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00:00Dinosaurs ruled the planet for over 150 million years.
00:15They occupied almost every corner of the globe
00:19and came in almost every shape and size imaginable.
00:24Some were truly extraordinary.
00:30We now know that T-Rex was a powerful swimmer.
00:36Velociraptors were cunning feathered hunters.
00:41And that some dinosaurs had the most bizarre behavior.
00:48But new discoveries are being made almost every day
00:52that tell us more about life on this planet 66 million years ago.
01:00This time on Prehistoric Planet we reveal new animals
01:08and new insight into their quest to find a partner.
01:14The challenges faced by raising a family.
01:18And their titanic battles.
01:29Journey to a time when nature put on its greatest show.
01:33This is Prehistoric Planet Number Two.
01:39This is the largest expanse of lava to flood the Earth for 100 million years.
01:58The Deccan in Central India.
02:12A hellish place.
02:15And certainly not where you would expect to find dinosaurs.
02:19And yet giants risk their lives travelling here.
02:35Isisaws.
02:37And all are females.
02:55Lava has been flowing in the Deccan for so long that in places it is a mile thick.
03:02Every spring females leave the safety of their forest home.
03:21To make a perilous journey into these badlands.
03:25They can pick a safe route through cooled hardened lava.
03:48But there are other dangers here.
03:55In addition to the steam, a deadly mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide spews from volcanic vents.
04:10In the cool pre-dawn air, these heavy gases sink to create a barely visible suffocating blanket.
04:22Just a few lungfuls can kill.
04:31But Isisaws have one crucial advantage.
04:35Their long necks can keep their heads above this blanket of poisonous fumes.
04:42But ahead lies a place where this will be hard to do.
04:59They're entering a low-lying area where the deadly gases are particularly thick.
05:12And for these females, something is already wrong.
05:20And worse, as the sun rises and warms the air, the gases swirl even higher.
05:32Long necks can no longer protect the herd.
05:38Long necks can no longer protect the herd.
05:46They must escape to higher ground.
05:49And quickly.
05:50They must escape to higher ground.
05:53And quickly.
05:57The climb is steep, but should bring fresher air.
06:01Relief at last.
06:19And ahead, their final destination.
06:26A volcanic island in the sky.
06:29Rising high above these treacherous badlands.
06:34The huge crater, a caldera, provides a safe communal nesting ground.
06:56The surrounding sea of poisonous gases helps to keep predators away.
07:03And the inbuilt geothermal heating makes it an ideal incubator.
07:11Each mother digs a seven-foot trench in the warm sand to hold over twenty melon-sized eggs.
07:36The eggs are safe in the caldera for now, but this is just the beginning of their story.
07:51In a few months, hundreds of tiny babies will hatch to face this desolate world.
07:58If any are to survive, they'll need a perfectly timed change in conditions.
08:07The badlands of the prehistoric planet tests even dinosaurs to their limits.
08:12The badlands of the prehistoric planet tests even dinosaurs to their limits.
08:16This strange landscape, carved by scouring winds and vast ancient rivers, might appear empty of life.
08:19This strange landscape, carved by scouring winds and vast ancient rivers, might appear empty of life.
08:23This strange landscape, carved by scouring winds and vast ancient rivers, might appear empty of life.
08:32This strange landscape, carved by scouring winds and vast ancient rivers, might appear empty of life.
08:42But here in Asia, hidden in these narrow canyons, is a new family of velociraptors.
09:05The young are just a few weeks old.
09:17It might seem that in such a barren place, there will be your best.
09:44It might seem that in such a barren place, they face an uncertain future.
09:51Their survival relies on a strange event, not here, but miles from their home.
10:03Across the baking desert lies a forest, trapped in a sea of sand.
10:09A change in the seasons brings rare water to this region.
10:19Huge stands of poplar trees mark its arrival with a flush of nutritious leaves.
10:28A magnet that draws many hungry animals.
10:31Long-necked neumectosaurs are joined by Mongolian titanosaurs.
