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1
00:00:04,300 --> 00:00:08,000
Ini Bumi.
4,4 milyar tahun yang lalu.
2
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,544
Sebuah bola steril yang beracun dari puing-puing yang menghanguskan.
3
00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,000
Meteorit menghujani permukaannya.
4
00:00:20,500 --> 00:00:23,500
Awan asam mematikan menyelundupkannya.
5
00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:28,000
Bumi tampaknya ditakdirkan untuk
tetap tanpa kehidupan.
6
00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:32,000
Lalu semuanya berubah.
7
00:00:50,564 --> 00:00:53,863
Planet lain, Thea, menabrak Bumi...
8
00:00:54,067 --> 00:00:55,694
dan lalu kedua planet menyatu,
9
00:00:55,902 --> 00:00:58,268
Menciptakan dunia baru.
10
00:00:58,605 --> 00:00:59,970
Dunia kita.
11
00:01:01,575 --> 00:01:05,306
Bahkan sampai saat ini,
Thea berada tepat di bawah kaki kita.
12
00:01:08,615 --> 00:01:11,482
Sebuah kepingan kecil dari Thea menjadi bulan kita.
13
00:01:14,154 --> 00:01:16,918
Dan perlahan laut kita pun terbentuk.
14
00:01:17,524 --> 00:01:20,789
Sampai kehidupan di Bumi siap untuk dimulai.
15
00:01:22,062 --> 00:01:25,395
Tapi siapa yang mewarisi planet biru ini?
16
00:01:29,669 --> 00:01:34,629
Seri ini akan menceritakan sebuah kisah yang luar biasa
dari kehidupan sebelum masa Dinosaurus.
17
00:01:35,408 --> 00:01:37,171
Sebuah masa ketika makhluk yang aneh dan liar...
18
00:01:37,377 --> 00:01:41,040
berjuang dalam pertarungan yang kejam
untuk menguasai Bumi.
19
00:01:48,321 --> 00:01:51,256
Diantara mereka adalah
para leluhur paling awal kita sendiri,
20
00:01:52,192 --> 00:01:56,561
yang bertahan akan memutuskan
apakah kita manusia akan ada nantinya.
21
00:02:01,401 --> 00:02:02,197
Saat mereka berevolusi,
22
00:02:02,402 --> 00:02:04,734
makhluk-makhluk aneh ini
menciptakan cetak biru...
23
00:02:04,938 --> 00:02:06,496
tidak hanya untuk tubuh kita,
24
00:02:06,706 --> 00:02:09,072
tapi untuk semua yang hidup saat ini.
25
00:02:20,253 --> 00:02:22,778
Ini adalah kisah kehidupan yang terlupakan.
26
00:02:25,058 --> 00:02:27,526
Sebuah perang yang epik untuk dunia kita.
27
00:02:29,062 --> 00:02:31,895
Sebuah perang antara para monster.
28
00:03:01,795 --> 00:03:03,763
Ini adalah planet kita,
29
00:03:03,964 --> 00:03:06,990
530 juta tahun yang lalu.
30
00:03:09,636 --> 00:03:11,797
Belum ada kehidupan di daratan,
31
00:03:12,038 --> 00:03:15,132
tapi di lautan itu hal yang berbeda.
32
00:03:25,418 --> 00:03:29,115
Kehidupan sudah berkembang
selama jutaan tahun...
33
00:03:29,322 --> 00:03:31,722
lambat namun pasti.
34
00:03:32,759 --> 00:03:34,317
Lautan penuh akan makhluk sederhana ini,
35
00:03:34,527 --> 00:03:36,256
makhluk-makhluk bertubuh lunak,
36
00:03:36,463 --> 00:03:39,057
terombang-ambing dalam arus.
37
00:03:41,668 --> 00:03:45,126
Namun begitu, sekarang, di perairan dangkal ini,
38
00:03:45,338 --> 00:03:48,774
evolusi sudah berkembang pesat.
39
00:03:54,114 --> 00:03:57,242
Para pemangsa mengambil giliran yang pertama.
40
00:03:59,119 --> 00:04:03,579
Ini adalah Anomalocaris,
Pemangsa super pertama di Bumi.
41
00:04:06,526 --> 00:04:09,620
Monster berukuran dua meter ini
mendapatkan kesuksesan mereka...
42
00:04:09,829 --> 00:04:12,992
dari sebuah evolusi menakjubkan di bumi.
43
00:04:16,669 --> 00:04:18,102
Mata.
