It is the mid-Triassic period, an the sun is setting on the age of reptiles. Once the most dominant lifeform on the planet, reptiles are now represented by only a few species. But as the age of reptiles wanes, new animals are on the rise, and among them, the first members of a new dynasty: the dinosaurs.
A behind-the-scenes look at the science and technology behind the series.
It is the late Jurassic, and dinosaurs rule the land. At the height of this reign, sauropods are the dominate herbivore on Earth. We follow the life of one sauropod, a Diplodocus, from hatchling to sub-adult, and the challenges she faces in her world.
Dinosaurs may rule the land, but it's a different story in the oceans. Marine reptiles dominate the seas. A school of female Opthalmasaurus are moving into the reefs around the northern Tethys Sea to give birth. Once born, the young ichthyosaurs must dodge sharks, plesiosaurs like Cryptoclydus, and the monsterous pliosaur Liopleurodon, the largest carnivore ever.
Reptiles not only rule the seas, but the skies as well. This is the time of the pterosaurs, flying reptiles that dominate the Cretaceous skies. And at this point, none is as large as the massive Ornithocheirus, the largest pterosaur at the time. We follow the final days of one such Ornithocheirus as he makes his way to the mating grounds, soaring over the lands ruled by dinosaurs.
In the mid-Cretaceous, Australia, Antarctica, and South America are still connected in one super continent. This is a time when the South Pole is a huge polar forest, where for five months of the year, the sun never sets. The Antarctic forests are a land which time forgot, where allosaurs still prowl the forests and ancient amphibians still hunt along the river banks. We fellow a year in the life of a clan of small dinosaurs, Leaellynsaura, and their struggle to survive in this unique environment.
The year is 65.5 million BC, and the time is 11:59pm for the dinosaurs. Volcanic activity has begun to choke the land, and dinosaurs are suffering. Few eggs are hatching, poisoned by the toxins in the air. Dinosaurs are on the decline, while mammals are thriving. The pterosaurs are all but gone, replaced by birds, and a massive asteroid is on its final journey to Earth. In this world, the most infamous carnivore stalks the land, the mighty Tyrannosaurus.
This new, extra chapter of Walking with Dinosaurs focuses on an allosaurus later discovered in 1999 affectionately called "Big Al", who died as a late adolescent/early adult of six years of age. Narrated by Kenneth Branagh, who also narrated the original series.
This special details the science behind the episode "The Ballad Of Big Al", including recent discoveries concerning dinosaurs.
Zoologist and adventurer Nigel Marven travels back in time on a prehistoric safari to find some of the most spectacular animals ever to live. This time Nigel has traveled back 100 million years to Cretaceous South America, during the true time of the titans. Nigel is on the trail of the largest land animal ever to exist and manages to run into the biggest predator to ever stomp the land. Dodging giant, aggressive crocodiles, Nigel looks to capture the ultimate hunt.
Nigel searches the early Mongolia deserts and forests for Therizinosaurus, who has massive and very long claws. On his journey, Nigel dashes across a nesting ground of Protoceratops into a forest ruled by Velociraptor and then into the path of a Tarbosaurus. He also finds a Mononykus and discovers they have feathers. At a water hole he finds a pack of Velociraptor, hunting him. After he returns to the water hole (escaping the raptors using a fog horn) he sees a Therizinosaurus fend off a hungry Tarbosaurus with its formidable claws. Nigel then finds that Therizinosaurus is a herbivore that uses its sickle-claws to hook tree and bush branches towards its mouth. Time: 75 Million Years Ago Period: Late Cretaceous Place: Mongolia Dinosaurs encountered: * Saurolophus * Protoceratops * Velociraptor * Mononykus * Pterosaur * Tarbosaurus * Therizinosaurus
This is a story behind the bones. A documentary is based Big Al, the most complete allosaurus skeleton ever found discovered in Wyoming. Scientist paint an imaginative story of Big Al from birth to death. The creators are using same animation and computer software from the original series called "A Walking with Dinosaurs" which captivated audiences across the world.
See and feel what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, in a story where an underdog dino triumphs to become a hero for the ages.
