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[thunder rumbling]
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[intriguing music playing]
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[Morgan Freeman] Since life first emerged
on planet Earth,
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00:00:19,269 --> 00:00:21,980
it has never stopped evolving...
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driven by an ever-changing world...
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and by intense competition.
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But there was one remarkable era
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when evolution went into overdrive...
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giving us many of the animals
we still have today...
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and the iconic giants
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that once ruled over them.
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[bleating, snorting]
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This is the story of the age of dinosaurs.
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[music intensifies]
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{\an8}[music ends]
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{\an8}[rousing music playing]
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[snarling]
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{\an8}[trilling]
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{\an8}[screeching]
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{\an8}[rousing music continues]
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[growling]
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[wind howling]
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{\an8}[rumbling]
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[rousing music intensifies]
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[music fades]
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{\an8}[ominous music playing]
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{\an8}It's the dawn of the Jurassic period.
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{\an8}Pangaea, the supercontinent
that witnessed the age of reptiles,
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is slowly tearing itself apart.
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Shifting tectonic plates...
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force rivers of magma to the surface...
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beginning the total transformation
of the planet.
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Over millions of years,
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a molten fissure
slices the giant landmass in two.
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Water fills the rift
between the newly formed continents.
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As they grow further and further apart,
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brand-new environments are created...
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causing the extinction of many...
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but turbocharging evolution
for the survivors...
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and one group of animals in particular.
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[insects chirping]
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{\an8}Deep in the towering forests
of Jurassic North America...
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{\an8}[animals bellowing]
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...the biggest animals
to ever walk the Earth are on the rise.
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[low growling]
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Dinosaurs.
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[snorting]
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[gentle music playing]
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In the breakup of Pangaea,
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they've found themselves
in a world of plenty.
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[roaring]
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[snorting]
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Some, like Diplodocus,
have grown to become 25 meters long.
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[calling]
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But even at their size,
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they can never let down their guard...
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[branches snapping]
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[thunder crackling]
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[grunting]
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...for they aren't the only giants
of the Jurassic.
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[snorting]
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[thunder crackling]
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[tense ambient music playing]
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[growls softly]
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[ominous music playing]
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Allosaurus.
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[snarling]
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Nearly nine meters long...
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it's one of the largest predators on land
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in these early days
of the dinosaurs' reign.
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[grunting]
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It probes for opportunity.
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[Allosaurus hisses]
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[Diplodocus grunting]
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[snarling]
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But it's not the adults it's after.
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[snarling]
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This Allosaurus is looking
for much easier prey.
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A baby Diplodocus.
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[mewling]
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Hatched from an egg
no bigger than a grapefruit,
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she's too small to live among the herd
where she might be trampled.
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Instead, she must fend for herself.
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- [soft thud]
- [rustling]
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[snorting]
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The Allosaurus
will make quick work of the baby...
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if it can find her.
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[snorting, snarling]
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The youngster's best hope...
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is to stay as still as possible.
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[ominous music intensifies]
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The Allosaurus has keen senses...
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[snarling, snorting]
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...but the storm is masking any clues
to the baby's location.
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[snarling]
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[sniffs]
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[growling]
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[grunting]
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A very close call...
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and not just for one young Diplodocus.
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[thunder rumbling]
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[calling softly]
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[gentle music playing]
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To boost their chances of survival,
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these youngsters must eat
as much as they can
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as fast as possible...
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[uplifting music playing]
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...so they can grow into giant-sized adults.
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But just as these huge dinosaurs
were devouring the plants around them,
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the plants themselves were changing...
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[music ends]
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...in ways that would revolutionize
life on Earth.
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[birds squawking]
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Once upon a time, plants relied solely
on wind or water to spread their pollen...
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but in the age of dinosaurs,
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an innovation in plant reproduction arose...
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that is still very much with us today.
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[elegant music playing]
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The flower.
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At 40 centimeters across,
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this one belongs to a giant water lily
in South America's Amazon rainforest...
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and its sole purpose
is to attract an animal to pollinate it.
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As evening approaches, the flower produces
a powerful pineapple-like scent...