44
00:04:19,372 --> 00:04:22,705
Mereka mungkin kelihatan aneh
tapi mereka tidak unik.
45
00:04:24,778 --> 00:04:26,643
Banyak pemangsa pada masa Lautan Cambrian...
46
00:04:26,846 --> 00:04:29,007
juga telah mengembangkan mata.
47
00:04:31,618 --> 00:04:33,483
Dan begitu juga mangsa mereka.
48
00:04:34,988 --> 00:04:37,684
Akibatnya sungguh luar biasa.
49
00:04:44,030 --> 00:04:46,760
Mampu melihat dan bereaksi terhadap musuh...
50
00:04:46,966 --> 00:04:50,663
telah memicu perlombaan senjata
antara pemangsa dan mangsanya.
51
00:04:53,406 --> 00:04:55,203
Pertarungan ini berlanjut hingga sekarang...
52
00:04:55,408 --> 00:04:58,673
dan menjadi alasan utama dibalik keanekaragaman hayati.
53
00:05:00,647 --> 00:05:03,275
Untuk bertarung menjadi terlihat dan rentan,
54
00:05:03,483 --> 00:05:05,883
80 % makhluk di perairan dangkal ini...
55
00:05:06,086 --> 00:05:09,522
memiliki cangkang yang keras
di bagian luar tubuh mereka.
56
00:05:10,690 --> 00:05:13,682
Hewan-hewan bercangkang ini disebut Arthropoda.
57
00:05:13,893 --> 00:05:14,621
Di masa depan,
58
00:05:14,828 --> 00:05:17,456
merekalah leluhur bagi serangga dan Laba-laba.
59
00:05:19,332 --> 00:05:20,856
Tapi di perairan yang sesak ini...
60
00:05:21,067 --> 00:05:23,058
selalu ada kompetisi dimana-mana,
61
00:05:23,269 --> 00:05:28,332
dan bahkan pertahanan keras Anomalocaris
pun perlu diuji.
62
00:06:18,491 --> 00:06:21,756
Cangkang yang kaku akan pecah kalau
ditekuk terlalu jauh,
63
00:06:22,228 --> 00:06:24,560
membuat yang kalah menjadi sangat rentan.
64
00:06:25,598 --> 00:06:28,362
Bagi sebuah ancaman yang tidak disangka-sangka.
65
00:06:46,286 --> 00:06:48,254
Ini adalah Haikouichthys.
66
00:06:48,454 --> 00:06:50,285
He's the size of your thumbnail,
67
00:06:50,490 --> 00:06:52,856
but he's an evolutionary giant.
68
00:06:53,092 --> 00:06:54,957
He's the first ever fish.
69
00:06:55,161 --> 00:06:57,356
Our earliest known ancestor.
70
00:06:58,665 --> 00:06:59,427
He's unique,
71
00:06:59,632 --> 00:07:02,430
because instead of having
armour on the outside,
72
00:07:02,635 --> 00:07:04,296
he's tough inside.
73
00:07:05,572 --> 00:07:08,097
He's evolved a primitive backbone.
74
00:07:12,312 --> 00:07:14,746
He's the very first vertebrate.
75
00:07:14,948 --> 00:07:17,746
Forerunner of all future backboned animals,
76
00:07:17,951 --> 00:07:21,409
from the dinosaur, to the elephant, to us.
77
00:07:23,923 --> 00:07:25,447
His flexible backbone makes him
78
00:07:25,658 --> 00:07:28,786
more manoeuvrable than
spineless Anomalocaris.
79
00:07:28,995 --> 00:07:32,795
He can scavenge flesh,
then dart away unharmed.
80
00:07:48,348 --> 00:07:52,580
Our tiny backboned ancestors
have survived a sea of monsters,
81
00:07:52,852 --> 00:07:55,252
but there are still many more battles ahead.
82
00:07:55,488 --> 00:07:57,854
They must adapt or die.
83
00:07:58,625 --> 00:08:01,059
Evolution takes over.
84
00:08:06,332 --> 00:08:08,527
As millions of years pass,
85
00:08:08,735 --> 00:08:11,397
fish build on their basic design.
86
00:08:11,704 --> 00:08:13,262
The muscles around their backbone
87
00:08:13,473 --> 00:08:17,807
evolve into a powerful tail
and fins appear.
88
00:08:21,881 --> 00:08:24,372
They evolve a distinct head.
89
00:08:31,224 --> 00:08:33,454
He may not look like you or l,
90
00:08:33,660 --> 00:08:38,154
but this odd fish is becoming
the blueprint for our own bodies.
