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We're living through THE golden age
of dinosaur discoveries.
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From all over the world,
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00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:16,680
a whole new generation of dinosaurs
has been revealed...
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from the biggest giants
and the deadliest killers
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to the weird
and wonderful.
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00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:39,320
From the Arctic to Africa.
From South America to Asia.
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With the most extraordinary
fossils...
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from dinosaur embryos to
the exquisitely preserved.
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00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:57,080
And using the latest imaging
technology,
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cutting-edge research
has allowed us to probe deeper
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and reveal more than ever before.
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00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,720
It gives us our first truly global
view of these incredible animals.
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In this episode
we look at the new, bizarre
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and extraordinary feathered
dinosaurs,
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many of which have only just
been discovered.
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Some conquered new worlds.
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Others grew to gigantic sizes.
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As we learn more about the evolution
of these feathered beasts,
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they're revolutionising
our understanding of life on Earth,
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blurring the boundaries
between dinosaurs and birds.
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For over a century,
the great dinosaur discoveries
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came from North America and Europe,
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but in the last decade or so,
the focus shifted.
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One country now sits at the centre
of the new dinosaur revolution -
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China.
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In recent years, spectacular fossils
have been uncovered here.
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Amazingly preserved, these fossils
revealed exquisite new details.
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And they are giving us incredible
glimpses into an alien world,
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a world full of the most bizarre
dinosaurs we have ever seen.
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Possibly the strangest of all
lived 154 million years ago,
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in the late Jurassic period.
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An animal that looks like
nothing else on earth.
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Hiding in these lush forests
is Epidexipteryx.
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00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,920
The size of a pigeon, everything
about this creature is odd,
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from the length of its arms
to the shape of its teeth.
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This forest is home
to many predators
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and being small
makes it vulnerable.
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This is Sinraptor.
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00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:03,760
A small dinosaur like Epidexipteryx
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would be of no interest
to a seven-metre adult.
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00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,280
But this is a juvenile,
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and Epidexipteryx
is a perfect-sized snack.
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Being small does have
its advantages,
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because it can escape
to the safety of the trees.
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00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:05,080
Everything we know
about Epidexipteryx
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comes from an incredible fossil,
first revealed in 2008.
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It showed an animal with a small
skull and large eye sockets,
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and unusually long teeth.
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00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,840
With toes suited
to gripping branches
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and very long arms and hands,
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it suggests that this was
a dinosaur well suited
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to living in the trees.
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The extraordinary,
elongated third finger
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is another distinctive feature
of the group.
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With this and its projecting
front teeth, Epidexipteryx
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has the perfect tools to hunt
for insects among the trees.
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00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:15,520
And one of its favourite foods
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are burrowing beetle grubs
that are hiding
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within the trees themselves.
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Prey like this, which is difficult
to catch, is quite a prize -
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a prize that can attract
unwanted attention.
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Here it's another, larger,
Epidexipteryx.
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Stealing food is a common tactic,
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particularly where an animal
possesses an expertise.
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00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:15,080
There is more
to this extraordinary creature
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than first meets the eye.
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Not only was it perfectly designed
for life in the trees,
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but the fossil has also revealed
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that it was covered in short,
simple feathers.
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Feathers that were likely to have
evolved for just one reason -
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to keep it warm.
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00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,040
But there is one last
striking feature -
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four long feathers on its tail.
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00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:41,960
These feathers
aren't like those of modern birds.
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These are long and ribbon-like.
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Almost certainly, only for show.
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They're the earliest record
of ornamental feathers.
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00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:04,400
Not just for attraction
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but also to threaten.
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00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:14,520
In fact, the very name Epidexipteryx
means "display feather",
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and they're among the most
bird-like of any dinosaur.
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Stealing among the trees
is one thing.
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00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:46,600
Stealing on the ground
is quite another.
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00:08:58,040 --> 00:08:59,960
Only among the trees
can you be safe
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from the large predators
like Sinraptor.
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On the ground, a few feathers
offer no protection.
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00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,600
The first feathered dinosaur
was discovered in 1996
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but lots more would quickly follow.
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It suddenly appeared as if
many dinosaur species
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actually had feathers.
