01x02 - Conquest

[bunniefuu]

[lava exploding]

[rumbling]

[Morgan Freeman]
Two hundred and one million years ago…

[grunts softly]

…the dinosaurs' world
is collapsing beneath them.

[squawking]

[earth crumbling]

The continent of Pangaea is tearing apart…

[dramatic music playing]

…creating a great divide…

and a molten apocalypse

for any creature caught in this hell.

[squawking]

[breathing heavily]

For both reptiles and dinosaurs…

[vocalizes]

…escape is impossible.

But the worst is yet to come.

[dramatic music continues]

An invisible k*ller
is choking the air itself.

Clouds of toxic gases

wreak devastation.

[lightening crackles]

[unsettling music playing]

Acidic fog

poisons everything in its path.

As the gases
in the atmosphere grow thicker,

temperatures soar,

annihilating three-quarters
of all plant species

and millions of animals across the planet.

[wind whistling]

[grim music playing]

It's known as
the end-Triassic mass extinction,

and it will change everything
for the dinosaurs

because their versatility
and ability to adapt

help them survive this catastrophe

far better than the reptiles.

[breathing weakly]

[grunts weakly]

The reign of the ancient reptiles is over.

[somber music playing]

With their rivals out of the way…

the dinosaurs now have a chance
to rise from the ruins…

[dinosaur growling]

…and conquer the world.

[dramatic music building]

[music fades out]

[opening theme music playing]

[rocks crumbling]

[distant roaring]

[roaring]

[music fades out]

[air whooshes]

[intriguing music playing]

Two million years later,

the dawn of the most famous era
in Earth's history.

The Jurassic.

Pangaea has split into two new landmasses.

In the southern continent of Gondwana…

life is thriving again.

[squawking]

Pterosaurs have survived the destruction…

the skies allowing them
to seek refuge away from the chaos.

[ethereal music playing]

There are now endless forests here.

And they are filled with dinosaurs.

[leaves rustling]

[dinosaur grunts]

Dinosaurs like Massospondylus.

[grunting]

He's barely the height of a human,

so it's hard to reach
the freshest food high in the trees.

[grunting continues]

But he's got a bigger problem.

[ominous music playing]

A newly evolved rival.

-[footsteps thudding]
-[Massospondylus whimpering]

Vulcanodon.

[growls lowly]

At 11 meters long,

she's more than twice the size
of Massospondylus.

[vocalizing]

She's part of a new branch
of plant-eating dinosaurs

known as

the Sauropods.

Famous for their long necks

and huge bodies

that are supported by four legs,
instead of just two.

These profound changes
will help these giants

become the largest animals
to ever walk the Earth.

If Massospondylus can't compete,

it will be left behind.

[Massospondylus grunts]

[dinosaurs vocalizing, squawking]

While the Sauropods are on the rise…

another legend in the making
is waiting in the wings.

[mysterious music playing]

Caves like these
are crawling with strange creatures…

and one of them will give rise
to some of the greatest dinosaurs

in history.

[creature squeaking]

[footstep thuds]

[squeaking continues]

[dramatic music builds, fades]

The tiny Heterodontosaurus.

[squeaking]

[lighthearted music playing]

What makes him exceptional
is hard to spot at first.

[chitters]

[chittering]

One thing is clear, however.

[growls]

He's not one to back down
from a challenge.

[chitters]

Especially when there's food at stake.

[chittering continues]

It's all about the food.

[chitters]

[squeaks]

[chitters]

He may only weigh as much as a chihuahua…

but he does have a superpower.

An incredibly strong beak and jaw

that allow him to devour almost anything.

-[Sauropod growls lowly]
-[Heterodontosaurus squeaks, chitters]

And that's not all.

He also has cheek pouches,

where he can store food
to eat later in safety.

[uplifting music playing]

[Heterodontosaurus chitters]

[chitters]

This multi-tooled mouth
will allow his descendants

to become some
of the greatest dinosaurs of all time.

Descendants like the mighty Stegosaurus

and even Triceratops.

[chitters]

From small beginnings,
great things can grow.

[majestic music playing]

[music turns pensive]

But the dinosaurs
will need more than cheek pouches

to conquer the planet.

On the northern side of the Great Divide

lies the other new continent.