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irresistible to this beetle.
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[music fades]
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[ethereal music playing]
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Much like his ancient ancestors,
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the bewitched beetle
can't help but be enticed inside.
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He squeezes through the outer petals,
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into the heart of the flower,
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where paradise awaits.
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Inside, it's a balmy ten degrees warmer
than the surrounding night air.
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Here, it happily feasts
on the flower's succulent flesh.
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But the beetle also offers
something in return.
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Pollen picked up
from another giant water lily.
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As it feeds, the pollen rubs off
onto the flower's reproductive parts.
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When dawn arrives,
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the flower closes...
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enveloping the beetle
in its velvety petals...
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and covering it in its own sticky pollen.
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At dusk, the flower opens once more.
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[elegant music playing]
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Having served its purpose
in helping the plant to reproduce,
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it changes color
and loses its alluring scent...
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[music continues]
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allowing the beetle,
now covered in this flower's pollen,
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to fly off
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and unwittingly pollinate
another giant water lily.
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[birds tweeting]
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00:14:24,029 --> 00:14:28,742
But the relationship between flowers
and their beetle pollinators
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was just the beginning.
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Other insects in the dinosaur era
soon got in on the action...
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taking pollen from flower to flower...
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00:14:50,931 --> 00:14:53,976
in return for their sweet liquid nectar.
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[ethereal music playing]
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00:15:06,947 --> 00:15:09,366
By 130 million years ago...
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flowers were becoming more vivid,
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vibrant,
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and varied,
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as they competed to attract
the very best pollinators.
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As they spread...
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[buzzing]
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...the land turned from an endless green...
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to a kaleidoscope of different colors.
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Today, there are ten times
more flowering plants
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than all other plant species combined.
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- [music ends]
- [insects chirping]
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However, as the world blossomed,
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other creatures began to exploit
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the relationship
between flower and insect...
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- [ominous music playing]
- [buzzing]
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...spawning a surge
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in the variety of predator and prey.
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Spiders had been around
for over 100 million years...
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00:16:58,976 --> 00:17:04,189
but now started spinning their silk
into complex webs...
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taking advantage of this new wave of life.
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[serene music playing]
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00:17:27,129 --> 00:17:29,673
By the middle of the dinosaurs' reign...
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there was such an explosion
in biodiversity...
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00:17:37,181 --> 00:17:40,225
fueled by the arrival of flowering plants...
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00:17:42,686 --> 00:17:45,898
that, for the very first time
in Earth's history,
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there were more species on land
than in the oceans.
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00:17:52,529 --> 00:17:54,531
[serene music continues]
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00:18:04,875 --> 00:18:06,877
[music fades]
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[whooshing]
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00:18:21,809 --> 00:18:25,729
But it wasn't just the smaller creatures
that were changing
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in new and radical ways.
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This is Deinonychus.
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[croaking]
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Despite its endearing appearance,
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it's a dinosaur.
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[chattering]
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A baby dinosaur.
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"Deinonychus" translates
as "terrible claw."
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But that's not his only strength.
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[distant call]
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00:19:03,684 --> 00:19:05,769
He's also got keen vision
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00:19:07,521 --> 00:19:09,231
and excellent hearing.
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00:19:09,857 --> 00:19:11,316
[distant call]
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00:19:13,318 --> 00:19:14,444
[distant call]
201
00:19:14,528 --> 00:19:15,612
[squawking]
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00:19:17,114 --> 00:19:22,077
But his most eye-catching adaptation
is his feathers.
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[croaks]
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00:19:24,454 --> 00:19:28,959
Simple feather-like structures
first appeared back in the Triassic.
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00:19:30,043 --> 00:19:33,046
Not for flight but for warmth.
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00:19:34,464 --> 00:19:35,674
[snores]
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00:19:35,757 --> 00:19:38,510
[juvenile croaks]
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00:19:39,386 --> 00:19:41,096
Being able to stay warm
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00:19:41,180 --> 00:19:45,184
means this branch of dinosaurs,
the theropods,
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00:19:45,267 --> 00:19:47,561
can be active day and night...