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00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:29,640
And confirmed what had
long been suspected -
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a direct link between
dinosaurs and birds.
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A link that can be found
in the dinosaurs that
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lived here in the Mongolian
desert 85 million years ago.
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This is Saurornithoides.
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It's a member of the Troodon family
and we have discovered
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actual fossils of these dinosaurs
sitting on a nest.
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It takes days to
lay a full clutch of eggs
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and until that's complete,
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this animal won't
begin its brooding behaviour
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and start sitting on the next.
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With the Saurornithoides
off foraging,
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this unguarded nest provides
an invitation for predators.
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This is an Oviraptorid - a
bizarre-looking theropod dinosaur.
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With no teeth,
they were mostly plant eaters.
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But that doesn't mean
it won't take advantage
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of a different kind of lunch.
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We know Oviraptorids
were mostly plant eaters
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because of some amazing evidence
we have found.
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One fossil in particular
was incredibly well preserved.
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Inside its body
were small stones - gastroliths.
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Just like a bird,
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it had swallowed these
to help digest tough plants.
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But when the remains
of two unrelated embryos
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were discovered
in an Oviraptorid nest,
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it suggested that some
were not just plant eaters
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but may have been nest-raiders
as well.
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With two bony projections
in its upper jaw,
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this Oviraptorid has the tools
to break into an egg
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and get at the precious
contents inside.
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00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,040
It means that a nesting animal
like a Saurornithoides
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can never turn its attention
away for long.
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But two lost eggs
are the least of its problems.
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Here, some nest raiders
are bigger than others.
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This is Gigantoraptor.
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00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:25,800
Gigantoraptor was discovered in 2007
in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia.
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The sheer size of the bones
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00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:31,720
revealed it was unlike
anything found before -
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eight metres long and weighing
around 1.5 tonnes.
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From its bones, we know
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it was 35 times bigger than
its closest Oviraptorid relatives.
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And yet this giant
wasn't even fully grown.
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it was "like finding a mouse
the size of a cow".
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We don't know for sure
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if such a huge dinosaur
like Gigantoraptor
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would have or need feathers.
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00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:22,600
In dinosaurs, feathers are usually
found as a fine body covering
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00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,360
and appear to be
mainly for keeping warm.
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00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,640
But feathers were found,
and preserved on a fossil
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of one of Gigantoraptor's
close relatives.
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00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:45,840
And on the forearms and tail
are the unmistakeable traces
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of longer symmetrical feathers,
similar to a modern bird's.
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It seems certain that Gigantoraptor
too was feathered,
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making this the largest feathered
animal ever discovered.
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These aren't for flight -
Gigantoraptor couldn't fly.
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Nor are they for insulation.
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These are used to intimidate
or attract.
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Across the world,
discovery after discovery
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has revealed more
and more features -
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from nesting to feathers -
that were once thought of
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as exclusively bird-like but have
now also been found in dinosaurs.
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But the ultimate discovery
is perhaps that of a dinosaur
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that lived in Northeast China
around 120 million years ago.
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This remote area has revealed
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spectacular fossils
in exquisite detail,
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unearthing an astonishing
diversity of animals,
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many of which are well adapted
to living in trees.
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One particular dinosaur discovery
takes this to a whole new level.
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This is Xianglong.
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With curved claws, it's a lizard
well suited to climbing trees.
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With prey like this,
predators were sure to follow.
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The most common dinosaur
in these forests
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doesn't live on the ground.
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Microraptor.
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The fossils of Microraptor
are so well preserved
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they clearly reveal every detail
of its anatomy.
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With distinctive claws
on its first toe,
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this is a member
of the raptor family.
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00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:07,480
But these claws evolved
for climbing, rather than killing.
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At less than a metre long,
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this was a dinosaur perfectly suited
to live in the trees.
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Microraptor is small, and perfectly
adapted to chasing prey.
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Xianglong, however, has a trick.
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This is a flying lizard.
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It seems to have the perfect skill
to escape.
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But the fossils of Microraptor
reveal something else.
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This was a feathered dinosaur,
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but these feathers aren't
for keeping warm or for show.
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Their structure is plainly
visible from the fossils.
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They are very long, veined
and most importantly,
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their shape creates a perfect
aerodynamic surface.