10:55And with them, much smaller pranosephaly.
11:01But one thing stands in their way.
11:13This immense plateau.
11:22And the only way to reach the forest is through this maze of canyons.
11:31It's a good place for an ambush.
11:37As they enter, the herd becomes nervous.
11:46It's a good place for an ambush.
11:49The velociraptors are waiting.
12:10But they can't possibly tackle a titanosaur.
12:13It's not important for a target to take a while.
12:16Success will depend instead on other hunters on the prowl.
12:31It will depend instead on other hunters on the prowl.
12:33Oh, my God.
13:04Tarbosaurs.
13:11Asia's version of Tyrannosaurus rex.
13:23As the predators approach, panic spreads.
13:33Only the Pranocephaly can escape to higher ground.
13:50And this is what the velociraptors have waited for.
14:00Now the velociraptors can finally spring their ambush.
14:14At last.
14:23Working together, they have secured a meal for the whole family.
14:31The Tarboshaws have also had success.
14:41For predators, it's actually a time of plenty.
14:47And for the velociraptors, the perfect time to start a family.
14:57Having clever, caring parents can give youngsters an excellent start.
15:17And here in the Badlands of Asia, there are few more dedicated dinosaur parents than these.
15:26A colony of nesting corithoraptors.
15:31A few days ago, females laid eggs on these circular mounds.
15:46But the job of brooding them falls to the males.
15:54And that is not easy.
15:59Exposed to the midday sun, the eggs would soon cook.
16:18But the fathers used their broad tail and fallen feathers to keep the nest shaded.
16:36And pay a heavy price.
16:40Enduring hour after hour in the searing heat.
16:48The
16:59The
17:02The
17:06The
17:08The
17:09The
17:12The
17:13The
17:14At last, in the cool of the evening, the males can step away in search of food.
17:29This is when nesting in a colony brings benefits.
17:37Instead of all leaving at once, the Corythoraptors take turns.
17:45So there's always a neighbor keeping an eye out for danger.
17:52But even this neighborhood watch can't guarantee their safety.
17:57A female Kurukula, a relative of Velociraptors.
18:05She is extremely hungry, but wary of the Corythoraptor's powerful beaks and claws.
18:12A female Kurukula, a relative of Velociraptors.
18:18She is extremely hungry, but wary of the Corythoraptor's powerful beaks and claws.
18:25But she has one key advantage.
18:33Her night vision is better than that of the owners of the nests.
18:39Better than that of the owners of the nests.
18:50If she's quiet, she can sneak into the colony undetected.
18:55She picks her target carefully.
18:58She picks her target carefully.
19:17This is her chance.
19:19But not to attack.
19:29This predator is also a thief.
19:33A thief.
20:03She will eat as many eggs as fast as she can.
20:18Time's up.
20:20She's been discovered.
20:23One last egg to take away.
20:25She now has a chance to enjoy her stolen egg in peace.
20:53But this thief shares her spoils.
21:04With these purring sounds, she calls her young.
21:09Her chicks are not long out of the nest themselves.
21:26They need to learn that this strange new object is food.
21:43And discover how to break into it.
21:47Maybe their beak.
21:57Or perhaps a claw.
22:00Perhaps a claw.
22:21Success.
22:22Perhaps more by luck than skill.
22:29But still a vital lesson for this next generation of egg thieves.
22:34egg thieves.
22:44In the Badlands, the relief of cooler nights is all too soon followed by the return of the intense heat of the sun's rays.
22:53The temperature on the surface of the sand can soar to over 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
23:05Any water here soaks away or evaporates in seconds.
23:11This is one of the driest places on Earth.
23:14This is one of the driest places on Earth.
23:18Without water, no animal can survive.
23:33Yet this is home to these young Tarchia.
23:39They are desert living ankylosaurs.
23:59Heavily armored with huge clubbed tails.
24:03Dark patches protect the Tarchia's eyes from the glaring sun.
24:22And this is the sound of Tarchia's very own air conditioning system.