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00:19:50,564 --> 00:19:55,402
giving them more time to raise their young
as part of a family.
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00:19:56,069 --> 00:19:57,321
[nearby squawk]
213
00:19:58,447 --> 00:20:00,574
- [squawks]
- [nearby squawk]
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00:20:04,745 --> 00:20:05,829
[squawks]
215
00:20:07,206 --> 00:20:11,293
Living in a group
has other advantages too,
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00:20:12,961 --> 00:20:16,340
especially when it's time to find food.
217
00:20:17,382 --> 00:20:18,467
[squawking]
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00:20:20,135 --> 00:20:22,137
[energetic music playing]
219
00:20:24,598 --> 00:20:25,724
[squawking]
220
00:20:30,479 --> 00:20:33,523
For Deinonychus is a pack hunter.
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00:20:39,112 --> 00:20:41,573
[hissing]
222
00:20:42,741 --> 00:20:43,825
[squawks]
223
00:20:45,827 --> 00:20:47,746
And a clever one at that.
224
00:20:52,376 --> 00:20:57,506
Their prey, Arkansaurus,
is also a dinosaur...
225
00:21:03,845 --> 00:21:07,933
but it leads a very different,
mainly plant-eating life.
226
00:21:08,016 --> 00:21:09,851
[snarling]
227
00:21:09,935 --> 00:21:11,728
What they both share, however...
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00:21:11,812 --> 00:21:13,230
[trilling]
229
00:21:13,313 --> 00:21:14,564
...is speed.
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00:21:14,648 --> 00:21:16,608
[dramatic music playing]
231
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:34,251
[squawking]
232
00:21:39,923 --> 00:21:41,091
[trilling]
233
00:21:41,758 --> 00:21:44,303
Catching up with their prey is one thing.
234
00:21:44,386 --> 00:21:45,929
[squawking]
235
00:21:47,472 --> 00:21:49,516
- Bringing it down...
- [trilling]
236
00:21:49,599 --> 00:21:50,684
...another.
237
00:21:54,021 --> 00:21:55,272
Working together,
238
00:21:56,898 --> 00:21:58,984
they take turns to tire it out.
239
00:22:01,653 --> 00:22:02,654
[trilling]
240
00:22:03,697 --> 00:22:05,699
{\an8}[dramatic music intensifies]
241
00:22:10,620 --> 00:22:12,622
- [squawking]
- [trilling]
242
00:22:18,754 --> 00:22:20,756
[trilling]
243
00:22:23,133 --> 00:22:24,885
[trilling]
244
00:22:24,968 --> 00:22:26,470
- [squawking]
- [music fades]
245
00:22:26,553 --> 00:22:33,477
Their terrible claws bring a swift end
to the exhausted Arkansaurus.
246
00:22:35,687 --> 00:22:36,980
[crunching]
247
00:22:37,981 --> 00:22:39,232
[snorting]
248
00:22:40,525 --> 00:22:42,819
As dinosaurs diversified,
249
00:22:44,237 --> 00:22:46,490
many became increasingly social.
250
00:22:48,283 --> 00:22:50,077
But even they couldn't compare
251
00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,497
with the greatest social animals
of their age,
252
00:22:54,539 --> 00:22:59,211
animals that were evolving
just beneath their feet.
253
00:22:59,294 --> 00:23:01,296
[birds tweeting]
254
00:23:12,140 --> 00:23:14,726
Today, in West Africa,
255
00:23:14,810 --> 00:23:20,524
we can still find the descendants
of those early supersocializers.
256
00:23:31,243 --> 00:23:32,577
Termites.
257
00:23:38,708 --> 00:23:41,294
One immense family of siblings
258
00:23:43,130 --> 00:23:45,090
five million strong...
259
00:23:50,303 --> 00:23:53,348
all working tirelessly for the colony
260
00:23:54,224 --> 00:23:56,560
and their mother, the queen.
261
00:24:04,693 --> 00:24:07,112
Social insects like termites
262
00:24:08,697 --> 00:24:11,450
first appeared in the age of dinosaurs...
