01x02 - When the Climate Broke

[bunniefuu]

[tense music]

[thunder rumbling]

NARRATOR:
The story of life on Earth...

[loud roar]

...has been marked by a series

of catastrophic
extinction events.

Natural disasters which have
threatened to wipe out

many of the creatures
that call our planet home.

But after every brush with
death life has come back...

even stronger.

One such catastrophe took place


After a million years
of monsoons

our planet was a lush home
teeming with life.

But the rain stopped.

And all living things
had to battle for survival

against extreme
climate change.

[thunder rumbling]

[dramatic music]

But out of the chaos,
evolved the most successful

dynasty of animals
the Earth has ever seen.

[squeaks softly]

- The Dinosaurs.
- [loud roar]

[theme song]

[rain pattering]

NARRATOR: Heavy rain has been
pummelling the land

for over a million years.

In some places up to 50 feet
can fall in a year.

The abundance of water has
created a world rich in life.

Dinosaurs do not yet
dominate these lands.

Instead, more ancient types
of reptiles stalk

these dark, dense forests.

It is the perfect wet home
for these bizarre creatures.

Still, like most periods
in our planet's history,

the males find something
to fight about...

- [strong thudding]
- [loud roars]

Two enormous Ischigualastia
in a battle for dominance.

[dramatic music]

The females protecting
the herd's nesting ground

recognize the danger
of their precious eggs.

The males are deaf
to their warning clacks.

[Ischigualastia calling]

[strong thudding]

As the nest is breached,

the delicate eggs are scattered
across the forest floor.

[celestial music]

- [strong thudding]
- [loud roars]

[baby Ischigualastia cries]

- [thudding]
- [loud roars]

What a time to hatch!

A little female,
no bigger than a rabbit.

Within two years she will be
an adult and as big as a bison.

But that won't help her
right now.

[dramatic music]

Most of the hatchlings are safe
with the females

across the grove.

[Ischigualastia calling]

This little new born
will be all right

if she can get there...

without getting trampled.

[growling]

[baby Ischigualastia calling]

Other hatchlings attempt
to follow her.

[baby Ischigualastia calling]

Incredibly, she's made it.

[emotional music]

As quickly as they started,

the males give up
and lose interest in the fight.

The herd relaxes.

Ischigualastia are the largest
herbivores on the planet,

early, distant relatives
of mammals.

They raise their young
in communal nurseries,

All run by young females.

The little one will learn
everything she needs to survive

from these babysitters.

She will grow in a forest not
like the ones we know today.

[thunder rumbling]

NARRATOR:


all the land on Earth
is combined

into one supercontinent
called Pangaea.

Volcanic activity has been
pumping out Carbon Dioxide,

this heats the atmosphere
and warms the oceans

which feeds megamonsoons.

It is the wettest time
in Earth's history.

Rivers flood, lakes overflow

and vast estuaries cover
millions of square miles.

The rain has also produced
an expl*si*n in plant life.

It is a time of plenty for our
little hatchling's herd

but surprisingly these huge
herbivores are fussy eaters.

They prefer to eat
only one kind of plant

called Dicroidium.

[Dicroidium roaring]

In these days Dicroidium
is becoming

harder and harder to find.

So, her first lesson,
as a baby Ischgualastia,

is learning to spot
the right plant.

Her second lesson,

never to wander too far
from the herd.

[predator squeaks]

And that is because this forest
is full of predators.

[tense music]

[leaves rustling]

NARRATOR: 232 million years ago

and the continent of Pangea
has been swept with megamonsoons

for the last million years.

In its damp coastal woods,

a newly hatched Ischigualastia
has wandered off from her herd

and found herself alone.

She's about to learn a cruel
lesson about this forest.

Panphagia,
one of the earliest dinosaurs.

She has razor sharp teeth

and is a skilled hunter.

[tense music]

[leaves rustling]

[dramatic music]

[Ischigualastia cries]

Our young one is
too big to k*ll quickly,

so the Panphagia
must tire her out.

[Ischigualastia cries]

The herd's babysitters cannot
hear her cries for help.

But this little one
is a fighter.

[Panphagia squeaks loudly]

[Ischigualastia growling]

At last, the cavalry arrive.

Another lesson if she wants
to survive in this forest.

She'll need to know
how to call for help.

[calming music]

A week later,
the rain is easing off.

And our youngster is safe
with the babysitters

who take care of her.

Her wounds are healing

and for the first time
in her short life,

she sees something extraordinary
in the sky...

the sun.

[majestic music]

A remarkable first week of life.

The end of the rains is usually
followed by a short dry-season,

but this year nothing is usual.

NARRATOR: 232 million years ago

the volcanoes that have been
driving the massive monsoons

are falling silent,

and Pangaea is hit
by extreme climate change.

No more reliable, long,
wet-seasons for our creatures.

For the first time
in a million years,

there is a risk of drought.

