All language subtitles for Death of a Dynasty

This little mammal is a scavenger.

Called Didelphodon,
she is a marsupial

and specialises in raiding
abandoned dinosaur nests.

This evening, she could be in luck.

Unfortunately, the smell of the nest
blinds her senses to danger.

(Squeaking)

(Huge roar)

(Bellows )

The end of the Cretaceous.

The continents
are taking their modern forms.

But this movement
of the Earth's crust

has produced a surge
in volcanic activity.

Massive eruptions
that have lasted for centuries

have laid waste to landscapes,

filling the atmosphere
with gases and debris.

This desolate world
is still ruled by dinosaurs,

as it has been
for 160 million years,

but they are nearing the end
of their reign.

Life on earth is choking to death.

Yet in the last two million years,

Yet in the last two million years,

the dinosaurs'
most infamous predator has appeared.

Tyrannosaurus, a five-tonne,
13-metre long carnivore,

specifically evolved
to kill other giant dinosaurs.

This is a male.

He's been drawn to this volcano
by the smell of food.

The area is full
of geothermal springs

and the air thick
with sulphurous fumes.

But there is another smell here.

In one small valley,
there is the stench of death.

Unwittingly, the Tyrannosaurus
has been drawn into a natural trap.

Volcanic vents are producing
poisonous carbon monoxide,

and because it is heavier than air,

it has formed a suffocating layer
close to the ground.

The giant predator
stands above the layer,

but as he puts
his head down to feed

he begins to feel the effects.

If he topples over now,
he will never get up.

Eventually,
his sheer size is his salvation.

As he stands up with his prize,
his head just clears the gas layer.

There are still islands of greenery
between the lava flows.

In the warm, moist climate
of the late Cretaceous,

the vegetation has transformed.

Instead of conifers,

broad-leaved trees
fill the forest canopy.

Driving this quiet revolution
among the plants

is the remarkable
evolution of flowers.

Their secret lies in their
intimate relationship with insects,

so close that some flowers
can only be pollinated by insects

and some insects, like butterflies,
can only feed on flowers.

Among these new plants,
the birds are flourishing,

and their calls form
an ever-present chorus.

Millions of years of evolution

have also created
intimate relationships

among different types of dinosaurs.

Especially the delicate balance
between predator and prey.

(Terrifying squawk)

(Hissing roar)

0ne dinosaur
that specialises in defence

is the extraordinary Ankylosaurus.

They are evolved to withstand attack
even from giant predators

like Tyrannosaurus.

At seven tonnes, Ankylosaurus
are so heavily armoured

that even their eyelids
are hardened.

And if that wasn't enough,
they have a formidable club

on the end of their tails.

Sadly, not even these magnificent
creatures have any defence

against the natural forces
that are suffocating their world.

Nearby lies the Tyrannosaurus nest.

These are usually
closely guarded by the mother,

but this nest has been abandoned,

and a Didelphodon
has burrowed into the side.

Dinosaurs are vulnerable because
they lay their eggs on the ground.

But size helps,

But size helps,

and the egg is a challenge
for this marsupial.

Soon the age of the mammals
will dawn,

and they will grow massive,

but this is as big
as Cretaceous mammals get.

The Tyrannosaurus embryo inside
the abandoned egg is already dead.

The scent is a lure
to another Didelphodon.

(Snarls and growls)

(Growling)

(Loud shrieks )

Many dinosaur embryos cannot
survive in this volcanic environment

Many dinosaur embryos cannot
survive in this volcanic environment

because acidic pollution

prevents their eggshells
from forming properly.

(Bellowing)

The mother is calling
for a new mate.

Tyrannosaurus have huge territories
of hundreds of square kilometres.

Her challenge is to attract
a wandering male.

She may have to call
like this for weeks.

0ne of the Tyrannosaurus's
principal sources of prey

are these bulky Torosaurus.

In the late Cretaceous, herds of
horned herbivores are very common

and attract many predators.

It is rutting season. To display,
males flush blood into their crests,

creating vivid patterns.

These displays help
to avoid physical contact.

With one-metre-long horns,

fighting can easily result
in bad injuries.

The best and the brightest crest

is all that is needed
to settle arguments.

0ccasionally,
showing off is not enough

and males resort to brute force.

For this old Torosaurus,
this was one fight too many.

He will never again
challenge for the right to mate.

(Gruff mooing)

The mating call
of the Tyrannosaurus

continues to echo
across the volcanic slopes.

And it has been heard.

A male has killed
a young Triceratops.

It's not just to satisfy his hunger.
It is a gift.

Female Tyrannosaurus
are larger and more aggressive than a male,

and he needs to court her with food

to stop her attacking him on sight.

(Hisses )

(Growls)

(Growls)

The female arrives.

(Short roars )

She is wary.

The primary weapon
of a Tyrannosaurus is its mouth.

The primary weapon
of a Tyrannosaurus is its mouth.

Its arms are tiny
so it can carry a massive jaw

and remain balanced on his legs.

This jaw can crush bone
and tear off up to 70 kg of meat

with one bite.

The male keeps his distance.

Later that evening, they mate.

This is the first of many couplings

as the male stays by the female
while she is receptive -

ready to see off any other males.

0n the lava flows,
a group of Anatotitan

wanders between islands of greenery.

These animals are members
of the hadrosaur family,

the most common group of dinosaurs
in the Late Cretaceous.

