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00:00The
00:04The
00:10The
00:14The
00:20The
00:24The
00:28Some things never change.
00:37A mother just tries to get a good night's sleep, but peace and quiet is hard to come
00:47by.
01:07A mother just tries to get a good night's sleep.
01:26Oh, oh, oh, oh.
01:56Over.
02:01Over.
02:20Over.
02:26Over.
02:50What was once a mother's nest is now part of this Portuguese cliff.
02:57This is the Laurinha fossil field.
03:00The setting for one of the most amazing discoveries of the dinosaur revolution.
03:04How do we know what dinosaurs lived with each other?
03:09Well, we do it by the most simple way you can imagine.
03:12We find what dinosaurs died with each other.
03:14We find fossil fields where we find the skeletons of different species that lived and wind up dying together.
03:22And the sites in Portugal are an example of that.
03:28Here, paleontologists have extracted a huge number of fossils from an incredible variety of creatures.
03:35It's opened a new window onto the ecosystem that existed 150 million years ago.
03:41We have very small carnivores, mid-sized carnivores and giant carnivores.
03:46We have little herbivores, mid-sized herbivores and truly giant herbivores.
03:51The diversity is amazing, but not only on bones.
03:55We have eggs, embryos, the baby dinosaurs.
03:59It's a good window to see into the Jurassic world.
04:02How did these creatures live?
04:05And why did they live here, together?
04:08There may be an answer.
04:25What is now Portugal was once a huge island, subject to periods of drought.
04:30Here, some of the largest creatures ever to walk on land are making a seasonal migration in search of food.
05:00The watering hole draws everyone together.
05:03The watering hole draws everyone together.
05:08Prey and predator.
05:10The allosaurus is the lion of the Jurassic, which would make this six-month-old a cub.
05:25And after a sleepless night, a tired mother just wants breakfast over with.
05:50The Amendант.
05:51You are the companion for the
06:13Let's go.
06:43Let's go.
07:13Let's go.
07:43Let's go.
08:13Maternal instinct only goes so far in the Jurassic.
08:16There is no reason for this Allosaurus mother to think her injured baby will survive.
08:40There are other young to protect, and another Jurassic night is coming.
08:48Let's go.
08:52Could an Allosaurus survive an injury?
09:04Could an Allosaurus survive an injury, like having his jawbone shattered?
09:20Yes.
09:23We have these new technologies that we're applying to dinosaurs.
09:27Previously, the only way to look inside a fossil was to break it open and actually physically look.
09:32Now we don't need to do that.
09:33In 1883, a fossil was discovered in the United States.
09:39It was so deteriorated, nobody even knew what species it was from.
09:44But recently, under scientific scrutiny, one mystery was solved.
09:49The fossil was the damaged jawbone of an Allosaurus.
09:54Further analysis revealed another surprise.
09:57The loss of teeth and the distortion of the jaw showed that the Allosaurus lived long enough for the wound to heal.
10:09Months, perhaps years, after it was wounded.
10:14At the Smithsonian Institute, we can see firsthand how this particular Allosaurus survived these traumatic injuries.
10:25The life of a dinosaur was hard, and for this particular individual, he had a really bad time.
10:31This is an Allosaurus, and if we look at the bones of this specimen, it shows the shoulder blade.
10:38It's damaged halfway up, the upper part's been tilted backwards, and new bone grew up in this mitten shape, coming out of there in the original position.
10:50There are a series of breaks lining up with this damaged shoulder blade.
10:54On top of that, the jaw of this individual was so mutilated and transformed that it took scientists over 100 years to recognize that it was actually the jaw of an Allosaurus.
11:05Because these wounds are all in one line, and a line that extends quite far, this had to be a long blow.
11:14Now, there is a possible cause from that from another dinosaur that lives in the same environment, and that is Diplodocus, or a similar long-tailed plant eater.
11:24These dinosaurs had whip-like tails that could be used to defend themselves, and a blow from one of these powerful tails would shatter bones all along the side of the predator, and that's exactly what we see.
11:37This Allosaurus attempted to go after one of these whip-tailed dinosaurs, and was smacked with a bone-crunching smash along its side, but it was able to live to feed because we see the we-healed bones.
11:54So, even though it was hurt, it was a tough dinosaur, and it managed to live for quite some time afterwards.
12:01How could a creature survive such a catastrophic injury?
12:06If you were an injured Allosaurus, one that can't hunt normally, what's going to be the best place to find food?
12:12Well, that place is going to be where everyone else gathers, and where they might not suspect you're looking at them.