263
00:24:14,703 --> 00:24:17,080
recycling the new vegetation...
264
00:24:21,293 --> 00:24:24,921
while also being the prime food source
265
00:24:26,882 --> 00:24:28,008
of their enemies.
266
00:24:30,177 --> 00:24:32,471
A scout has followed their scent.
267
00:24:33,013 --> 00:24:35,015
[ominous music playing]
268
00:24:36,850 --> 00:24:39,436
Armed with the news of her discovery,
269
00:24:40,103 --> 00:24:42,063
she races back to her nest.
270
00:24:44,858 --> 00:24:49,279
She's a member of another ancient group
of social insects...
271
00:24:52,365 --> 00:24:53,700
the ants.
272
00:24:59,247 --> 00:25:02,292
Competition between these rival species
273
00:25:03,084 --> 00:25:05,879
has been raging for millions of years...
274
00:25:08,757 --> 00:25:12,219
in a remarkable evolutionary arms race.
275
00:25:24,814 --> 00:25:29,194
Back at her nest,
the scout summons an army of her own.
276
00:25:34,282 --> 00:25:38,495
These are predatory Megaponera ants.
277
00:25:43,583 --> 00:25:46,169
Like a well-drilled Roman legion...
278
00:25:49,005 --> 00:25:52,509
a thousand soldiers march to war.
279
00:26:00,058 --> 00:26:02,185
When close to the termite workers,
280
00:26:03,395 --> 00:26:05,146
the scout gives a signal...
281
00:26:07,274 --> 00:26:09,359
and the column starts to fan out,
282
00:26:11,027 --> 00:26:14,364
becoming a wave poised to break.
283
00:26:19,869 --> 00:26:22,163
Now, at full force,
284
00:26:23,039 --> 00:26:25,875
the scout gives one final order.
285
00:26:28,128 --> 00:26:29,379
Charge.
286
00:26:30,255 --> 00:26:32,257
[tense music playing]
287
00:26:38,805 --> 00:26:41,224
The termites are not defenseless.
288
00:26:46,980 --> 00:26:51,318
They've evolved a separate caste
of armed soldiers who protect the workers.
289
00:26:58,533 --> 00:27:01,161
Catching an ant,
they quickly dismember it.
290
00:27:06,249 --> 00:27:09,502
But these ants
have their own specialist weapons.
291
00:27:11,338 --> 00:27:16,384
They thrust their venomous stings
at their ancient rivals' only weak spot.
292
00:27:22,849 --> 00:27:24,893
Right between the jaws.
293
00:27:34,444 --> 00:27:39,574
The casualties in this age-old battle
rapidly mount up.
294
00:27:44,037 --> 00:27:47,540
But the marauding ants
overwhelm the termites.
295
00:27:55,382 --> 00:27:57,967
The victors gather up the vanquished
296
00:27:58,843 --> 00:28:00,679
and carry them back to the nest
297
00:28:02,097 --> 00:28:04,265
to feed the rest of the colony.
298
00:28:09,396 --> 00:28:15,443
Underground, the ants display the pinnacle
of their evolutionary achievements
299
00:28:15,527 --> 00:28:18,446
as they tend to their injured comrades.
300
00:28:24,661 --> 00:28:27,122
Many have lost limbs.
301
00:28:31,835 --> 00:28:35,547
But the workers
lick the wounds of the injured,
302
00:28:37,006 --> 00:28:41,970
using antibiotics carried in their saliva
to help them heal.
303
00:28:48,393 --> 00:28:51,271
Without this, most would die.
304
00:28:53,356 --> 00:28:55,775
But thanks to the treatment,
305
00:28:55,859 --> 00:29:00,780
they're able to march back out to war
within 24 hours,
306
00:29:02,449 --> 00:29:04,701
even with missing limbs.
307
00:29:08,371 --> 00:29:12,709
This is the only example of animals,
other than humans,
308
00:29:13,334 --> 00:29:15,962
using medicine to save another's life.
