15:11The colder it gets, the drowsier the giant reptile becomes.
00:15:20Meanwhile, the warmer-blooded Marasuchus has a feathery fuzz that keeps her cozy.
00:15:31The perfect attire for a daring heist.
00:15:35Well, I haven't noticed that, but I've put in shut uppity, all
00:16:20If she plays it right, she may just get her moonlit dinner for one.
00:16:35A feast fit for a dinosaur.
00:16:46Samarasuchus has great potential.
00:16:49She's adaptable with traits that make her special.
00:16:54But if the dinosaurs are to challenge the ancient reptiles, it will take more than skills.
00:17:02It will take a powerful ally, the Earth itself.
00:17:14A million years later, in the far north of Pangaea, the darkest forces of nature are awakening.
00:17:31A series of volcanic eruptions is creating a catastrophe.
00:17:38One that will alter the fate of the dinosaurs.
00:17:46But the danger is not the lava.
00:17:52It's a gas.
00:17:58Carbon dioxide filling the skies and warming the planet.
00:18:06The rising temperatures cause a massive surge in ocean evaporation.
00:18:21Huge storm clouds descend on the continent of Pangaea.
00:18:36But this will be no ordinary rainfall.
00:19:02It sweeps across the globe, carving vast rivers.
00:19:10And the background the sky.
00:19:11The Earth will turn into the while.
00:19:11These storms will turn into the once dry continent.
00:19:20Known as the Kearnian-Cluvial event.
00:19:25This series of storms will be the longest downpour in history.
00:19:30Lasting more than a million years.
00:19:54When the rains finally do subside,
00:19:58Pangaea emerges.
00:20:06A world reborn.
00:20:15What were endless deserts are now forests.
00:20:20New lands that will help set the course
00:20:24for the rise of the dinosaurs.
00:20:30But first, the reptile empire must falter.
00:20:45The air in these woods is thick with the smell of tree resin.
00:20:56Nature is unforgiving here.
00:21:04The once prosperous plant-eating reptiles
00:21:09are on the decline.
00:21:20Not only is this rhinosaur alone,
00:21:23she's starving.
00:21:29In this new world of towering trees,
00:21:33the low-lying plants that once allowed her species to thrive
00:21:39have all but disappeared.
00:21:57She won't survive if she can't reach her food.
00:22:16And she has a more immediate problem than hunger.
00:22:26A relative of the fearsome Luperosuchus.
00:22:32For these reptilian carnivores,
00:22:36this is a time of great opportunity.
00:22:50Unlike the nimble Marasuchus,
00:22:52she's slow.
00:22:55Weak.
00:22:57Vulnerable.
00:23:13The rinkosaurs were once among the most successful
00:23:16of the plant-eating reptiles.
00:23:20Now their extinction is just a matter of time.
00:23:50As the kingdom of the ancient reptiles begins to fracture,
00:23:57another kind of animal is on the rise.
00:24:03The dinosaurs.
00:24:11And in this changing world,
00:24:14they must be adaptable.
00:24:19They must evolve.
00:24:23They must improve over time.
00:24:28And transform in ways that will help them survive.
00:24:35Finally, 12 million years after the demise of the rinkosaurs,
00:24:42the dinosaurs can begin to come out of the shadows.
00:24:51As the end of the Triassic draws near,
00:24:56vast forests still dominate the land.
00:24:58Now more vibrant than ever.
00:25:03And the dinosaurs are reaping the benefits.
00:25:13like Platyosaurus,
00:25:17a dinosaur trailblazer.
00:25:27This little one and her siblings are embarking on a mission.
00:25:33To explore their new world.
00:25:36With almost no regard for the dangers it may hold.
00:25:51They may not look any bigger than little marasuchas.
00:25:57But when they grow up, they grow up bigger.
00:26:02Much bigger.
00:26:06They are the first dinosaurs to become gigantic.
00:26:14Over seven meters long,
00:26:16they've come a long way since their tiny ancestors ran for their lives.
00:26:26And unlike the rinkosaurs,
00:26:29these giants can easily reach the higher vegetation.
00:26:43They even have a trick
00:26:45for reaching the most tender shoots of all.
00:27:04Excessive maybe.
00:27:07But worth it.