12:18For example, the watering hole.
12:22Because you've got your meals coming to you, all animals have to drink, and so they come down to the water,
12:29and that provides lots of opportunities to, you know, maybe get a quick meal out of the situation.
12:38A watering hole is more than a refuge.
12:40It is a battleground, with winners, losers, and a wide range of other creatures caught in the middle.
12:50A young Allosaur has learned a terrible lesson.
12:54The balance of Jurassic power does not always favor the predator.
12:59Abandoned by his mother, he is now on his own.
13:02The Lorinha fossil field reveals a fantastic story of many different creatures congregating over many millennia
13:12in this one special place.
13:15The huge island of Portugal was home to an astonishing variety of unique creatures.
13:25All of whom would have been drawn to the watering hole.
13:28Everyone comes down here, from tiny flyers like Ramphorhynchus, to gigantic Lusititan.
13:37Predators side by side, whether it's tiny Ornitholestes, to giant Allosaurus, to tremendous Torvosaurus.
13:45And here, we can see the cycle of life, and ultimately, like for all living creatures, death.
13:54Sometimes, one survives by just learning how to watch and wait.
14:12A watering hole is the perfect place for an ambush predator like him.
14:26While he waits for a new dinner, the remains of his last meal serve as a special dish for another.
14:33It is a pterosaur, a bizarre flying cousin to the dinosaur.
14:50Ramphorhynchus normally prefers fish, but this one looks for extra treats in the jaws of a giant.
15:03Ramphorhynchus where the
15:30The Denirosaurs have arrived on their seasonal migration.
16:00An old enemy returns.
16:30The laws of the jungle have not changed in 150 million years.
16:51The young, the weak, the sick and the old are always the easiest pickings for a predator.
16:58The.
16:59The.
17:01The.
17:04The.
17:06The.
17:11The.
17:16Oh, my God.
17:46Oh, my God.
18:16Oh, my God.
18:23Denirosaurus can survive an injured tail, but no fight is over until it's over.
18:38Allosaurus may think he is king of his world.
18:47Allosaurus may think he is king of his world.
18:59But he's about to find out there's a new killer in town.
19:08No matter how strange the cast of Jurassic characters seem,
19:34they all share a need with every creature on Earth, water, and that brings them all together here.
19:43Finding a place where so many dinosaurs come together is amazing.
19:48Because from this spot, we can tie together so many stories, the life of giants and the life of small creatures.
19:56Each creature has their own place in the food chain and around the watering hole.
20:02So many of us have a chance to do this.
20:06First of all, we have to look at this.
20:09Let's see what happens.
20:12Let's go.
20:42Let's go.
20:50Occupying a mid-level link in the food chain, Ornitholestes is too small to compete with top-shelf
20:56predators like Gallosaurus.
21:04Coming up with inventive ways to survive.
21:14Climbing anything it could catch is one option.
21:41Climbing with two and a half inch claws is another.
21:45Climbing with two and a half inch claws is another.
21:52Climbing with two and a half inch claws is another.
21:58Climbing with two and a half inch claws is another.
22:07Climbing with two and a half inch claws is another.
22:14Let's go.
22:44Let's go.
23:14Let's go.
23:44Let's go.
24:14Let's go.
24:44Let's go.
25:14But it's bigger and it's heavier.
25:17Life's not going to be so good for an Allosaurus then.
25:20Suddenly, the Allosaurus is on the menu.
25:23A new day at the watering hole.
25:31A family of Miragaya stop by for a drink.
25:39As they are encrusted with defensive spikes, Allosaurus would just as soon leave them alone.
25:50Allosaurus would just as soon leave them alone.
25:54Let's go.
26:04Despite the threat of Predators, there is safety in number.
26:34The threat of Predators is a threat to the threat of Predators.
27:04Let's go.
27:34Let's go.
28:04This kind of behavior is called a threat display.
28:24Modern animals do it too.
28:25The goal is intimidation.
28:38At least in theory.
28:44But if the target is not threatened, options are limited.
29:03No!
29:04No!
29:05No!
29:06No!
29:07No!
29:08No!
29:09No!
29:10No!
29:11No!
29:12No!
29:13No!
29:14No!
29:15Oh, my God.
29:45Oh, my God.
30:15There's a new king of this hill.
30:26Allosaurus was a middleweight, weighing in between one and a half to two tons.
30:32Torvosaurus was a serious heavyweight, weighing in between three and three and a half tons.
30:39The odds were not in the Allosaurus' favor.
30:42But winning isn't always about size.
31:12To be continued...
31:19To be continued...