91
00:08:52,278 --> 00:08:53,643
This is Cephalaspis.
92
00:08:53,846 --> 00:08:58,146
She's a peaceful grazer who sucks up algae
through herjawless mouth.
93
00:08:58,351 --> 00:09:02,583
But she's also developed
a tough protective head and thick scales.
94
00:09:05,191 --> 00:09:08,752
Our ancestor's arthropod enemies
have also been evolving
95
00:09:08,961 --> 00:09:11,623
and they're ready for round two.
96
00:09:22,041 --> 00:09:24,009
A hundred million years have passed
97
00:09:24,210 --> 00:09:28,943
and the fight for survival has filled
the Silurian seas with variety.
98
00:09:35,455 --> 00:09:38,549
Some creatures here
would be recognisable today.
99
00:09:40,493 --> 00:09:44,259
Sponges filter food alongside sea urchins.
100
00:09:48,301 --> 00:09:52,067
The orthocone is a distant relative
of squid and cuttlefish,
101
00:09:52,405 --> 00:09:54,600
but he's as long as a truck.
102
00:09:59,579 --> 00:10:01,171
This world is terrorised by
103
00:10:01,381 --> 00:10:05,909
a new improved generation
of armoured arthropods.
104
00:10:12,458 --> 00:10:14,892
Meet Brontoscorpio.
105
00:10:18,198 --> 00:10:24,857
He's kind may look like modern scorpions
but they're a metre long and have gills.
106
00:10:27,569 --> 00:10:29,202
The arthropods have upped their game.
107
00:10:30,069 --> 00:10:33,102
These monsters have a superior armoury
to Anomalocaris,
108
00:10:34,103 --> 00:10:36,502
a stinger the size of a light bulb.
109
00:10:38,569 --> 00:10:41,502
Scorpions are the top predators
in the Silurian seas.
110
00:10:43,069 --> 00:10:46,902
And prey is plentyfull in their
seabed hunting ground.
111
00:10:53,175 --> 00:10:55,966
Brontoscorpio zeros in on his next meal.
112
00:11:11,417 --> 00:11:14,978
But Cephalaspis has evolved
an early warning system.
113
00:11:16,655 --> 00:11:21,524
Special sensors on her skin
detect the tiniest vibrations in the water.
114
00:11:23,896 --> 00:11:26,126
We've inherited similar senses.
115
00:11:26,332 --> 00:11:28,493
They make us sensitive to touch.
116
00:11:41,213 --> 00:11:45,912
With her defensive headgear,
Cephalaspis can't swim fast for long.
117
00:11:46,118 --> 00:11:47,915
She must rest frequently.
118
00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:50,884
Soon she'll tire completely.
119
00:12:09,508 --> 00:12:11,806
Cephalaspis suddenly changes her path.
120
00:12:12,011 --> 00:12:14,241
She's picking up bad vibrations.
121
00:12:14,446 --> 00:12:17,574
Something Brontoscorpio can't detect.
122
00:12:33,732 --> 00:12:37,168
Pterygotus is the Titan of sea scorpions.
123
00:12:38,504 --> 00:12:41,166
The biggest arthropod of all time.
124
00:12:42,575 --> 00:12:44,304
More than three metres long,
125
00:12:44,510 --> 00:12:46,808
she's the size of a crocodile.
126
00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:57,918
She has turned the tables on Brontoscorpio.
127
00:12:58,123 --> 00:13:00,557
He'll make a good meal for her young.
128
00:13:13,239 --> 00:13:16,697
ln such dangerous seas
there's nowhere to hide.
129
00:13:16,909 --> 00:13:18,433
When breeding seasons comes,
130
00:13:18,644 --> 00:13:21,613
the Cephalaspis congregate to
head for the one place
131
00:13:21,814 --> 00:13:24,806
they might escape a scorpion's grasp.
132
00:13:28,220 --> 00:13:30,882
Fresh water, inland.
133
00:13:38,897 --> 00:13:41,889
Land at this time is like an alien planet.
134
00:13:42,101 --> 00:13:46,902
lt's a barren expanse of roasting rock
hotter than the Sahara.
135
00:13:53,275 --> 00:13:55,243
The air would be toxic to us.
136
00:13:55,444 --> 00:13:56,809
lt has much less oxygen
137
00:13:57,012 --> 00:14:00,539
and three hundred times more
carbon dioxide than today.
