1
00:00:06,673 --> 00:00:08,675
[thunder rumbling]

2
00:00:08,758 --> 00:00:10,760
[intriguing music playing]

3
00:00:13,888 --> 00:00:17,308
[Morgan Freeman] Since life first emerged
on planet Earth,

4
00:00:19,269 --> 00:00:21,980
it has never stopped evolving…

5
00:00:28,737 --> 00:00:31,614
driven by an ever-changing world…

6
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and by intense competition.

7
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But there was one remarkable era

8
00:00:49,591 --> 00:00:52,510
when evolution went into overdrive…

9
00:00:54,846 --> 00:00:58,308
giving us many of the animals
we still have today…

10
00:01:05,065 --> 00:01:06,983
and the iconic giants

11
00:01:08,693 --> 00:01:11,029
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]

15
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[music ends]

16
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[rousing music playing]

17
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[snarling]

18
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[trilling]

19
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[screeching]

20
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[rousing music continues]

21
00:02:08,086 --> 00:02:10,088
[growling]

22
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[wind howling]

23
00:02:14,175 --> 00:02:16,177
[rumbling]

24
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[rousing music intensifies]

25
00:02:23,518 --> 00:02:25,687
[music fades]

26
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[ominous music playing]

27
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It's the dawn of the Jurassic period.

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Pangaea, the supercontinent
that witnessed the age of reptiles,

29
00:02:51,171 --> 00:02:53,840
is slowly tearing itself apart.

30
00:03:01,973 --> 00:03:03,892
Shifting tectonic plates…

31
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force rivers of magma to the surface…

32
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beginning the total transformation
of the planet.

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Over millions of years,

34
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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.

36
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As they grow further and further apart,

37
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brand-new environments are created…

38
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causing the extinction of many…

39
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but turbocharging evolution
for the survivors…

40
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and one group of animals in particular.

41
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[insects chirping]

42
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Deep in the towering forests
of Jurassic North America…

43
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[animals bellowing]

44
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…the biggest animals
to ever walk the Earth are on the rise.

45
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[low growling]

46
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Dinosaurs.

47
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[snorting]

48
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[gentle music playing]

49
00:05:08,182 --> 00:05:10,059
In the breakup of Pangaea,

50
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they've found themselves
in a world of plenty.

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[roaring]

52
00:05:23,197 --> 00:05:24,324
[snorting]

53
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Some, like Diplodocus,
have grown to become 25 meters long.

54
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[calling]

55
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But even at their size,

56
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they can never let down their guard…

57
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[branches snapping]

58
00:05:59,984 --> 00:06:01,986
[thunder crackling]

59
00:06:04,864 --> 00:06:06,240
[grunting]

60
00:06:06,324 --> 00:06:09,994
…for they aren't the only giants
of the Jurassic.

61
00:06:11,162 --> 00:06:13,414
[snorting]

62
00:06:16,584 --> 00:06:18,586
[thunder crackling]

63
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[tense ambient music playing]

64
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[growls softly]

65
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[ominous music playing]

66
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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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00:07:08,136 --> 00:07:11,097
It probes for opportunity.

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[Allosaurus hisses]

74
00:07:12,432 --> 00:07:14,809
[Diplodocus grunting]

75
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[snarling]

76
00:07:25,278 --> 00:07:27,822
But it's not the adults it's after.

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[snarling]

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00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:36,539
This Allosaurus is looking
for much easier prey.

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A baby Diplodocus.

80
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[mewling]

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00:07:47,967 --> 00:07:51,762
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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00:07:59,812 --> 00:08:03,691
Instead, she must fend for herself.

84
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-[soft thud]
-[rustling]

85
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[snorting]

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00:08:12,158 --> 00:08:16,329
The Allosaurus
will make quick work of the baby…

87
00:08:18,414 --> 00:08:19,749
if it can find her.

88
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[snorting, snarling]

89
00:08:25,630 --> 00:08:27,298
The youngster's best hope…

90
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is to stay as still as possible.

91
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[ominous music intensifies]

92
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The Allosaurus has keen senses…

93
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[snarling, snorting]

94
00:08:50,154 --> 00:08:55,034
…but the storm is masking any clues
to the baby's location.

95
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[snarling]

96
00:09:05,378 --> 00:09:07,380
[sniffs]

97
00:09:08,631 --> 00:09:10,341
[growling]

98
00:09:11,968 --> 00:09:13,302
[grunting]

99
00:09:21,852 --> 00:09:23,938
A very close call…

100
00:09:26,691 --> 00:09:30,027
and not just for one young Diplodocus.