00:27:11Because an adult Platyosaurus must eat 25 kilos of plants
00:27:17each day.
00:27:21And to wash down that much food requires a lot of water.
00:27:57And even a few things to eat at the altar.
00:27:57This is a real life season.
00:27:57It's an easy life, but in the age of the early dinosaurs,
00:28:06even a giant like Platyosaurus must be careful,
00:28:14because there is another dinosaur on the rise,
00:28:19a newcomer with a taste for blood.
00:28:29Procumsonathus,
00:28:31a carnivore with razor-sharp teeth and killer claws.
00:28:46His descendants will one day include Tyrannosaurus rex,
00:28:52but for now, this angry predator
00:28:56is only the size of a turkey.
00:29:08While the matchup between these two dinosaurs may be a little lopsided,
00:29:17it won't stay that way.
00:29:24Over time, a fierce rivalry will grow between the two great dinosaur clans,
00:29:32the herbivores,
00:29:35and the carnivores.
00:29:42But for the time being,
00:29:48all dinosaurs are facing a much greater threat than each other.
00:30:10In the water and on land, the ancient reptiles remain top of the food chain.
00:30:36The dinosaurs are growing as a force in the world, but their rise is slow.
00:30:44The planet still belongs to the reptiles.
00:30:51For the dinosaurs to truly challenge them,
00:30:54it will take millions of years.
00:31:05They grow fiercer,
00:31:08more powerful,
00:31:10more advanced.
00:31:14By the end of the Triassic,
00:31:17the dinosaurs are ready to flex their muscle.
00:31:25But there are new creatures also vying for domination.
00:31:30And in the mountains of Tangia,
00:31:33some of them have taken to the air.
00:31:46Pterosaurs,
00:31:47flying reptiles,
00:31:49with a wingspan of two meters.
00:31:55And they are in total command of the Triassic skies.
00:32:12These jagged peaks are their mating grounds.
00:32:29And this male has spotted a female.
00:32:38First, eject the competition.
00:32:47Now, it's time for the courtship to begin.
00:32:59Now, it's time for the courtship to begin.
00:33:03During these rituals,
00:33:05the pterosaurs are focused entirely on each other,
00:33:09not their surroundings.
00:33:13Which can be costly,
00:33:16because dinosaurs dwell in these canyons.
00:33:34The largest member of the carnivore clan.
00:33:40Lillian Sternus.
00:33:45Twice as long as a grizzly bear,
00:33:47with claws that can tear through flesh.
00:33:53And with her finely tuned sense of smell,
00:33:58she doesn't miss a thing.
00:34:00And with her,
00:34:16the wild boonies.
00:34:16And with her,
00:34:29If she's a man who is to run the squander.
00:34:30eyes are circling above. Even with her camouflage, one wrong move could blow her cover.
00:35:00.
00:35:44This moment marks a new chapter in the rise of the dinosaurs.
00:35:52At last, they are a force to be feared.
00:36:01But the commotion of her attack has attracted another predator.
00:36:08The ancient reptiles have terrorized the dinosaurs from the beginning.
00:36:14But that ends now.
00:36:20Lillian Sternus won't be skulking back to the shadows.
00:36:27She can hold her ground.
00:36:41The end of the Triassic, the ground itself is about to throw the entire dinosaur story into chaos.
00:37:20201.
00:37:22One million years ago, the dinosaur's world is collapsing beneath them.
00:37:36The continent of Pangea is tearing apart, creating a great divide and a molten apocalypse
00:37:49for any creature caught in this hell.
00:38:07For both reptiles and dinosaurs, escape is impossible.
00:38:21But the worst is yet to come.
00:38:28An invisible killer is choking the air itself.
00:38:37Clouds of toxic gases wreak devastation.
00:38:53A city fog poisons everything in its path.
00:39:15As the gases in the atmosphere grow thicker, temperatures soar, annihilating three-quarters
00:39:23of all plant species and millions of animals across the planet.
00:39:45It's known as the End Triassic Mass Extinction.
00:39:51And it will change everything for the dinosaurs.
00:39:57Because their versatility and ability to adapt helped them survive this catastrophe far better
00:40:05than the reptiles.
00:40:35The reign of the ancient reptiles is over.