Laurasia.

[creatures calling, chittering]

Hiding in these waters

are the remnants of a once-great empire.

[dramatic music pulsating]

The reptiles.

[winged creature squawking]

They are a deadly threat
in these murky shallows.

But they also need to be wary…

because they no longer rule
the Jurassic swamps.

[foreboding music playing]

They have been usurped

by those they once hunted
on Pangaea's shores.

Dinosaurs.

[growls]

Dilophosaurus.

With over 60 serrated teeth,

she's twice the length of a polar bear.

[tense music playing]

And a laser-focused hunter.

But in these flooded forests…

[creature calls loudly]

…there are creatures
even more frightening than her.

[creature continues calling loudly]

[Dilophosaurus huffs]

[creature continues calling]

[calling continues]

[calling continues]

Like a moth to a flame,
she follows the mysterious calls.

[calling continues]

[ominous music playing]

A male Dilophosaurus.

Larger and deadlier than her.

[both growling]

He's drawn her here for a reason.

But it's not bloodlust,

it's just plain lust.

A courting ritual.

[male vocalizes]

Clawing at the ground
is a display of strength.

[lighthearted music playing]

And to show off his virility,

behold his crimson head crest.

[male vocalizing]

Finally,

the grand finale.

[male calling loudly]

The song of the swamp king.

[calling continues]

[female vocalizing]

For a ferocious predator,
he's remarkably gifted.

But the future of her bloodline
depends on her choice.

And he's just…

not gifted enough.

[male huffing]

Ensuring the continuation
of their species is critical.

But far below,

the earth itself poses a threat
to their very existence.

[water whooshing, gurgling]

This time…

from the Jurassic seas.

[thunder rumbling]

An alien world…

[thunder crashing]

…full of bizarre creatures.

[eerie music playing]

The most dangerous of them all…

the Pliosaurs.

[dramatic music playing]

The great sea monsters
that rule the oceans.

They are one reason

that dinosaurs
have not entered this frontier.

But the real threat to the dinosaurs

lies below.

[suspenseful music playing]

Methane.

This greenhouse gas

was frozen under the seabed
for millions of years.

But warming oceans
are causing it to leach out

with a devastating side effect
for the entire globe.

Extreme heat.

The endless forests
that Massospondylus once roamed

are now a parched wasteland.

[labored breathing]

The plants he relied on for food
are nearly all gone.

[bleak music playing]

Many of his kind
have died from starvation.

And the rising temperatures
have turned his home into a tinderbox.

-[dramatic music playing]
-[panicked breathing]

[grunting frantically]

It's the final nail in the coffin…

[grunts desperately]

…for Massospondylus.

[panicked grunting continues]

Their 17-million-year existence
brought to a tragic end.

[grunting desperately]

Eventually, other dinosaurs
will rise to take their place.

[thrilling music playing]

In that time, Earth's two continents
will drift even further apart,

creating a fragmented world

with new lands
for the dinosaurs to conquer.

[melodic music playing]

It's more than 20 million years
since the fall of Massospondylus.

And here in the mountains
of what will one day be China,

the climate has cooled.

[squawking]

Life is flourishing.

[uplifting music playing]

And a revolution is taking place.

[music fades]

[creature snoring slowly]

Within these cold dawn forests,

something is stirring.

[creature continues snoring]

Sauropods.

The great four-legged dinosaurs.

Mamenchisaurus.

A giant of the Jurassic.

[snoring continues]

Nearly 40 million years
after their ancestor Vulcanodon

made its monumental rise,

Mamenchisaurus is now so gigantic

that just standing up is a mammoth task.

[gentle music playing]

[Mamenchisaurus grunting lowly]

They have the longest necks
of any animal in history,

that can reach as high
as a five-story building.

[majestic music playing]

And they're not the only giants
that live in this forest.

The trees are reaching
ever greater heights as well,

to avoid being completely consumed
by these towering beasts.

But there's a catch to being this tall.

A 15-meter-long neck
can only support a tiny head…

that houses a brain

smaller than an apple.

[lighthearted music playing]

The evolutionary focus on size over smarts

will help the Sauropods
become the most dominant herbivores

of the Jurassic age.

But they're not the only ones
in this forest

who are moving up in the world.