Months pass,

the rains should
have returned by now.

An adult Ischigualastia needs
to consume more than


every day.

Our hungry herd is now having
to venture further and further

to find their Dicroidium.

This quest for food is
tough on little legs.

The older adults know a place

they are sure to find
their plants,

but they arrive to find someone
else has gotten there first.

A group of Rhynchosaurs.

They eat the Dicroidium plant
too, right down to the roots.

And are not in a sharing mood.

[Rhynchosaurs squeaks]

The rival herbivores
may be small

but they've got
a big attitude.

Our little hatchling has had
enough of these guys

and so has the rest of the herd.

Okay, it's time to go.

But the Rhynchosaurs have
stripped this grove bare.

So our Ischigualastia's
search must continue.

[driving music]

The herd's home forest

normally supports thousands of
these lumbering herbivores.

But this year,

because the volcanoes
have fallen silent,

the rains have stopped.

So swamps are disappearing,

trees are dying
and the lakes are shrinking.

This once flooded landscape is
drying out at an alarming rate.

Our herd must leave
their territory

to find food and water.

After days of trekking there
is finally a small lake ahead.

The only water for miles.

As they stop
for a precious drink,

it is clear the drought has
already claimed many of them.

Our curious youngster has
survived and once again

she is off exploring on her own.

[tense music]

This time the risk is greater.

The predators are
much larger here.

Saurosuchus an Ischigualastia
k*ller.

[Saurosuchus growling]

[soft pensive music]

The coastal plains of Pangea
have been hit hard by a drought.

Animals, unused to hardship,

have been forced to migrate
in search of water.

They are being stalked
by a Saurosuchus

an apex predator 20 feet long.

[dramatic music]

It is a reptile, distantly
related to crocodiles

and quite capable of bringing
down an adult Ischigualastia.

[growling]

Our brave little female now
knows to call for help.

[Ischigualastia calling]

Hopefully it's not too late.

[Ischigualastia baby calling]

[Ischigualastia growling]

[dramatic tense music]

She survives once again,
and has found her voice.

This will help her and the herd
stay safe in the future.

[majestic music]

They must continue on in search
of their favourite plant.

There is one last place.

Beneath dry riverbeds,
some water still exists,

just enough for Dicroidium
plants to grow.

This will sustain them for now.

But their decision
to follow the riverbeds

will lead the herd further and
further away from their home

and into dangerous territory.

As they go,
the vegetation is changing.

Conifers and woody shrubs
replace the soft ferns

they are used to.

They can't eat any of
this new vegetation.

Without the Dicroidium
they will starve.

The devastating drought
is relentless.

Months become years
and still no rain.

Caught in the grip of
this natural disaster,

the Ischigualastia herd
trudge into the unknown

in their search of the plants
that keep them alive.

Following the parched
riverbeds,

they are now hundreds of miles
from their forest home.

Devastatingly,
only half the herd have survived

They are
slowly starving to death.

Two years have passed
since our young female hatched

in the wet coastal forests

and she has grown to become
a key member of the herd.

She is their only babysitter.

[hatchlings grunting]

This year, there are far
fewer hatchlings than normal,

so she is carrying
a great responsibility.

Finally the herd’s keen sense
of smell leads them

to a small pool of water
hidden in a cool cave.

A sweet relief.

But our herd is not alone.

Saurosuchus.

The cave is a trap.

[Saurosuchus roaring]

NARRATOR: The rains have
now failed two years running.

Only half the herd remains
and the survivors are emaciated.

They have found a source
of water deep in a cave,

but the local predators
know this place well.

[snorting and rattling]

Alarm calls ripple
through the herd.

[Ischigualastia rattling]

They panic.

Some of them
make a break for it.

Our heroine remains inside,
guarding her hatchlings.

[Saurosuchus roaring]

[Ischigualastia crying]

Babysitters sometimes
sacrifice themselves

for their hatchlings.

Our young female, however
has held back.

And managed to protect
the herd’s youngest for now.

As the Ischigualastia
continue their search for food,

the riverbed they follow
gets narrower and narrower.

Their dependence on one kind
of plant has become a curse.

[hatchlings crying]

And that is not
the babysitter’s only problem.

In the nearby bushes

are creatures
she remembers all too well.

Panphagia.

But today they’ve changed their
menu. Now they graze on leaves.

Unlike the Ischigualastia,

these little dinosaurs will eat
pretty much anything.

[thunder rumbling]

For the first time
in two years,

the monsoon has returned.

The rains will
bring the biggest threat

our herd has ever faced.

[thunder roaring]

Sticking to the river valley,

the Ischigualastia herd are
enjoying a rare feast

of their
precious Dicroidium plants.

A moment of rest in
a long, agonizing journey.

Finally, a chance for
our hatchlings to play.

