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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 2.
01:39The coast of the vast inland sea that almost splits North America in half.
01:58Here in the south, as the tide falls, giants are drawn to the shoreline.
02:17These Alamosaurs are 100 feet long and weigh some 80 tons.
02:39They are the largest dinosaurs on the continent.
02:51So huge that no predator can tackle them.
02:54Some live to a great age.
02:58Some live to a great age.
03:06This male is around 70 years old.
03:10Many in the herd are likely to be his offspring.
03:24But his long life is now coming to an end.
03:29His immense body is beginning to fail him.
03:41He may not survive the night.
04:07Dawn.
04:20And these Troodontids have picked up a scent.
04:32They're quick to investigate anything new.
04:37Especially if it might be worth eating.
04:44But biting through a three inch thick hide is beyond their power.
04:51Very frustrating.
05:07Hurray.
05:09Tyrannosaurus Rex.
05:10Tyrannosaurus Rex.
05:11North America's top predator.
05:13Wrex!
05:14Tyrannosaurus Rex.
05:16North Americas top predator.
05:21With his six inch long teeth, tearing through an Alamosausaur's tough skin is not a problem.
05:30How to rinse his teeth with an Alamosaur's tough skin?
05:35T-rex might be able to bully Troodontids, but a carcass as big as this soon attracts
06:01more formidable competition, a giant pterosaur, one of the few creatures that will challenge
06:27an adult tyrannosaur.
06:43One strike from its six foot long beak could easily cost T-rex an eye.
06:49Even so, it seems that he's not going to back down.
06:56But the arrival of a second Quetzalcoatlus changes the odds.
07:15After all, two beaks are deadlier than one.
07:22After all, two beaks are deadlier than one.
07:29Good luck.
07:36For T-Rex,
08:06This is now too dangerous
08:14Some fights just aren't worth the risk
08:19For now the flying giants have won
08:27They quickly eat all they can
08:29But T-Rex will almost certainly be back to claim his share
08:40Once his flying rivals leave
08:55In the waters that surround North America
08:57There are other giant predators
09:02But they have no rivals
09:09Mosasaurs
09:16They may look like huge sharks
09:18But they are in fact a kind of aquatic lizard
09:28Size, speed and powerful jaws
09:31Mean that very few creatures in the ocean are safe
09:34From these hunters
09:41In the Gulf of Mexico
09:43This globidensmosasaur
09:45Is searching for one particular kind of prey
09:48Tiger Ammonites
09:59Sphenodiscus
10:03Every year huge shoals of females come up from deep water
10:07And travel towards the coast
10:08They have all recently mated
10:10And each is now carrying hundreds of fertilized eggs
10:14They have all recently mated
10:16And each is now carrying hundreds of fertilized eggs
10:19They have the very sea-sized eggs
10:22They have all the terrifying teeth
10:25They have all been preserved
10:27The egg must be laid in the shallows
10:29To find out the thing on the ice
10:31The egg must be laid in the shallows
10:33The egg must be laid in the shallows
10:35The egg must be laid in the shallows
10:36And that is where the Mosasaur is waiting.
10:55Tiger Ammonites are themselves hunters.
10:58The combination of a streamlined profile and a powerful siphon
11:03enables them to shoot through the water at great speed.
11:16But so can the Mosasaur.
11:33Clopidens has broad, rounded teeth
11:36that easily crack the Ammonite's shell,
11:39releasing the air that keeps them buoyant.
11:43Without it, they sink helplessly to the seabed.
11:55Before the Ammonites can escape,
11:57the Mosasaur disables as many as it can.
12:31Finally, time to tuck in.
12:57Globidens may have killed dozens.
13:01But even this makes only a small impact on the overall numbers of Ammonites.
13:14Most of the shoal have survived and continue on their journey to their spawning grounds.
13:18The rocky seabed here has many cracks and crevices.
13:46Ideal places for attaching the Ammonites' precious egg sacs.
13:52The females then abandon them.
13:59But safe in this coastal nursery, these eggs will produce the next generation.