31:27It's a familiar scene.
31:52Predator and Prey.
31:59A noisy and brash approach ruins the kill.
32:06Torvosaurus has not learned the rules of the watering hole.
32:13He almost steps on a Miragaya baby.
32:20Big mistake.
32:26No!
32:27No!
32:28No!
32:29No!
32:30No!
32:31No!
32:32No!
32:33No!
32:34Steps on a mirror Gaia baby, big mistake.
33:04Help!
33:34Lord, no!
33:38Go!
33:43Fire!
33:45Fire!
33:52Fire!
33:55Fire!
33:59Fire!
34:01I don't know.
34:31A truce, however brief, keeps the peace for the moment.
34:43But on the horizon, some giant strangers are about to turn the watering hole upside down.
34:53Like today's Serengeti, Jurassic Portugal saw extremes of wet and dry.
34:59And when it gets dry, the watering hole turns into a pit of baked mud.
35:35Oh, shit.
36:05The Lucititan. Emphasis on Titan.
36:20At 30 tons and 60 feet tall, they dwarf even the giant Daenerosaurus.
36:35Time to move on.
37:05Instinct and necessity tell the Lucititans that food and water are just down the migration
37:19road. They will find it or die trying.
37:35No!
37:42No!
37:44No!
37:46No!
37:53No!
37:55No!
37:57No!
38:04No!
38:08A hard life as a predator has taught our Allosaurus a few key things.
38:25How to watch.
38:27How to kill.
38:34But mostly, how to wait.
38:45And wait.
38:50What happens now?
39:19Well, we know one thing.
39:30150 million years later, this watering hole will be a fossil field in Portugal.
39:39Since the days of the very first paleontologists, speculation and imagination played a really
39:45important role.
39:47After all, it took a bit of creative genius to look at fossils pulled up from the ground
39:53and say, these are the remains of a once living thing.
39:57And that spark, that insight, then allowed scientists to begin to compare these bones to other living
40:04animals.
40:05Fill in the gaps with new discoveries.
40:11Come up with new techniques and new methods to unravel the world of the dinosaurs.
40:16Some of these techniques can go beyond imagination into physical science.
40:22We've seen how the cycle of life in the Jurassic was also an arms race.
40:27Size, skill, and perhaps luck meant dominance for a predator.
40:33And the prey, too, had weapons at their disposal.
40:36At first glance, a lumbering sauropod was at a disadvantage.
40:43Her size isn't everything, but that is where their tail comes in.
40:48But certainly it would have been useful as a weapon one way or another.
40:52Whether they're attempting to whip it or simply club them over the head with it.
40:56Anything that's flexible and weighs a lot and can transfer kinetic energy to your enemy
41:00is going to come in handy in a pinch if you're being attacked.
41:03Although this may seem surprising, it is based on some revolutionary new science.
41:08Science which we tested.
41:13So we've created a little experiment, sort of a half-scale tail, and it's going to swing
41:18and hit a jawbone, and we're going to see just what kind of damage it could do.
41:22And three, two, one.
41:29That completely exceeded my expectations.
41:31My jaw was devastated.
41:34Even at this low speed, it was clocked to be at about 85 miles an hour.
41:39The tail just completely exploded it.
41:41At this speed, when the tail hits, it looks like a baseball bat hitting.
41:45The whole thing just kind of went, like, just like that.
41:48I'm curious if you crank this thing up, I'm really curious to see if that has affected
41:52at all.
41:54Okay, everybody, get on your plexi, set.
41:59In three, two, one.
42:01Nice.
42:02Nice.
42:04Significantly.
42:05Ho, ho, ho, ho.
42:06All right.
42:07Ho, ho, ho, ho.
42:08Let's play that back.
42:09You could really see the tail start to do the classic bullwhip action.
42:15It kind of curved and snapped out and then continued.
42:23And that transfer of energy just bam, right to the end of that tail.
42:27It only went 115 miles an hour, which is still a conservative estimate.
42:34This blowed up real good.
42:36We know much more now about dinosaurs than we knew yesterday.
42:41But it seems we can never know enough.
42:45When I grew up, dinosaurs were slow, dimwitted, not very exciting, dull-looking animals.
42:58And what that means is there are vistas that have yet to be even opened in the world of
43:06understanding dinosaurs.
43:09So the dinosaur renaissance is still exploding and our knowledge of dinosaurs and the details
43:14of what they actually look like will increase exponentially even in the next 10 to 20 years.
43:20of gonna get in.
43:37Now.
43:42Now.
43:45Here you,
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