But their kind has evolved

to thrive in lush lowland swamps,
not in an ash wilderness.

Three days have passed.

The Triceratops carcass
has been stripped

and the female Tyrannosaurus
is beginning to tire of her mate.

(Roars )

(Hisses )

The male knows better than to stay.

Gliding in from the coast,

a magnificent pterosaur,
Quetzalcoatlus, is hunting for food.

This is now a rare sight.

For the last 20 million years, these flying
reptiles have been in decline.

These 13-metre giants
are the only ones left.

And this is a dangerous place to be.

0ne-tonne crocodiles
live in the lake,

and could easily drag
the delicate glider to his death.

Driven on to extinction.

The skies of the future
belong to the birds

that already flourish around him.

Months have passed,
and the female Tyrannosaurus

has built a new nest,
camouflaged in the forest.

Mother keeps watch.

For the full two months
of the eggs' incubation,

she will not leave or even eat.

She knows her nest
is a magnet to scavengers.

Like this Dromaeosaur.

His cautious approach
is watched by the Tyrannosaurus.

She judges exactly
when he has got too close.

(Roars )

(Squeals)

As the sun sets, another threat
comes out to haunt the mother.

(Chirps and yowls)

(Growls)

(Bellowing roar)

With food becoming scarce,
the mammals are getting bolder.

She checks to make sure
more have not burrowed in,

then returns to her vigil.

The weeks pass, and above
the brilliant volcanic sunsets,

there are signs of an even more
destructive natural disaster.

Showers of shooting stars
herald the approach of a giant comet

on a collision course
with the Earth.

Far below,
the dinosaurs are oblivious.

The Torosaurus herd
continues to feed.

The Torosaurus herd
continues to feed.

Nervous of moonlight predators,

younger animals seek protection
among the larger adults.

(Restless mooing)

Using the darkness, a pair
of Dromaeosaurs unsettle the herd

and isolate one of the youngsters.

(Hoarse shrieks )

(Lowing noises )

(Shrieking)

Safe. But the predators have tasted
blood and will not give up easily.

Morning reveals
the results of last night's tussle.

The little Torosaurus lost his fight
with the predators.

For the herd, it is a blow.
Too few young are being born

in this polluted environment.

A Didelphodon
is already at the carcass.

These little opportunists are about
the only animals that are thriving.

During their reign, dinosaurs
have adapted to huge changes

but now they face
a combination of events

that will spell their doom.

After trekking
across the ash fields,

Anatotitans gather round
a stagnant pool to drink and feed.

Huge batteries of chewing teeth

make short work of the vegetation.

0nce again, the predators make
the water's edge a dangerous place.

The group senses danger
and starts to break up.

The mother Tyrannosaurus
has broken her fast

and is back with a vengeance.

Nearby is the reason for her hunger.
Three Tyrannosaurus chicks.

The only survivors
from a clutch of twelve.

The moment they hear the kill,

they start calling for food.

(Mewling and yelping)

The mother delivers
a slab of Anatotitan meat.

0nly four weeks old
and less than a metre high,

competition is intense between them.

0ne is already picked on
by the others.

(Faint mews )

They'll remain under their mother's
protection for another two months.

Soon after that,
she will abandon them,

or worse, view them as food.

It is unlikely
the outcast will last that long.

A few days later
and the mother rests

in the warm afternoon sun.

There is no sign
of the smaller runt.

He may have been killed
by his siblings.

Increasingly, the bickering pair are
happy to wander from their mother

to explore their surroundings.

(Squawks )

From the undergrowth,
a snake watches.

These reptiles
have only recently evolved

from the same family as lizards,

but they specialise in hunting
warm-blooded creatures like mammals.

They use sensory pits
on their snouts

as a way of detecting the heat
signatures of other animals.

It doesn't like what it sees.

(Hissing)

While the chicks play, they are
oblivious to approaching danger.

(Hoarse grunting)

The mother is caught
completely by surprise.

The Ankylosaurus has very little
brain inside its reinforced skull,

so when faced with danger, it reacts
automatically and aggressively.

Normally,
Tyrannosaurus would retreat,

but she will not abandon her young.

(Low grunting)

(Roar)

The blow has cracked
the mother's femur

and ruptured internal organs.

She limps away in agony.

(Chicks squawk)

That night, the usual evening chorus

is joined by the whimper
of a dying giant.

By morning, she lies lifeless
on the baking ash fields.

The chicks stand expectantly by
the colossal corpse of their mother.

Hours pass, and still they wait.

But their fate will now be settled,

along with all the other
giant dinosaurs of the Cretaceous.

3,000 km to the south, the massive
comet crashes into Earth.

(Dinosaurs squawking)

The light from the impact
fades in silence.

Then the shock waves arrive.

(Rumbling)

Next comes the blast front.

(Winds howl)

(Tearing and crashing)

Finally a rain of molten rock starts
to fall out of the darkening sky -

Finally a rain of molten rock starts
to fall out of the darkening sky -

this is the end
of the age of the dinosaurs.

The comet struck the Gulf of Mexico

with the force of 10 billion
Hiroshima bombs.

In the catastrophic climate changes
that followed,

65% of life died out.

It took millions of years
for Earth to recover,

and when it did,
the giant dinosaurs were gone,

never to return.

In their place have emerged other
powerful and beautiful creatures.

We now know one small group
of dinosaurs

did survive the extinction -

and they are all around us today -

the birds.