24:28Their large nose cools the air as it leaves the body, condensing and so conserving valuable water with every breath.
24:43It allows them to survive long periods without drinking as they search for a meal.
24:50The high temperatures here create scouring winds, which carve the rocks into extraordinary shapes.
25:05But they also strip the ground of soil.
25:12Some plants, however, manage to take root in cracks between the rocks.
25:17Any meagre mouthful is worth competing for.
25:24Any meagre mouthful is worth competing for.
25:27Any-
25:39Any meagre mouthful, with every minute the sun climbs higher.
25:43Contrast Hmong-
25:56Welcome a drink. Sometimes.
26:05Like many nomads, the Tartia have a mental map of the desert
26:10and can travel across empty landscapes with unerring accuracy.
26:15They remember the rare places where there are natural springs.
26:31Desert oases like this one.
26:38A lifesaver for animals that can find them.
26:45Prenocephaly.
26:49Prenocephaly.
26:51Tensions often run high around an oasis.
26:55Tensions often run high around an oasis.
26:58But a display of strength can prevent a dangerous battle.
27:04Tensions often run high around an oasis.
27:07Tensions often run high around an oasis.
27:17Tensions often run high around an oasis.
27:24But a display of strength can prevent a dangerous battle.
27:29At the end.
27:38In the end, the Pronocephaly are little more than annoying.
27:45T conect ten and less.
27:51Especially one, almost twice the youngster's weight.
28:13It wields a club weighing almost 50 pounds.
28:21If this comes to a fight, the Juvenile can't win.
28:46But reinforcements are on the way.
28:51The pair are reunited.
28:59Now, there are twice as many swinging clubs for the adult to deal with.
29:07He decides that perhaps there is enough water here for everyone to share.
29:25The young Tarcher can finally drink in peace.
29:43But they may not be able to enjoy their rest for long.
29:55In Badlands, conditions can change with astonishing speed.
30:09Rising summer temperatures fuel electric storms hundreds of miles wide.
30:22Here in the Deccan, these seasonal storms cause a shift in the wind direction.
30:32And around the caldera, where the isosaur females laid their eggs months ago,
30:38the poisonous gases have now blown away, providing a critical window of opportunity.
30:46There are strange sounds coming from beneath the sand.
31:02Baby isosaurs are calling to each other from inside their eggs.
31:06It helps to synchronize their hatching.
31:12There are strange sounds in the air.
31:14The birds are showing that there are many vessels.
31:15All kinds of crystals are becoming more vulcanous.
31:16All kinds of crystals the rivers are the realms of water.
31:18The birds are going to each other as an island.
31:22Which means that they can't .
31:23No one is hacerlo.
31:24What do you mean?
31:25Not this, but...
31:26The birds are also looking for blue.
31:27And they can have a gorgeous blue.
31:28What do you mean?
31:29If they don't make a beautiful figure out here,
31:30then they can't even look for what islington?
31:31The babies are relatively tiny, less than a foot long.
32:01There's nothing to eat, except their mother's dung.
32:08Surprisingly, it's very nutritious, and important to the hatchlings in other ways, too.
32:20It introduces healthy bacteria into their guts, and it also contains pheromones that,
32:27like smells, will enable them to find their mother's herd.
32:35It will lead them to the safety of the forest.
32:43But the journey isn't easy.
33:00The winds may have changed in their favor, but many dangers lie ahead for the young isosaurs.
33:09Hot springs, and bubbling pools of liquid mud, a deadly trap.
33:39After two days of trekking, the babies' reserves are running low, but their mothers have come
34:06to the rescue again.
34:10Small plants have taken root in the cracked lava, sprouting from seeds dropped in the mother's dung.
34:18But a new danger is heading their way.
34:31Now the wind has cleared the toxic gases, the door opens for predators.
34:39A rajasaur.
34:48With so many babies out in the open, this could be a feast.
34:53A rajasaur.
35:13Cracks in the lava are the only possible hiding place.