14:11These coastal seas are full of life.
14:25Yet on land, and only a few hundred miles away, there is desolation.
14:37Here, powerful movements deep in the Earth's crust are beginning to raise the Rocky Mountains.
14:52The immense changes in the landscape have cut off this lake from nearby rivers.
14:57Its waters evaporate in the strong winds and intense summer sun.
15:06And the minerals that are dissolved in it are beginning to reach toxic levels.
15:18For most, this water is simply too poisonous to drink.
15:23Even so, every year this place is visited by all kinds of animals.
15:38Flocks of Stygianeta, a primitive relative of ducks, stop here on their travels.
15:51And they're not alone.
15:56Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:01Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:11A family of Pettinodon.
16:13They're feathered, but flightless.
16:16Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:21Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:24Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:26Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:28Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:29Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:30Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:31Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:32Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:33Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:34Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:35Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:36Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:37Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:38Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:39Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:40Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:41Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:42Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:43Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:44Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:45Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:46Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:47Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:48Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:49Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:50Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:51Dinosaurs are here, too.
16:52Flies.
17:03The larvae of these insects are able to filter out the lake's toxic salts,
17:08and as a consequence, they thrive in immense numbers.
17:14Now they're hatching into adults.
17:18In their millions.
17:22They are a rich and abundant source of protein for all the lake's visitors.
17:48Pectinodon are particularly intelligent dinosaurs.
17:51It doesn't take them long to work out the best way to collect flies.
17:57To collect flies.
18:04But their father has his eyes on a bigger prize.
18:14Pectinodon are not only intelligent, they're also very skillful hunters.
18:24Pectinodon are not only intelligent, they're also very skillful hunters.
18:34Pectinodon are not only intelligent, they're also very skillful hunters.
18:44Pectinodon.
18:54Pectinodon.
18:56Pectinodon.
18:58Pectinodon.
19:03Pectinodon.
19:07Let's go.
19:37A rather more substantial meal for the family.
19:41And just as well,
19:44the flies will only be here for so long.
19:50And the dinosaur family will be forced to find food elsewhere.
19:54Further north, the Rocky Mountains are still slowly rising.
20:07And as they do, they create higher, cooler landscapes
20:12where vast pine forests flourish.
20:15As spring arrives, strange calls echo through the trees.
20:30The mating season has arrived
20:32for one of North America's most heavily armed dinosaurs.
20:36Triceratops.
20:52Every year, large numbers of these giants gather in clear rooms.
21:06The females have come to choose a mate.
21:09Whatever.
21:14The six-ton males fight and display their strength.
21:31This young male looks to be in prime condition.
21:37Showing off his spectacular meet-along horns.
21:43And his colorful head thrill.
21:51His horns appear perfect.
21:53Not yet damaged by battle.
21:58To a female, however,
22:00the absence of any wear and tear might suggest
22:03a potentially critical weakness.
22:09A lack of experience.
22:18These gatherings are crucial events in the lives of Triceratops.
22:22They provide the best chance in the whole year
22:27for the adults to become parents.
22:33And young hopefuls are not the only ones here.
22:35A 30-year-old male weighing more than 10 tons.
22:49If there's one thing that he has in spades,
22:51it's decades of wear and tear.
22:52A 30-year-old male weighing more than 10 tons.
22:56If there's one thing that he has in spades,
22:58it's decades of wear and tear.