138
00:14:02,818 --> 00:14:06,811
But some forms of life
have gained a foothold in this furnace.
139
00:14:07,590 --> 00:14:10,252
The first pioneering plants.
140
00:14:11,393 --> 00:14:14,760
Cooksonia has a unique survival strategy.
141
00:14:14,964 --> 00:14:20,630
lt's the first plant to send shoots upwards,
trapping extra light to help it grow.
142
00:14:21,737 --> 00:14:26,197
This basic design will eventually
lead to our tallest forests.
143
00:14:36,652 --> 00:14:40,986
The Cephalaspis convoy ploughs upriver,
away from the sea.
144
00:14:42,758 --> 00:14:44,191
They're making the marathon journey
145
00:14:44,393 --> 00:14:47,419
back to the spawning grounds
where they hatched.
146
00:14:48,631 --> 00:14:52,795
lncredibly our fish ancestors
already use memory.
147
00:14:53,002 --> 00:14:55,766
They use familiar landmarks to navigate.
148
00:15:00,009 --> 00:15:02,842
Their toughened heads
protect a vital weapon.
149
00:15:03,045 --> 00:15:05,513
One of the first complex brains.
150
00:15:07,316 --> 00:15:10,149
lt's much more developed
than their scorpion rivals
151
00:15:10,352 --> 00:15:12,320
who have no memory at all.
152
00:15:14,423 --> 00:15:16,323
lt's thanks to these primitive fish
153
00:15:16,525 --> 00:15:19,392
that we can think and solve problems today.
154
00:15:22,131 --> 00:15:24,929
But the fish have
underestimated their enemy.
155
00:15:32,474 --> 00:15:35,534
lt is the arthropods and not our ancestors
156
00:15:35,744 --> 00:15:41,410
who have taken the first momentous steps
out of the sea into dry land.
157
00:15:43,786 --> 00:15:46,914
Brontoscorpio has a huge advantage.
158
00:15:52,461 --> 00:15:53,519
As well as gills
159
00:15:53,729 --> 00:15:58,530
he has simple lungs made up of
hundreds of thin layers of tissue.
160
00:15:59,702 --> 00:16:02,193
He can't breath in and out like we do.
161
00:16:02,438 --> 00:16:05,100
He just absorbs the oxygen into his blood.
162
00:16:12,114 --> 00:16:15,379
Equipped to maximise
the little oxygen available
163
00:16:15,584 --> 00:16:18,246
and with their armour
to protect them from the sun,
164
00:16:18,921 --> 00:16:21,253
the scorpions patrol the shoreline,
165
00:16:21,457 --> 00:16:25,018
scavenging on whatever
the sea washes up next.
166
00:16:37,473 --> 00:16:40,636
Finally the fish approach their destination.
167
00:16:40,843 --> 00:16:43,505
They've navigated their way
back to the spawning pool,
168
00:16:43,712 --> 00:16:45,577
where their lives began.
169
00:16:46,582 --> 00:16:48,447
Weak from their long journey,
170
00:16:48,650 --> 00:16:51,050
now they have to cross a ridge of rock
171
00:16:51,253 --> 00:16:53,949
to make it from the river, to the pool.
172
00:17:08,704 --> 00:17:12,572
The first fish make it through
and start to lay their eggs.
173
00:17:19,114 --> 00:17:22,515
But the exhausted Cephalaspis have company.
174
00:17:33,295 --> 00:17:36,662
Passing scorpions have stumbled
on this bounty.
175
00:17:52,881 --> 00:17:55,509
But the fish have numbers on their side.
176
00:17:55,818 --> 00:17:58,753
The clever Cephalaspis
have navigated their way,
177
00:17:58,954 --> 00:18:02,117
while Brontoscorpio are only here by luck.
178
00:18:03,025 --> 00:18:07,359
They're soon stuffed to the gills
while the fish keepjumping.
179
00:18:16,071 --> 00:18:20,235
One scorpion is still hungry,
but he can't feed.
180
00:18:21,910 --> 00:18:24,845
He's become a prisoner in his own skin.
181
00:18:27,783 --> 00:18:30,684
His rigid skeleton is now a handicap.
182
00:18:31,053 --> 00:18:33,419
lt can't grow with his body.
183
00:18:35,157 --> 00:18:38,615
He needs to shed his hard skin
and then grow another,
184
00:18:38,827 --> 00:18:41,660
expanding while the new one is still soft.
185
00:18:44,333 --> 00:18:47,734
For such a large creature,
this is a long process.