35:17podcasting of the Maintenance
35:19ebbs
35:23Ayub
35:29BAM
35:32BAM
35:33BAM
35:34BAM
35:37BAM
35:38BAM
35:40BAM
35:41BAM
35:42BAM
35:44More Raja souls arrive.
36:14More Raja souls arrive.
36:44More Raja souls arrive.
37:13More Raja souls arrive.
37:20More Raja souls arrive.
37:26Despite the dangers, hundreds of babies succeed in reaching the forest.
37:31Here they will live together, hidden in the undergrowth, for several years.
37:39Until finally, they are big enough to join their mother's herds.
37:49With luck, the females among them will return to this crater in years to come to lay eggs of their own.
38:07Like many animals that live in such inhospitable places, the risks will be high.
38:17But there are also great opportunities in the badlands of the prehistoric planet.
38:28This is the fossilized egg of a giant dinosaur, a titanosaur.
38:36When freshly laid, it would have weighed around a kilo and a half, and its shell is about two millimeters thick.
38:57While the eggs certainly were tough, they still needed to be kept safe and warm.
39:11So, how did dinosaurs take care of their eggs?
39:18In order to protect their eggs from predators and to keep their eggs warm, dinosaurs evolved a list of strategies.
39:24One of these strategies was to build a nest and then to actually sit on top of the nest.
39:29We know certain dinosaurs did this because we actually have fossils of dinosaurs sat on top of nests.
39:39Eggs found in these nests contain tiny babies of the same species as the adults, providing the first evidence that some dinosaurs looked after their young.
39:54But although this offered protection and shelter from the elements, there was a downside to incubating eggs in this way.
40:05Having to sit on an egg and actually look after it means that you are committed to the care of that egg for the entire duration of their development up until the point of hatching.
40:17For some dinosaurs, it was a commitment worth making.
40:22But others, like sauropods, faced a different challenge.
40:29It's likely that some dinosaurs never sat on their eggs.
40:33After all, many of these animals weighed tons and tons and would simply have crushed them before they had any chance of hatching.
40:39So, what was their solution?
40:45There are some sauropod egg clutches where the female excavated a long trench with her back feet.
40:58She then backfilled the trench once she had laid all the eggs.
41:03This behaviour can be seen today.
41:06Turtles bury their eggs to protect them from predators.
41:11And the sun-warmed sand keeps them at the ideal temperature.
41:18But some dinosaurs had another trick to keep their eggs warm.
41:22We think some dinosaur groups deliberately collected and piled up rotting vegetation.
41:30They basically formed a compost heap on top of their egg-filled nests.
41:37Bush turkeys in Australia use this remarkable technique.
41:41As the vegetation breaks down, it releases enough heat to incubate their eggs for around seven weeks.
41:52But it was a discovery in 2010 that revealed that some dinosaurs had an even more unusual way of keeping their eggs warm.
42:03They used heat from the earth itself.
42:06In one particular site in Argentina that's had lots of sauropod egg discoveries, it's right next door to some geothermal springs.
42:16We're thinking the sauropods were using that volcanic activity to help keep its eggs warm.
42:23Another location, the Deccan region of India, one of the most volcanic areas during the late Cretaceous,
42:30provides more evidence.
42:34There are many, many layers of lava.
42:37Then in between the lava flows, we find dinosaur eggs.
42:45Dinosaurs were coming to this location even when it was highly active volcanically,
42:50using it as a nesting site for literally centuries.
43:00Dinosaurs had many ways to ensure their eggs would hatch.
43:06But we can be certain of one thing.
43:11Their methods worked very effectively,
43:14helping them to rule the world for over 150 million years.
43:30So I was like, I don't know.
43:32I don't know, but I don't know the size of the world.
43:33I don't know the size of the world for it, but I couldn't be able to climb to any of this.
43:35So I didn't have any idea that the hunter came in early in a while.
43:36I didn't take advantage of it.
43:37We are looking for her when the wandering cat or theé•·
43:56are about to come out again.
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