23:03of wear and tear he may be old but he's still strong enough to challenge a young
23:14rival however fit the stakes are high and neither is willing to back down
23:44the veteran has a four-ton weight advantage
24:12and the skill to make it count
24:14the youngster's horns are no longer perfect
24:23so
24:31the old bulls fighting powers certainly seems to have impressed this female
24:40the old bulls fighting powers certainly seems to have impressed this female
24:46the old bulls fighting powers certainly seems to have impressed this female
25:00for the loser the mating season is over
25:15however his newly won battle scars might be just enough to attract a female next time the herds gather here to make
25:29for plant eating dinosaurs like triceratops the vast forests that cover much of north america offer plenty to eat all year round
25:44but for those that live in the cold far north of the americas food is much harder to come by
25:54here within the arctic circle for three months of the year the sun barely rises
26:02when its warmth finally returns after the long winter
26:11but feathered ornithomimus are quick to take advantage
26:19ornithomimus are quick to take advantage
26:25these fleet-footed travelers are among the fastest runners of all dinosaurs
26:34capable of covering vast distances in search of fresh vegetation
26:38they're so fast that they're very difficult for predators to catch
26:56after a tough winter this female nanook saw needs to make a kill soon
27:08a smaller relative of t-rex but more agile and critically faster
27:18there is nowhere to hide so a surprise attack is impossible
27:30instead she resorts to creating panic
27:38she needs to pick out a single target
27:58and stick with it
28:08the ornithomimus burst through speed just give them the edge
28:23each failed hunt uses up more precious energy
28:31bringing her ever closer to starvation
28:38it may be spring but this far north
28:43freezing winds can quickly cause temperatures to fall
28:55it may be spring but this far north freezing winds can quickly cause temperatures to fall
29:01it may be spring but there is no more
29:15flurries of snow and a rocky outcrop could give the nanooksor a second chance
29:21Now, she's harder to spot.
29:36Every inch forward brings her closer to success.
29:51She selects her target.
30:20She's more insane.
30:30She's more insane.
30:44This prize is not only for her.
31:14She is a mother.
31:29Fresh meat for her youngsters, perhaps the first for many weeks.
31:44If her babies are to thrive, she will have to repeat today's success over and over again.
31:58Until her young are old enough to join her in the hunt and eventually fend for themselves.
32:11Here, in this remote and perhaps most challenging frontier of the North American continent, 66 million years ago.
32:22This is one of the most dramatic skulls from our prehistoric planet.
32:49It belonged to a plant-eating dinosaur called Triceratops.
33:00This dinosaur is instantly recognizable from the massive frill at the back of its head.
33:07But 140 years after the first fossil was found, scientists are still asking, what was the fill for?
33:20These are enormous structures, so it's an enormous investment in bone and in tissue, and also in the muscular effort to hold these structures up.
33:30All of this investment must mean that these features are very important to the animal's way of life.
33:35But how?
33:36Evidence of injury on Triceratops fossils suggests that the fills were important in defense and combat.
33:50We can see lesions on the skull, which are areas where the skull has been damaged and healed.
33:57We can also see where a predator has taken a chunk out of a frill.
34:02That might indicate that we're looking at some sort of defensive structure.
34:11But the story doesn't end there.
34:16Another possibility is that the fleur was used to attract prospective mates.
34:22We see this in living animals, where structures like horns show off how healthy they are and who's a good prospect for producing lots of young.
34:37For a moose, having large antlers makes the male more attractive, vital when it reaches sexual maturity.
34:45Could the same apply to their triceratopsis frill?
34:54If it was only for defense, then we would expect to see them develop to the same degree in juveniles as in adults, but we don't.
35:03We see them being much smaller in the juveniles and not really developing into the very, very large structures of the adults until much later.
35:10This isn't the only evidence that they were used in sexual display.
35:17The surfaces of the frills are very heavily grooved.
35:21These grooves probably carried nerves and blood vessels that would have supplied the skin growing over those frills.
35:28This may have been very brightly colored, a big surface area for the animal to show off to potential mates.
35:34Scientists now believe that the triceratopsis' best known feature was truly multipurpose.
35:52Very useful for attack and defense.
35:54But also ideal for attracting a mate.
36:09It would have been an awe-inspiring sight to friend or foe.
36:24We are the one of the ones that we love.
36:27What are the other things that we love about today?
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36:29We love our community, and if you are not really curious, please be sure,
36:31for those and many of us who are not really interested in the community.
36:35We are now in the community, believing that it is.
36:36We are very grateful for theological consciousness.
36:40We've been in our community, and there are free of the community.
36:42We've been in our community.
36:45We are absolutely thankful for this and the community.
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