186
00:19:06,388 --> 00:19:10,290
Next morning,
there's no sign of life in the spawning pool.
187
00:19:12,227 --> 00:19:15,162
The scorpion has missed his chance.
188
00:19:22,905 --> 00:19:25,100
Our ancestors have survived.
189
00:19:25,307 --> 00:19:28,606
They've laid their eggs
and are returning to the sea.
190
00:19:29,111 --> 00:19:31,579
Brain has triumphed over brawn,
191
00:19:31,813 --> 00:19:35,010
and soon they won't be such soft targets.
192
00:19:35,350 --> 00:19:39,252
Evolution starts to give
them weapons to fight back.
193
00:19:46,728 --> 00:19:48,320
Over millions of years,
194
00:19:48,530 --> 00:19:54,298
the fish's gills adapt to form
the first jaw with the very first teeth.
195
00:19:54,603 --> 00:19:57,401
Now they're equipped to go on the attack.
196
00:19:59,841 --> 00:20:04,005
Some develop tougher bones and muscles
in their fins and shoulders,
197
00:20:04,212 --> 00:20:06,646
which become the first limbs.
198
00:20:07,582 --> 00:20:10,346
This is where our arms and legs began.
199
00:20:14,389 --> 00:20:16,584
With this four-limbed design,
200
00:20:16,792 --> 00:20:21,456
our ancestors finally haul themselves
out of water on to land.
201
00:20:33,942 --> 00:20:37,275
This is the giant amphibian, Hynerpeton.
202
00:20:37,879 --> 00:20:42,646
The prototype land dweller
for the next three hundred million years.
203
00:21:00,535 --> 00:21:03,470
Hynerpeton are over a metre
and a half in length,
204
00:21:03,672 --> 00:21:06,106
much larger than most amphibians today.
205
00:21:08,410 --> 00:21:11,140
They've carved out a home
along the water's edge.
206
00:21:14,783 --> 00:21:18,751
Some of their Arthropod enemies have
now become land specialists.
207
00:21:19,552 --> 00:21:22,547
but the air here isn't so
oxygen rich as water.
208
00:21:23,152 --> 00:21:28,947
The Arthropod's primitive lungs can only
absorb enough oxygen to fuel smaller bodys.
209
00:21:29,652 --> 00:21:34,547
To adapt they had to reduce their size,
and now their role has been reversed.
210
00:21:35,152 --> 00:21:39,047
They've helped feed the growth of
our amphibian ancestors.
211
00:21:44,726 --> 00:21:48,719
Still, life for this pioneer
is far from easy.
212
00:21:54,769 --> 00:21:56,634
lt's a whole new world.
213
00:22:10,613 --> 00:22:15,346
ln the last fifty million years,
plants have developed into trees.
214
00:22:18,087 --> 00:22:19,884
And with nothing around to eat them,
215
00:22:20,089 --> 00:22:24,185
they've grown into vast forests
pumping oxygen into the air.
216
00:22:31,067 --> 00:22:36,004
Hynerpeton has evolved complex lungs
to exploit this new oxygen.
217
00:22:39,275 --> 00:22:43,905
His lungs are sacks, just like ours,
and he breaths like we do.
218
00:22:44,113 --> 00:22:48,550
Forcing air in and out
so his blood can absorb more oxygen.
219
00:22:51,287 --> 00:22:55,018
We still rely on the design
developed in this strange amphibian.
220
00:22:57,426 --> 00:23:01,123
Hynerpeton can breath on land,
but he's still water bound.
221
00:23:03,699 --> 00:23:07,396
His skin is much thinner than ours
and it dries out in minutes,
222
00:23:07,603 --> 00:23:09,468
so he has to keep it wet.
223
00:23:14,377 --> 00:23:17,210
And water is a danger zone.
224
00:23:28,891 --> 00:23:32,190
The fish are now our ancestor's enemies.
225
00:23:37,433 --> 00:23:40,459
Primitive sharks
are constantly on the hunt.
226
00:24:00,089 --> 00:24:05,425
But even sharks are small fry
in comparison to some flesh eating fish.
227
00:24:08,798 --> 00:24:14,759
Hyneria weighs two tons.
And is five metres long.
228
00:24:17,773 --> 00:24:20,367
She's an insatiable carnivore.
229
00:24:42,231 --> 00:24:45,462
The amphibian limbs are his saving grace.
230
00:24:46,936 --> 00:24:48,426
For now.
231
00:24:51,073 --> 00:24:55,635
As the burning sun dips,
Hynerpeton can spend more time on land.