[creature squeaks]

Anchiornis.

Yes, he looks a bit like a chicken.

And he is about the size of one.

[squeaking]

But he's nevertheless

a dinosaur.

A dinosaur with feathers…

[lighthearted music playing]

…and newly evolved wings.

[squeaking continues]

[music turns ominous]

[huffing]

Sinraptor.

[grunts]

Another dinosaur.

But one willing
to hunt its own tiny cousin.

[chittering]

[suspenseful music playing]

[squeaks fearfully]

His primitive wings
are next to useless on the ground.

[chittering softly]

But that doesn't mean
he's confined to the ground.

-[Sinraptor growling]
-[Anchiornis squeaking]

[Sinraptor continues growling]

[Anchiornis squeaks]

[chitters]

Up here, his wings aren't just for show.

[majestic music playing]

He's one of the first dinosaurs
to be able to glide.

And with such skill
that he can even catch food midair.

Flight will turn out to be one of
the dinosaurs' greatest leaps forward.

But Anchiornis
is still just a beginner here.

For the time being,

this airspace…

[Anchiornis squeaks]

…belongs to the Pterosaurs.

The flying dinosaurs
are outgunned in the skies

for now.

But in time,

the Pterosaurs will meet their match.

[captivating music playing]

As the planet continues to evolve,

so do the dinosaurs.

And as the end
of the Jurassic draws nearer,

their control over the land
on both continents

is only getting stronger.

[music fades]

It's seven million years
since Anchiornis took to the air.

Here, in what
will one day be North America…

geothermal heat simmers at the surface.

An echo of past extinctions.

The Sauropods here are larger than ever.

Their strategy of bigger is better
is paying off.

[Sauropods grunting lowly]

But these dinosaurs are evolving
on an altogether different track.

[dinosaurs grunting, vocalizing]

Stegosaurus.

[intriguing music playing]

A far cry from
their tiny cheek-stuffing ancestors.

They are now as heavy as elephants,

and equipped with armor,
camouflage, and weapons.

And here in the late Jurassic,

they need the protection.

[lightening crackling]

[thunder rumbling]

[thunder crashes]

Because there is danger
in these dark forests.

[ominous music playing]

Allosaurus.

[growls lowly]

Eight meters long, with dagger-like teeth,

they are the most successful predators
of their day.

But this young male is not stalking.

He's stealing.

[flesh tearing]

A female.

[growls menacingly]

Same species,

but larger, stronger, and battle-scarred.

[roars]

[roars]

[female roaring]

[roars]

[male grunts]

The young male is lucky
she didn't k*ll him.

[pensive music playing]

The rainstorms have passed.

The young male hasn't eaten in weeks.

He has no choice
but to try his luck on a herd

of Stegosaurus.

[growls]

But he can't hide his approach
when he's out in the open…

[grunts]

…which gives the herd time
to prepare their defenses.

[suspenseful music playing]

They form a wall
of moving bodies and spikes.

It's intimidating…

and confusing for the young Allosaurus.

He can't pick out which one to attack.

[Stegosauruses grunting]

But he's got other problems.

The veteran female
has just joined the game.

And she's been playing this game

for a lot longer than he has.

She's able to isolate one of the herd.

[roars]

But Stegosaurus
has evolved a perfect weapon.

A mace-like tail with meter-long spikes

called a thagomizer.

[roars]

[growling]

[both roaring and growling]

[growls]

-[flesh squelches]
-[Stegosaurus groans in pain]

[flesh rips]

[Allosaurus grunts]

[grunts in pain]

[groaning weakly]

For the female, it's game over.

For the young male, it's payback.

[exhales weakly]

And lunch.

Because Allosaurus are cannibals.

[dramatic music playing]

Fifty million years
after surviving an apocalypse,

the dinosaurs' dominion over Earth
is now absolute.

[eerie music playing]

But the world they've come to know

is changing.

[wind whistling]

Temperatures are dropping
across the globe…

bringing snow
to the northern regions of the planet.

Something few dinosaurs
have ever experienced.

From these frozen lands,

a new kind of dinosaur

will rise.

[low growling]

The Tyrannosaurs are coming.

[dramatic music building]

[music fades out]

[closing theme music playing]

[music fades out]