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And they aren't confined
to its forearms.
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Its legs, too, had long feathers.
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These feathers are designed
for one thing only - flight.
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00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:40,160
Microraptor is
a four-winged dinosaur...
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that took to the skies.
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But in these Chinese forests,
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Microraptor isn't the only
flying monster.
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Sinornithosaurus.
Closely related and larger.
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More than capable of stealing prey.
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But it has larger prey in mind.
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Microraptor is now the hunted.
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00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:08,360
Both can fly.
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00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:14,520
But this isn't powered flight -
it's gliding.
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Recent research has revealed
how Microraptor flew.
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00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:24,520
It didn't have the muscles
for powered flight,
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00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:27,520
so instead it made
the most of its four wings.
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00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:32,160
By holding its rear legs back
and to the sides,
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00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:35,560
it was able to become an incredibly
efficient glider...
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00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:43,400
..moving through the forest in a
series of long, looping glides.
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Having longer flight feathers
on both its arms and legs,
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Microraptor is by far
the better glider.
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00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,920
But with no ability to gain height,
the only way is down.
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And once on the ground,
the long feathers
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turn from an advantage
into weakness.
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00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:36,520
Microraptor is barely able
to walk, much less run.
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00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:41,680
Sinornithosaurus
has no such problem.
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00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:44,440
On the forest floor,
the tables are turned.
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Microraptor has a fortunate escape.
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00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:19,040
Sinornithosaurus was one of
the first feathered dinosaurs found.
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The fossils are so perfectly
preserved
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they have helped us solve
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00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,040
one of the great dinosaur
mysteries.
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00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:28,400
For years, the colour of dinosaurs
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00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,720
was thought impossible to work out.
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00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:35,240
In 2010, it was discovered
that the feathers on this fossil
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00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:37,120
weren't just impressions.
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00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:43,200
Under the microscope,
tiny structures were revealed
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00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,760
identical to those
found in modern birds -
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00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,800
structures that contain
the pigment.
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00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,640
Remarkably,
by comparing them to living birds,
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00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,160
we can even work out
the true colours.
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00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:05,400
The feathers appear to be
a combination of reddish-browns,
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00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,120
yellows, greys and blacks,
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00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:10,320
perfectly suited to forest life.
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00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:26,280
Another dinosaur living
in this forest is Jeholosaurus,
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a small plant eater.
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00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:36,320
Recent fossils indicate
that this type of dinosaur
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00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:39,880
looks after
and protects its young.
230
00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:02,120
With feathers that allow it
to blend in with the forest,
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00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:05,840
Sinornithosaurus can move, unseen,
through the tree tops.
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00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:28,720
And Sinornithosaurus is a hunter
with a potent secret weapon.
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00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:39,120
In 2011, a study of the eyes
of this creature revealed
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00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:41,480
that it was a predator
perfectly capable
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00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:44,240
of hunting equally
during day and night.
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00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:54,400
And a study of its teeth, in 2009,
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00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:58,480
showed something that definitely
sets it apart from birds.
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00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:00,360
Something far more deadly.
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00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:04,400
The greatest danger
is not simply being outnumbered.
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00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,320
We have found that
Sinornithosaurus teeth
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00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:15,040
have unusual and distinctive
grooves along their length.
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00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,960
They resembled those of
the venomous Gila monster,
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00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:23,160
the grooves in its teeth used to
deliver venom into its victim.
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00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:28,840
The team even identified what
they thought was the location
245
00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:30,920
of the venom sac in the fossil.
246
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:34,560
It appeared Sinornithosaurus
could kill with poison.
247
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:17,840
This is a far more deadly predator
than anyone ever imagined...
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00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:22,280
and completes an extraordinary
picture of a bizarre lost world.
249
00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:27,920
All of these discoveries
reveal the importance of feathers
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00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:30,480
to a whole host of dinosaurs -
251
00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:35,400
from insulation to defence
and finally, flight.
252
00:28:37,360 --> 00:28:41,200
And Microraptor not only
hints at how flight developed,
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00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:46,920
but also, that dinosaurs still
live amongst us today,
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00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:48,840
as birds.
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00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:07,320
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
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00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:09,160
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21475
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