309
00:29:20,467 --> 00:29:21,885
By working together,
310
00:29:22,635 --> 00:29:28,183
social animals like ants and termites
flourished under the dinosaurs.
311
00:29:32,812 --> 00:29:37,275
But the ground beneath all their feet
was still on the move,
312
00:29:38,943 --> 00:29:41,905
causing seismic change.
313
00:29:41,988 --> 00:29:43,990
{\an8}[rumbling]
314
00:29:49,454 --> 00:29:51,664
{\an8}Ninety million years ago,
315
00:29:52,749 --> 00:29:57,629
{\an8}and Earth's shifting tectonic plates
continued to reshape the planet.
316
00:29:57,712 --> 00:29:59,714
[poignant music playing]
317
00:30:13,895 --> 00:30:16,481
As the fragments of Pangaea spread out...
318
00:30:21,778 --> 00:30:25,949
upwellings of magma
began to lift the seafloor...
319
00:30:28,952 --> 00:30:30,995
raising global sea levels.
320
00:30:35,041 --> 00:30:37,377
This flooded the land...
321
00:30:37,460 --> 00:30:39,462
[rumbling]
322
00:30:42,465 --> 00:30:44,467
[music intensifies]
323
00:30:44,551 --> 00:30:46,553
[music softens]
324
00:30:48,263 --> 00:30:51,307
...creating numerous shallow seas...
325
00:30:54,853 --> 00:30:57,105
and multiple island continents,
326
00:30:58,147 --> 00:31:02,068
each with their own climate and character.
327
00:31:12,579 --> 00:31:19,419
Isolated on their respective landmasses,
dinosaurs thrived like never before.
328
00:31:25,341 --> 00:31:31,306
{\an8}Alongside the long-necked giant sauropods
and the feathered theropods...
329
00:31:31,389 --> 00:31:32,807
[grunting]
330
00:31:32,891 --> 00:31:37,228
...another group of dinosaurs
were also finding success.
331
00:31:38,062 --> 00:31:39,814
The ornithischians.
332
00:31:39,898 --> 00:31:41,190
[grunting]
333
00:31:44,110 --> 00:31:45,528
[grunting]
334
00:31:47,655 --> 00:31:52,160
Just like Diplodocus,
they were mostly herbivores...
335
00:31:52,243 --> 00:31:54,078
[snorting, munching]
336
00:31:55,038 --> 00:31:58,666
...but they had evolved jaws
that could chew.
337
00:32:01,044 --> 00:32:03,046
[grunting]
338
00:32:05,673 --> 00:32:08,217
Combined with the surge in plant life,
339
00:32:08,968 --> 00:32:13,222
this saw ornithischians, like Maiasaura,
340
00:32:13,932 --> 00:32:18,269
form some of the largest herds
the Earth had ever seen.
341
00:32:18,853 --> 00:32:20,855
[majestic music playing]
342
00:32:32,575 --> 00:32:38,289
Across the world,
dinosaurs now dominated every land habitat
343
00:32:39,082 --> 00:32:41,751
the changing planet had to offer.
344
00:32:41,834 --> 00:32:43,127
[grunting]
345
00:32:46,673 --> 00:32:49,550
- But at the same time...
- [creature squeaking]
346
00:32:50,301 --> 00:32:54,764
...our own dynasty, the first true mammals,
347
00:32:56,349 --> 00:32:59,686
{\an8}were also making the most
of the new abundance.
348
00:33:05,274 --> 00:33:07,276
[squeaking]
349
00:33:09,570 --> 00:33:11,531
In the shadows of the giants,
350
00:33:12,198 --> 00:33:17,578
these small creatures were limited
to a life in the margins.
351
00:33:20,581 --> 00:33:22,583
[squeaking]
352
00:33:25,586 --> 00:33:30,633
But they, too, were becoming
increasingly sophisticated, social,
353
00:33:31,217 --> 00:33:33,428
and able to take care of their young.