101
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[thunder rumbling]

102
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[calling softly]

103
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[gentle music playing]

104
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To boost their chances of survival,

105
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these youngsters must eat
as much as they can

106
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as fast as possible…

107
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[uplifting music playing]

108
00:09:54,802 --> 00:09:58,639
…so they can grow into giant-sized adults.

109
00:10:06,647 --> 00:10:11,694
But just as these huge dinosaurs
were devouring the plants around them,

110
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the plants themselves were changing…

111
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[music ends]

112
00:10:19,577 --> 00:10:24,040
…in ways that would revolutionize
life on Earth.

113
00:10:24,123 --> 00:10:26,125
[birds squawking]

114
00:10:28,794 --> 00:10:35,217
Once upon a time, plants relied solely
on wind or water to spread their pollen…

115
00:10:40,556 --> 00:10:42,683
but in the age of dinosaurs,

116
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an innovation in plant reproduction arose…

117
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that is still very much with us today.

118
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[elegant music playing]

119
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The flower.

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00:11:15,007 --> 00:11:17,093
At 40 centimeters across,

121
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this one belongs to a giant water lily
in South America's Amazon rainforest…

122
00:11:27,269 --> 00:11:32,483
and its sole purpose
is to attract an animal to pollinate it.

123
00:11:36,278 --> 00:11:42,076
As evening approaches, the flower produces
a powerful pineapple-like scent…

124
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irresistible to this beetle.

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[music fades]

126
00:11:58,509 --> 00:12:00,511
[ethereal music playing]

127
00:12:01,846 --> 00:12:04,348
Much like his ancient ancestors,

128
00:12:05,433 --> 00:12:09,353
the bewitched beetle
can't help but be enticed inside.

129
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He squeezes through the outer petals,

130
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into the heart of the flower,

131
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where paradise awaits.

132
00:12:25,703 --> 00:12:32,168
Inside, it's a balmy ten degrees warmer
than the surrounding night air.

133
00:12:35,254 --> 00:12:41,177
Here, it happily feasts
on the flower's succulent flesh.

134
00:12:42,970 --> 00:12:46,015
But the beetle also offers
something in return.

135
00:12:47,725 --> 00:12:51,896
Pollen picked up
from another giant water lily.

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00:12:55,649 --> 00:13:02,114
As it feeds, the pollen rubs off
onto the flower's reproductive parts.

137
00:13:08,913 --> 00:13:10,331
When dawn arrives,

138
00:13:11,332 --> 00:13:13,125
the flower closes…

139
00:13:17,713 --> 00:13:21,467
enveloping the beetle
in its velvety petals…

140
00:13:26,055 --> 00:13:29,475
and covering it in its own sticky pollen.

141
00:13:34,647 --> 00:13:38,317
At dusk, the flower opens once more.

142
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[elegant music playing]

143
00:13:42,571 --> 00:13:46,325
Having served its purpose
in helping the plant to reproduce,

144
00:13:47,117 --> 00:13:51,080
it changes color
and loses its alluring scent…

145
00:13:55,251 --> 00:13:57,253
[music continues]

146
00:14:05,094 --> 00:14:09,640
allowing the beetle,
now covered in this flower's pollen,

147
00:14:09,723 --> 00:14:11,016
to fly off

148
00:14:12,142 --> 00:14:16,689
and unwittingly pollinate
another giant water lily.

149
00:14:18,649 --> 00:14:20,651
[birds tweeting]

150
00:14:24,029 --> 00:14:28,742
But the relationship between flowers
and their beetle pollinators

151
00:14:28,826 --> 00:14:30,202
was just the beginning.

152
00:14:33,622 --> 00:14:38,586
Other insects in the dinosaur era
soon got in on the action…

153
00:14:45,217 --> 00:14:47,636
taking pollen from flower to flower…

154
00:14:50,931 --> 00:14:53,976
in return for their sweet liquid nectar.

155
00:15:01,025 --> 00:15:03,027
[ethereal music playing]

156
00:15:06,947 --> 00:15:09,366
By 130 million years ago…

157
00:15:12,077 --> 00:15:14,705
flowers were becoming more vivid,

158
00:15:15,998 --> 00:15:17,166
vibrant,

159
00:15:18,667 --> 00:15:19,710
and varied,

160
00:15:21,128 --> 00:15:25,174
as they competed to attract
the very best pollinators.

161
00:15:36,518 --> 00:15:37,978
As they spread…

162
00:15:38,062 --> 00:15:40,064
[buzzing]

163
00:15:40,898 --> 00:15:43,692
…the land turned from an endless green…

164
00:15:46,862 --> 00:15:50,407
to a kaleidoscope of different colors.

165
00:15:54,161 --> 00:15:58,666
Today, there are ten times
more flowering plants

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00:15:59,500 --> 00:16:03,337
than all other plant species combined.