232
00:24:58,314 --> 00:25:00,441
This stretch of shoreline is his territory
233
00:25:00,650 --> 00:25:03,881
and his trump card with the opposite sex.
234
00:25:10,893 --> 00:25:13,589
Hynerpeton females are choosy
235
00:25:14,030 --> 00:25:17,625
and will only go for males
who can defend their turf.
236
00:25:19,035 --> 00:25:22,471
They also only mate during a short season.
237
00:25:29,612 --> 00:25:32,877
The male's future
depends on passing on his genes
238
00:25:33,082 --> 00:25:35,915
and tonight could be his last chance.
239
00:25:43,793 --> 00:25:47,126
As night arrives,
so does the competition.
240
00:25:49,532 --> 00:25:53,195
Another male with his eye
on this prime patch.
241
00:26:09,518 --> 00:26:10,815
To avoid injury,
242
00:26:11,020 --> 00:26:15,548
the males demonstrate their strength
in a strange push up contest.
243
00:26:38,414 --> 00:26:40,746
This rival is not up to the challenge,
244
00:26:41,017 --> 00:26:44,180
but now our male
may be too late for love.
245
00:26:58,501 --> 00:26:59,934
Dawn.
246
00:27:00,136 --> 00:27:03,867
And all the females in the area
have mated and moved on.
247
00:27:06,142 --> 00:27:08,906
Hynerpeton seems to
have missed his chance.
248
00:27:09,478 --> 00:27:13,972
The only attention he's attracting
comes from the dark waters of the lake.
249
00:27:23,826 --> 00:27:29,560
A female finally answers his call
and the male seizes the opportunity.
250
00:27:48,184 --> 00:27:51,415
Amphibian eggs are soft
and their young have gills,
251
00:27:51,620 --> 00:27:54,555
not lungs, so they must be laid in water.
252
00:27:55,825 --> 00:27:58,851
Where amphibians are most vulnerable.
253
00:28:13,976 --> 00:28:17,639
Hyneria can attack like
a killer whale after a seal.
254
00:28:19,515 --> 00:28:21,847
Only just missing her prey.
255
00:28:23,419 --> 00:28:26,718
But she has remarkably powerful fins.
256
00:28:33,629 --> 00:28:36,325
And she takes the male by surprise.
257
00:28:47,510 --> 00:28:50,070
The end for this Hynerpeton.
258
00:28:52,181 --> 00:28:54,411
But the amphibians are
about to find a way
259
00:28:54,617 --> 00:28:58,519
to leave the dangers
of the water behind for good.
260
00:29:03,192 --> 00:29:07,959
The key to their future success
lies in changing their eggs.
261
00:29:09,465 --> 00:29:12,298
They evolve a hard waterproof casing
262
00:29:12,501 --> 00:29:15,561
which protects the young inside
from the drying sun,
263
00:29:15,771 --> 00:29:17,966
so they can be laid on land.
264
00:29:20,409 --> 00:29:22,809
The babies will hatch out,
fully developed,
265
00:29:23,012 --> 00:29:25,674
air breathing and independent.
266
00:29:28,050 --> 00:29:31,884
They're the first ever
true vertebrate landlubbers.
267
00:29:33,722 --> 00:29:36,213
The very first reptiles.
268
00:29:40,894 --> 00:29:45,354
But as they move inland,
they'll face an ancient enemy.
269
00:29:46,066 --> 00:29:48,864
More deadly than ever before.
270
00:29:50,103 --> 00:29:51,731
The arthropods are back.
271
00:30:19,877 --> 00:30:22,402
Three hundred million years ago
272
00:30:22,646 --> 00:30:27,140
much of the Earth
was covered in vast swamp forests.
273
00:30:30,354 --> 00:30:33,323
Here, nothing is as it seems.
274
00:30:34,558 --> 00:30:39,723
The fifty metre giants towering above
this water world may look like trees,
275
00:30:39,930 --> 00:30:43,229
but they're actually
distant relatives of ferns.
276
00:30:47,705 --> 00:30:49,969
Even the air is alien.
277
00:30:50,641 --> 00:30:52,700
Over a third is oxygen.
278
00:30:52,910 --> 00:30:55,970
Much higher than at any time in history.
279
00:30:56,180 --> 00:31:00,082
This oxygen rich atmosphere
has fuelled the growth of new,
280
00:31:00,284 --> 00:31:03,515
super sized Arthropod predators.