00:40:39I don't know.
00:41:11With their rivals out of the way, the dinosaurs now have a chance to rise from the ruins and conquer
00:41:23the world.
00:41:42I don't know.
00:42:33I don't know.
00:42:35I don't know.
00:42:36I don't know.
00:43:11I don't know.
00:43:17I don't know.
00:45:51I don't know.
00:46:37I don't know.
00:46:46I don't know.
00:46:55I don't know.
00:47:20I don't know.
00:48:05I don't know.
00:48:33I don't know.
00:48:43I don't know.
00:49:14I don't know.
00:49:20I don't know.
00:49:21I don't know.
00:49:48I don't know.
00:50:01I don't know.
00:50:04I don't know.
00:50:15I don't know.
00:50:33I don't know.
00:50:44I don't know.
00:50:59I don't know.
00:51:11I don't know.
00:51:18I don't know.
00:51:22I don't know.
00:51:47I don't know.
00:51:48I don't know.
00:51:49I don't know.
00:51:53I don't know.
00:51:59I don't know.
00:52:05I don't know.
00:52:09I don't know.
00:52:12I don't know.
00:52:28I happen to find her here for a reason, but it's not blood lust it's just plain lust according
00:52:47ritual clawing at the ground is a display of strength and to show off his
00:52:55virility behold his crimson head crest
00:53:10finally the grand finale the song of the swamp king
00:53:34for a ferocious predator he's remarkably gifted
00:53:44but the future of her bloodline depends on her choice and he's just not gifted enough
00:54:00ensuring the continuation of their species is critical but far below the earth itself poses a
00:54:09threat to their very existence this time from the
00:54:29jurassic seas
00:54:38an alien world
00:54:42full of bizarre creatures
00:54:56the most dangerous of them all
00:55:00the pliosaurs
00:55:05the great sea monsters that rule the oceans
00:55:10they are one reason that dinosaurs have not entered this frontier
00:55:18but the real threat to the dinosaurs lies below
00:55:28methane
00:55:38this greenhouse gas was frozen under the seabed for millions of years
00:55:46but warming oceans are causing it to leach out
00:55:49with a devastating sound effect for the entire globe
00:56:01extreme heat
00:56:04extreme heat
00:56:07the endless forests that massospondilus once roamed are now a parched wasteland
00:56:22the plants he relied on for food are nearly all gone
00:56:32many of his kind have died from starvation
00:56:37and the rising temperatures have turned his home into a tender box
00:56:43stormwater
00:56:43and the
00:56:44the
00:56:44the
00:56:44the
00:56:44the
00:56:44the
00:56:57and
00:56:57I don't know.
00:57:27It's the final nail in the coffin for Massospundus.
00:57:38Their 17 million year existence brought to a tragic end.
00:58:03Eventually, other dinosaurs will rise to take their place.
00:58:12In that time, Earth's two continents will drift even further apart,
00:58:19creating a fragmented world with new lands for the dinosaurs to conquer.
00:58:43It's more than 20 million years since the fall of Massospundus,
00:58:48and here in the mountains of what will one day be China,
00:58:53the climate has cooled.
00:58:57Life has changed.
00:58:57Life is flourishing.
00:59:05And a revolution is taking place.
00:59:23Within these cold dawn forests, something is stirring.
00:59:45The Great Four-Legged Dinosaurs
00:59:48The Great Four-Legged Dinosaurs
01:00:00is a giant of the Jurassic.
01:00:19Nearly 40 million years after their ancestor, Fulcanodon, made its monumental rise,
01:00:26Mamingchisaurus is now so gigantic, they're just standing up as a mammoth task.
01:01:11They have the longest necks of any animal in history that can reach as high as a five-story building.
01:01:24And they're not the only giants that live in this forest.
01:01:28The trees are reaching ever greater heights as well, to avoid being completely consumed
01:01:34by these towering beasts.
01:01:41But there is a catch to being this tall.
01:01:45A 15-meter-long neck can only support a tiny head that houses a brain smaller than an apple.
01:02:14The evolutionary focus on size over smarts will help the sauropods become the most dominant
01:02:22herbivores of the Jurassic Age.
01:02:34But they are not the only ones in this forest who are moving up in the world.