167
00:16:06,632 --> 00:16:09,635
-[music ends]
-[insects chirping]

168
00:16:12,054 --> 00:16:14,932
However, as the world blossomed,

169
00:16:16,642 --> 00:16:18,894
other creatures began to exploit

170
00:16:18,978 --> 00:16:22,523
the relationship
between flower and insect…

171
00:16:25,150 --> 00:16:27,194
-[ominous music playing]
-[buzzing]

172
00:16:34,034 --> 00:16:35,786
…spawning a surge

173
00:16:37,287 --> 00:16:42,001
in the variety of predator and prey.

174
00:16:51,510 --> 00:16:55,848
Spiders had been around
for over 100 million years…

175
00:16:58,976 --> 00:17:04,189
but now started spinning their silk
into complex webs…

176
00:17:13,282 --> 00:17:16,702
taking advantage of this new wave of life.

177
00:17:24,626 --> 00:17:27,046
[serene music playing]

178
00:17:27,129 --> 00:17:29,673
By the middle of the dinosaurs' reign…

179
00:17:31,925 --> 00:17:34,887
there was such an explosion
in biodiversity…

180
00:17:37,181 --> 00:17:40,225
fueled by the arrival of flowering plants…

181
00:17:42,686 --> 00:17:45,898
that, for the very first time
in Earth's history,

182
00:17:46,398 --> 00:17:51,403
there were more species on land
than in the oceans.

183
00:17:52,529 --> 00:17:54,531
[serene music continues]

184
00:18:04,875 --> 00:18:06,877
[music fades]

185
00:18:16,637 --> 00:18:18,013
[whooshing]

186
00:18:21,809 --> 00:18:25,729
But it wasn't just the smaller creatures
that were changing

187
00:18:27,523 --> 00:18:29,858
in new and radical ways.

188
00:18:35,489 --> 00:18:37,241
This is Deinonychus.

189
00:18:37,324 --> 00:18:38,450
[croaking]

190
00:18:39,993 --> 00:18:42,204
Despite its endearing appearance,

191
00:18:43,997 --> 00:18:45,249
it's a dinosaur.

192
00:18:45,332 --> 00:18:47,042
[chattering]

193
00:18:47,126 --> 00:18:49,253
A baby dinosaur.

194
00:18:51,755 --> 00:18:56,468
"Deinonychus" translates
as "terrible claw."

195
00:18:59,596 --> 00:19:02,099
But that's not his only strength.

196
00:19:02,182 --> 00:19:03,600
[distant call]

197
00:19:03,684 --> 00:19:05,769
He's also got keen vision

198
00:19:07,521 --> 00:19:09,231
and excellent hearing.

199
00:19:09,857 --> 00:19:11,316
[distant call]

200
00:19:13,318 --> 00:19:14,444
[distant call]

201
00:19:14,528 --> 00:19:15,612
[squawking]

202
00:19:17,114 --> 00:19:22,077
But his most eye-catching adaptation
is his feathers.

203
00:19:23,120 --> 00:19:24,371
[croaks]

204
00:19:24,454 --> 00:19:28,959
Simple feather-like structures
first appeared back in the Triassic.

205
00:19:30,043 --> 00:19:33,046
Not for flight but for warmth.

206
00:19:34,464 --> 00:19:35,674
[snores]

207
00:19:35,757 --> 00:19:38,510
[juvenile croaks]

208
00:19:39,386 --> 00:19:41,096
Being able to stay warm

209
00:19:41,180 --> 00:19:45,184
means this branch of dinosaurs,
the theropods,

210
00:19:45,267 --> 00:19:47,561
can be active day and night…

211
00:19:50,564 --> 00:19:55,402
giving them more time to raise their young
as part of a family.

212
00:19:56,069 --> 00:19:57,321
[nearby squawk]

213
00:19:58,447 --> 00:20:00,574
-[squawks]
-[nearby squawk]

214
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,

216
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]

218
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.

221
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…

228
00:21:11,812 --> 00:21:13,230
[trilling]

229
00:21:13,313 --> 00:21:14,564
…is speed.

230
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
[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
[rumbling]

314
00:29:49,454 --> 00:29:51,664
Ninety million years ago,

315
00:29:52,749 --> 00:29:57,629
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
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
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
The sidewinder snake.

422
00:39:37,416 --> 00:39:42,797
It will wait for hours at a time
for signs of passing heat.

423
00:39:48,094 --> 00:39:52,515
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 --> 00:41:27,318
and death.

438
00:41:30,070 --> 00:41:31,822
[music ends]

439
00:41:42,416 --> 00:41:46,045
After 150 million years of dinosaur rule,

440
00:41:47,296 --> 00:41:50,674
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]