354
00:33:39,308 --> 00:33:41,310
[birds tweeting]
355
00:33:43,813 --> 00:33:47,483
Today, in the forests
of Southwest Australia,
356
00:33:48,443 --> 00:33:50,528
it's possible to get a glimpse
357
00:33:52,196 --> 00:33:56,993
of what life may have been like
for some of those ancient mammals.
358
00:34:00,288 --> 00:34:01,789
[whimsical music playing]
359
00:34:01,873 --> 00:34:03,958
This is a numbat,
360
00:34:05,877 --> 00:34:07,920
an endangered marsupial
361
00:34:08,671 --> 00:34:12,175
thought to number only 3,000 in the wild.
362
00:34:14,135 --> 00:34:16,763
Like some of her prehistoric ancestors,
363
00:34:17,805 --> 00:34:21,601
she, too, survives on a diet
of tasty termites.
364
00:34:24,979 --> 00:34:27,190
Using her long, sticky tongue,
365
00:34:28,566 --> 00:34:30,693
she scoops them up with relish.
366
00:34:31,778 --> 00:34:34,530
And the more, the merrier...
367
00:34:39,035 --> 00:34:40,328
for back at the den...
368
00:34:41,412 --> 00:34:44,624
a handful of pups await her return.
369
00:34:44,707 --> 00:34:46,709
[calm music playing]
370
00:34:52,924 --> 00:34:55,134
Crucial to the success of mammals
371
00:34:55,802 --> 00:34:58,596
was the evolution of parental care.
372
00:34:59,639 --> 00:35:02,141
Giving birth to live young
373
00:35:03,810 --> 00:35:06,020
and nourishing them on their mother's milk
374
00:35:06,979 --> 00:35:09,023
until they reach independence.
375
00:35:17,990 --> 00:35:20,660
But for these nervous little youngsters...
376
00:35:24,747 --> 00:35:27,041
that might take a while.
377
00:35:33,756 --> 00:35:40,054
Most early mammals didn't have armor
or size to protect them...
378
00:35:46,435 --> 00:35:49,981
yet just like in today's forests...
379
00:35:52,316 --> 00:35:55,736
danger was never far away.
380
00:35:56,487 --> 00:35:58,698
[music becomes tense]
381
00:35:58,781 --> 00:36:02,994
The discarded skin
of their ancient adversary.
382
00:36:09,792 --> 00:36:11,502
- The snake.
- [hissing]
383
00:36:14,672 --> 00:36:18,968
Snakes evolved around the same time
as the first true mammals.
384
00:36:19,844 --> 00:36:24,056
They lost the arms and legs
of their reptilian ancestors
385
00:36:24,140 --> 00:36:27,018
and developed a streamlined body...
386
00:36:29,604 --> 00:36:32,899
making them perfectly adapted
to hunting in burrows
387
00:36:32,982 --> 00:36:37,737
and silently pursuing their prey
through the undergrowth.
388
00:36:41,157 --> 00:36:44,410
But young mammals
aren't entirely helpless.
389
00:36:45,620 --> 00:36:48,206
They have their mothers
to look after them.
390
00:36:51,792 --> 00:36:53,377
She spots the danger...
391
00:36:53,461 --> 00:36:55,713
[tense music continues]
392
00:36:56,923 --> 00:36:58,382
[chirping]
393
00:36:58,466 --> 00:37:00,426
...and raises the alarm.
394
00:37:02,261 --> 00:37:04,263
[chirping]
395
00:37:05,056 --> 00:37:08,517
But the snake
is headed straight for her youngster.
396
00:37:10,353 --> 00:37:12,355
[music intensifies]
397
00:37:18,194 --> 00:37:20,196
[tense music ends]
398
00:37:20,279 --> 00:37:22,782
[serene music playing]
399
00:37:26,494 --> 00:37:28,120
Thanks to parental care,
400
00:37:28,704 --> 00:37:32,166
in this instance, the mammals win out.
401
00:37:34,168 --> 00:37:36,170
[dramatic music playing]
402
00:37:36,796 --> 00:37:39,924
But reptiles have patience.
403
00:37:41,968 --> 00:37:45,888
They've been playing this game
since the dawn of the dinosaurs.