281
00:31:12,296 --> 00:31:16,096
This Mesothelae spider
is the size of a human head.
282
00:31:16,367 --> 00:31:19,165
She'd be hunting cats
if she were alive today.
283
00:31:22,639 --> 00:31:24,436
She's an ambush predator.
284
00:31:24,641 --> 00:31:27,667
Operating from her
underground headquarters.
285
00:31:31,415 --> 00:31:32,609
Safe in her borrow,
286
00:31:32,816 --> 00:31:36,775
she rests her feet
on carefully constructed trip lines.
287
00:31:38,589 --> 00:31:42,389
These allow her to pick up vibrations
from the outside world.
288
00:31:56,140 --> 00:31:56,799
Reptile,
289
00:31:57,007 --> 00:32:00,408
Petrolacosaurus is hunting
on the forest floor.
290
00:32:02,679 --> 00:32:04,738
Unlike our amphibian ancestors,
291
00:32:04,948 --> 00:32:09,408
he has tough scaly skin
which traps moisture inside his body.
292
00:32:09,620 --> 00:32:11,850
Vital for all land dwellers.
293
00:32:12,790 --> 00:32:14,815
Because he doesn't dry out in the sun,
294
00:32:15,025 --> 00:32:17,459
he can venture away from water.
295
00:32:18,629 --> 00:32:21,655
But that means
encountering new predators.
296
00:32:46,790 --> 00:32:49,452
The reptile outruns the spider.
297
00:32:51,995 --> 00:32:54,020
He's evolved a complex heart,
298
00:32:54,231 --> 00:32:56,131
much more efficient than his enemy's.
299
00:32:56,333 --> 00:32:58,460
ln fact the template for our own.
300
00:32:58,669 --> 00:33:03,470
lt's a powerful pump that pushes blood
and oxygen around his body to his muscles,
301
00:33:03,674 --> 00:33:07,235
so he can run at high speed
without stopping for a rest.
302
00:33:10,781 --> 00:33:13,773
This time though
he's trapped inside a log.
303
00:33:26,597 --> 00:33:29,794
At first the spider's armour
stops her squeezing in.
304
00:33:31,635 --> 00:33:34,365
But she's not going to give up so easily.
305
00:33:50,454 --> 00:33:51,512
Back in her lair,
306
00:33:51,722 --> 00:33:55,214
Mesothelae will inject her victim
with digestive juices
307
00:33:55,425 --> 00:33:57,859
to dissolve him from inside.
308
00:34:03,425 --> 00:34:06,359
Not only the arthropods have
flurished in swamps.
309
00:34:08,025 --> 00:34:11,159
The Carbonipherus is one of
Earth's greenest times.
310
00:34:14,025 --> 00:34:19,559
It's this very abundance of plants which
has pumped up the air's oxygen to extremes,
311
00:34:20,325 --> 00:34:23,159
fueling the arthropod's growth spurt.
312
00:34:31,968 --> 00:34:35,131
The swamp's damp conditions are
perfect for plant growth.
313
00:34:35,538 --> 00:34:37,738
But the water levels are unpredictable.
314
00:34:40,309 --> 00:34:41,808
They've risen.
315
00:34:47,448 --> 00:34:51,612
The spider drags her dinner home,
but something's wrong.
316
00:34:58,926 --> 00:35:00,416
Her headquarters are flooding.
317
00:35:00,628 --> 00:35:02,459
She'll have to evacuate.
318
00:35:04,532 --> 00:35:08,263
She can't dig, so she'll have to
find another hole she can adapt.
319
00:35:10,071 --> 00:35:14,269
And once outside,
she's vulnerable to larger predators.
320
00:35:21,682 --> 00:35:24,344
Meganeurid is a monster dragon fly,
321
00:35:24,552 --> 00:35:27,214
queen of the carboniferous skies.
322
00:35:30,158 --> 00:35:31,955
With a wing span of almost a metre,
323
00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:35,789
she's the size of an eagle
with an appetite to match.
324
00:35:42,603 --> 00:35:44,798
High above her carboniferous kingdom,
325
00:35:45,006 --> 00:35:47,236
normally she's invincible.
326
00:35:47,809 --> 00:35:49,800
But trouble's brewing.
327
00:35:51,045 --> 00:35:54,037
The flood below
is due to an approaching storm.
328
00:35:54,882 --> 00:35:56,907
The super oxygenated atmosphere,
329
00:35:57,118 --> 00:35:59,211
which has helped
fuel the growth of the insects,
330
00:35:59,420 --> 00:36:02,355
the Arthropods, is highly volatile.