01:02:49Ankyornis.
01:02:52Yes, he looks a bit like a chicken.
01:02:55And he is about the size of one.
01:02:58But he's nevertheless a dinosaur.
01:03:04A dinosaur with feathers.
01:03:08And newly evolved wings.
01:03:28Cynraptor.
01:03:33Another dinosaur.
01:03:34Cynraptor.
01:03:37Cynraptor.
01:03:37But one willing to hunt its own tiny cousin.
01:03:40Cynraptor.
01:03:54It's primitive wings are next to useless on the ground.
01:04:15But that doesn't mean he's confined to the ground.
01:04:47Up here, his wings aren't just for show.
01:05:03He's one of the first dinosaurs to be able to glide, and with such skill that he can even
01:05:16catch food midair.
01:05:22Flight will turn out to be one of the dinosaurs' greatest leaps forward.
01:05:35But Ankyonis is still just a beginner here.
01:05:45For the time being, this airspace belongs to the pterosaurs.
01:06:00The flying dinosaurs are outgunned in the skies for now.
01:06:08But in time, the pterosaurs will meet their match.
01:06:19As the planet continues to evolve, so do the dinosaurs.
01:06:28And as the end of the Jurassic draws nearer, their control over the land on both continents
01:06:37is only getting stronger.
01:06:46It's seven million years since Ankyonis took to the air.
01:06:56Here, in what will one day be North America, geothermal heat simmers at the surface.
01:07:06An echo of past extinctions.
01:07:18The sauropods here are larger than ever.
01:07:24Their strategy of bigger is better is paying off.
01:07:32But these dinosaurs are evolving on an altogether different track.
01:07:42Stegosaurus.
01:07:47A far cry from their tiny, cheek-stuffing ancestors.
01:07:54They are now as heavy as elephants,
01:07:57and equipped with armor, camouflage, and weapons.
01:08:04And here in the late Jurassic, they need the protection.
01:08:21Because there is danger in these dark forests.
01:08:31Allosaurus.
01:08:36Eight meters long, with dagger-like teeth,
01:08:39they are the most successful predators of their day.
01:08:48But this young male is not stalking.
01:08:52He's stealing.
01:08:59A female.
01:09:04Same species.
01:09:06But larger.
01:09:08Stronger.
01:09:09And battle scarred.
01:09:11It's just a lot of.
01:09:21That's impossible.
01:09:29You're one of those hunters.
01:09:30I can't stop.
01:09:30But this almost is a tercer person in a year.
01:09:30Grr, they are around.
01:09:32And I'm going to get caught.
01:09:33And I'm going to kill you by aYa woman.
01:09:33Moving away.
01:09:35That's a huge amount of damage.
01:09:37I'm not going to kill you.
01:09:45The young male is lucky she didn't kill him.
01:10:26The rainstorms have passed.
01:10:31The young male hasn't eaten in weeks.
01:10:39He has no choice but to try his luck on a herd of Stegosaurus.
01:10:54But he can't hide his approach when he's out in the open, which gives the herd time to
01:11:01prepare their defenses.
01:11:07They form a wall of moving bodies and spikes.
01:11:15It's intimidating and confusing for the young Allosaurus.
01:11:22He can't pick out which one to attack.
01:11:34But he's got other problems.
01:11:38The veteran female has just joined the game.
01:11:43And she's been playing this game for a lot longer than he has.
01:11:53She's able to isolate one of the herd.
01:12:00But Stegosaurus has evolved a perfect weapon.
01:12:04A mace-like tail with meter-long spikes called a thagomizer.
01:12:41And he's been playing this game for a long time.
01:12:59For the female, it's game over.
01:13:07For the young male, it's payback.
01:13:11And lunch.
01:13:14Because Allosaurus are cannibals.
01:13:27Fifty million years after surviving an apocalypse,
01:13:31the dinosaur's dominion over Earth is now absolute.
01:13:45But the world they've come to know is changing.
01:13:54Temperatures are dropping across the globe,
01:14:02bringing snow to the northern regions of the planet,
01:14:08something few dinosaurs have ever experienced.
01:14:18From these frozen lands, a new kind of dinosaur will rise.
01:14:30The Tyrannosaurs are coming.
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