404
00:37:47,890 --> 00:37:54,397
And as mammals prospered,
so too did the snakes that fed on them.
405
00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:56,899
[dramatic music continues]
406
00:38:03,030 --> 00:38:08,327
Today, there are more
than 3,000 species of snake.
407
00:38:10,496 --> 00:38:12,123
With their sinuous bodies...
408
00:38:17,128 --> 00:38:18,671
packed with muscle...
409
00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:29,098
they've evolved to exploit
almost every habitat on Earth.
410
00:38:34,729 --> 00:38:36,981
Even the oceans.
411
00:38:42,945 --> 00:38:44,780
Like many reptiles,
412
00:38:45,865 --> 00:38:49,118
their skin can offer perfect camouflage.
413
00:38:49,702 --> 00:38:51,704
[dramatic music continues]
414
00:38:55,166 --> 00:38:57,168
[rattling]
415
00:38:58,294 --> 00:39:00,004
[hissing]
416
00:39:00,087 --> 00:39:01,630
When paired with venom,
417
00:39:03,382 --> 00:39:06,135
the effect can be deadly.
418
00:39:12,183 --> 00:39:16,187
But mammals have acquired
some extraordinary defenses...
419
00:39:20,775 --> 00:39:23,527
having been locked
in an arms race with snakes
420
00:39:24,695 --> 00:39:26,989
for more than a hundred million years.
421
00:39:33,371 --> 00:39:35,122
{\an8}The sidewinder snake.
422
00:39:37,416 --> 00:39:42,797
{\an8}It will wait for hours at a time
for signs of passing heat.
423
00:39:48,094 --> 00:39:52,515
{\an8}Heat that comes
from small warm-blooded mammals.
424
00:39:54,433 --> 00:39:56,435
[tense music playing]
425
00:40:00,272 --> 00:40:03,484
But kangaroo rats
are not your average rodent.
426
00:40:08,447 --> 00:40:10,699
They've developed a unique skill
427
00:40:12,076 --> 00:40:14,036
befitting of their name.
428
00:40:33,222 --> 00:40:37,017
The cold-blooded sidewinder
bides its time.
429
00:40:41,730 --> 00:40:44,859
It can go weeks without eating...
430
00:40:48,446 --> 00:40:50,823
just waiting to strike.
431
00:40:50,906 --> 00:40:53,534
- [hissing]
- [dramatic music playing]
432
00:40:53,617 --> 00:40:56,036
Split-second reactions...
433
00:40:58,372 --> 00:41:00,374
versus incredible patience.
434
00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:13,846
[dramatic music intensifies]
435
00:41:19,185 --> 00:41:22,980
These are the extremes that can evolve
436
00:41:23,063 --> 00:41:25,024
in the eternal game of life
437
00:41:26,358 --> 00:41:27,358
and death.
438
00:41:30,070 --> 00:41:31,822
[music ends]
439
00:41:42,416 --> 00:41:46,045
{\an8}After 150 million years of dinosaur rule,
440
00:41:47,296 --> 00:41:50,674
{\an8}the continents had shifted
almost to where they are today.
441
00:41:54,512 --> 00:41:56,514
[rousing music playing]
442
00:42:03,479 --> 00:42:08,359
Along the way, they had created
so many new environments
443
00:42:08,442 --> 00:42:13,197
that the dinosaurs had become
more successful than ever before.
444
00:42:13,822 --> 00:42:15,824
[animals calling]
445
00:42:27,586 --> 00:42:31,674
Beneath their feet
lived all the major animal groups
446
00:42:31,757 --> 00:42:33,676
that we recognize now.
447
00:42:41,559 --> 00:42:44,979
Dynasties from throughout the ages.
448
00:42:46,772 --> 00:42:49,900
Survivors from another era.
449
00:42:53,487 --> 00:42:57,575
Along with those
that had more recently come to the fore.
450
00:43:00,119 --> 00:43:03,539
But all of them forced to the margins
451
00:43:04,290 --> 00:43:07,209
by the dominance of the dinosaurs
452
00:43:08,335 --> 00:43:13,340
and the one iconic animal
that ruled over them all.