[hatchlings squeaking]

[thunder rumbling]

In the mountains, after
two years of punishing drought,

the monsoon rains start to fall.

All this water should
be a long-awaited gift,

but the ground is rock hard.

Unable to soak into the earth,

the water rushes
into empty river valleys

causing violent flash floods.

[dramatic music]

Two miles downstream,

our herd in the river bed
are right in its path.

Some of the older adults
sense danger

and make for higher ground.

Following their lead,

our heroic babysitter tries
to get the hatchlings

up the river-bank.

But she is running out of time

[thunder rumbling]

NARRATOR: The Ischigualastia
herd are feeding

at the bottom of a river canyon

Our young babysitter
senses danger approaching

and she frantically tries
to get the hatchlings

out of the riverbed.

Most of our herd are unaware

that thousands
of tons of flood water

are heading their way.

The flash flood is not
their only problem.

The Saurosuchus are back.

[dramatic music]

[animals crying]

In an instant,

both predator and prey
are swept away.

[hatchlings crying]

But our little hatchlings
have made it out alive.

Our heroine is a born fighter,

and today she has ensured
the future of her herd.

Surviving, however,
will only get harder.

Severe climate chaos causes mass
fluctuations in vegetation.

Fussy eaters like Ischigualastia
struggle to hang on.

Thousands of years pass

and the climate
becomes wildly unstable.

Landscapes transform
from rainy forests to deserts,

and then back again.

Half of all species
do not make it.

The only ones
who will survive this chaos,

are the ones who can adapt.

[wind howling]

When the climate
finally stabilises

the world is
a much drier place.

Life on Earth has adapted
to the harsh new conditions.

Many of the older types
of reptiles have disappeared,

and one group has now
taken over.

The dinosaurs.

[soft roar]

The secrete to their success
is not only their size

but their ability to survive
on much less water.

Meanwhile, distant relatives of
the Ischigualastia are here too,

and they are thriving
in the undergrowth.

Chaliminia...

is a new primitive type
of mammal.

Mammals are so small
that they too can survive

on very little water.

[Chaliminia chitters]

This mother has 34
freshly hatched babies.

She cannot afford to
leave them alone for a minute,

so it is dad's job
to go fetch dinner.

He's right to be wary...

but his family will die
if he fails.

[cricket chirping]

Success!

He's been so focused
on the chase, however,

that the hunter
has now become the hunted.

[tense music]

The hatchlings
of a Zupaysaurus...

a predatory dinosaur.

[Zupaysaurus squawks]

And our new dad is
in their nest.

[instrumental soft music]

NARRATOR:
It is 15 million years

after the era of megamonsoons
and this is a drier world.

One group of animals that have
appeared for the first time

are the mammals,
this one's called Chaliminia

and he has left his underground
nest to catch crickets.

Unfortunately,
he has accidentally ended up

in a dinosaur nest
and these are predators.

He must get back
to his hungry babies.

- [Zupaysaurus squawks]
- [dramatic music]

He still has the cricket...

but he's surrounded.

[Zupaysaurus squawks]

And now...

their mom is here.

[sniffles]

This is not looking good
for our new dad.

[dinosaur growling]

Then suddenly...

a miracle.

A herd of Lessemsaurus.

And they want her gone.

Now she must defend
her little ones.

[loud roar]

[Zupaysaurus squawks]

This is our Chaliminia's chance.

Home at last.

His death-defying dinner run won
her a nice-sized cricket.

Unfortunately,
he's got to get out there

and do it 19 more times.

She needs twenty every day.

At a time
when water is so precious,

mammals have claimed
their domain in the undergrowth.

But above ground and
for the next 160 million years,

dinosaurs will
dominate the Earth.

[peaceful music]

Today the only dinosaurs
left are the birds,

[bird chirps]

and Earth is
a very different place.

But one rule still holds,

all living things,

whether plant or animal,
need water to survive.

And rainfall is what
determines the patterns

of life across the globe.

[thunder rumbling]

Where there
is a lot life thrives.

Where there is none,
life struggles.

One animal seems to have
escaped this rule, though...

Humans.

[inspiring music]

Using technology,
we no longer seem

to be dependent
on where it rains.

By diverting water
to anywhere it's needed,

or tapping into deep
underground reservoirs,

we have built cities
in places where we would

otherwise never
be able to survive.

And grown crops
beyond the limits of

what should be possible.

But the one constant
on Earth is change.

And as rainfall patterns
across the planet

are altered by climate change.

We are discovering that

many of these
great innovations can't cope.

We still need it to rain
somewhere,

to fill our reservoirs
and canals.

And Earth still
decides where it rains.

Maybe we haven't travelled
that far.

♪ I see trees of green ♪

♪ Red roses too

♪ I watch them bloom

♪ For me and you

♪ And I think to myself ♪

♪ What a wonderful world ♪

♪ Yes, I think to myself ♪

♪ What a wonderful world ♪

♪