453
00:43:13,424 --> 00:43:15,426
[flies buzzing]
454
00:43:19,096 --> 00:43:20,431
[echoing thud]
455
00:43:29,773 --> 00:43:31,859
[majestic music playing]
456
00:43:31,942 --> 00:43:33,861
Thirteen meters long,
457
00:43:35,070 --> 00:43:37,531
weighing nine tons...
458
00:43:39,992 --> 00:43:41,994
[roaring]
459
00:43:44,747 --> 00:43:46,582
[roaring]
460
00:43:48,208 --> 00:43:49,418
[grunting]
461
00:43:49,501 --> 00:43:53,464
...it's no wonder
that the most famous predator
462
00:43:53,547 --> 00:43:55,758
in the history of life on our planet
463
00:43:57,343 --> 00:43:59,303
is Tyrannosaurus rex.
464
00:44:12,775 --> 00:44:14,026
[grunting]
465
00:44:16,987 --> 00:44:18,614
But he's not alone.
466
00:44:20,115 --> 00:44:21,533
[growling]
467
00:44:33,962 --> 00:44:35,964
[snarling]
468
00:44:38,175 --> 00:44:39,510
Another T. rex.
469
00:44:43,389 --> 00:44:44,973
[roaring]
470
00:44:49,395 --> 00:44:51,355
The two size each other up.
471
00:44:51,438 --> 00:44:53,691
[growls]
472
00:44:54,942 --> 00:44:57,945
[roaring]
473
00:44:58,904 --> 00:45:01,615
Tyrannosaurs will often
fight for territory...
474
00:45:05,244 --> 00:45:08,080
and are not above cannibalism.
475
00:45:08,163 --> 00:45:09,873
[tense music playing]
476
00:45:09,957 --> 00:45:11,417
[snarling]
477
00:45:12,292 --> 00:45:15,587
But there's something else
on this male's mind...
478
00:45:18,882 --> 00:45:21,343
[low growling]
479
00:45:23,470 --> 00:45:27,725
...for he has found a female.
480
00:45:27,808 --> 00:45:29,810
[soft growling]
481
00:45:33,021 --> 00:45:38,861
And that means showing off his best moves
to win her over.
482
00:45:39,820 --> 00:45:42,823
[roaring]
483
00:45:48,662 --> 00:45:50,998
But misjudge the approach,
484
00:45:51,790 --> 00:45:54,585
and this date could be over in seconds.
485
00:45:58,130 --> 00:46:01,133
[soft growling]
486
00:46:01,216 --> 00:46:03,719
[serene music playing]
487
00:46:11,351 --> 00:46:14,062
[both growl softly]
488
00:46:18,233 --> 00:46:20,194
His mesmerizing movement
489
00:46:21,403 --> 00:46:23,405
and deep romping calls
490
00:46:25,073 --> 00:46:28,035
seem to be eliciting the right response.
491
00:46:28,994 --> 00:46:31,163
[uplifting music playing]
492
00:46:31,246 --> 00:46:34,374
And she mirrors his courtship dance.
493
00:46:41,840 --> 00:46:47,471
But the ultimate sign of trust
is exposing his neck.
494
00:46:47,554 --> 00:46:49,556
[soft growling]
495
00:46:52,184 --> 00:46:56,104
Rising together, they cement their bond.
496
00:46:56,188 --> 00:46:58,106
[both growl softly]
497
00:47:02,027 --> 00:47:04,655
For 150 million years,
498
00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:08,033
dinosaurs ruled the planet.
499
00:47:13,413 --> 00:47:16,333
Who knows what new heights
they might have reached
500
00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:19,086
if their reign had continued.
501
00:47:20,754 --> 00:47:22,339
But in the story of life...
502
00:47:22,422 --> 00:47:24,424
[whooshing]
503
00:47:24,508 --> 00:47:27,511
...nothing lasts forever.
504
00:47:29,513 --> 00:47:31,515
[explosive blast]
505
00:47:36,520 --> 00:47:39,398
[rousing music playing]