331
00:36:02,723 --> 00:36:05,419
A lightning strike
could trigger an explosion.
332
00:36:07,462 --> 00:36:09,794
The clock is ticking for the swamp.
333
00:36:14,869 --> 00:36:18,066
The rising water levels
suit one group of hunters.
334
00:36:19,073 --> 00:36:20,301
Amphibians.
335
00:36:20,508 --> 00:36:23,909
They've continued thriving
over the last sixty million years.
336
00:36:24,812 --> 00:36:28,339
Their thin skin still restrict them
to the water's edge,
337
00:36:28,649 --> 00:36:33,109
but they're now powerful predators
with a devastating pair ofjaws,
338
00:36:33,321 --> 00:36:36,552
ready to ambush anything
that wanders within reach.
339
00:36:43,364 --> 00:36:46,663
The homeless spider
tries her luck further inland.
340
00:36:47,702 --> 00:36:50,364
But other Mesothelae
fill the forest floor
341
00:36:50,571 --> 00:36:52,869
and they don't like to share.
342
00:36:58,479 --> 00:37:00,470
Neither does Arthropleura.
343
00:37:00,681 --> 00:37:03,206
He's a distant relative
of modern millipedes,
344
00:37:03,417 --> 00:37:05,282
but as long as a car.
345
00:37:07,355 --> 00:37:10,654
He can rear up,
tall enough to look you right in the eye.
346
00:37:12,159 --> 00:37:13,592
Although he's vegetarian,
347
00:37:13,794 --> 00:37:17,252
his strong jaws
could still deliver a nasty bite.
348
00:37:27,008 --> 00:37:28,339
With rising waters,
349
00:37:28,543 --> 00:37:32,639
Arthropleura's foraging leads him
into dangerous territory.
350
00:37:59,574 --> 00:38:01,439
ln this clash of the titans,
351
00:38:01,642 --> 00:38:04,372
the Arthropod's armour
is his best defence.
352
00:38:11,953 --> 00:38:14,046
Unless it gets split.
353
00:38:23,898 --> 00:38:27,561
lmpaled, his soft innards provide a feast.
354
00:38:31,839 --> 00:38:35,969
The lightning storm is building,
moving ever closer.
355
00:38:38,045 --> 00:38:41,537
Just in time,
the spider finds another hole.
356
00:38:44,352 --> 00:38:46,320
A Petrolacosaurus is evicted,
357
00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:49,148
but reptiles don't need
burrows to avoid danger,
358
00:38:49,357 --> 00:38:52,053
they have speed
and stamina on their side.
359
00:38:55,262 --> 00:38:59,221
Meanwhile, the spider starts
to turn the hole into a hunter's lair.
360
00:39:11,579 --> 00:39:12,944
Night falls.
361
00:39:14,348 --> 00:39:18,148
And Mesothelae settles
into her new silk-lined home
362
00:39:19,754 --> 00:39:22,188
She tests the new trip lines.
363
00:39:22,456 --> 00:39:25,357
They're already picking up
vibrations from outside.
364
00:39:26,994 --> 00:39:28,962
The storm is very close now.
365
00:39:32,266 --> 00:39:35,133
Lightning strikes ignite
the oxygen rich air.
366
00:39:38,439 --> 00:39:42,398
The giant dragonflies are forced down
from the canopy to seek shelter below.
367
00:39:45,179 --> 00:39:48,239
An unexpected windfall
for the water predators.
368
00:40:02,797 --> 00:40:03,661
Amid the chaos,
369
00:40:03,864 --> 00:40:07,698
Mesothelae seems safe
in her bunker underground.
370
00:40:24,151 --> 00:40:26,585
A huge fire, ignited by lightning,
371
00:40:26,787 --> 00:40:29,483
has devastated Mesothelae's neighbourhood.
372
00:40:35,162 --> 00:40:37,960
There are no signs of life above ground.
373
00:40:45,005 --> 00:40:49,237
However, a Petrolacosaurus managed
to outrun the flames.
374
00:40:51,212 --> 00:40:54,181
But now he heads
right into the spider's lair.
375
00:41:09,029 --> 00:41:12,829
Mesothelae's hole was at
the centre of the lightning strike.
376
00:41:18,405 --> 00:41:21,602
The reptile gets a spider barbecue.
377
00:41:24,879 --> 00:41:28,042
The era of the giant bugs
is coming to an end.
378
00:41:28,415 --> 00:41:31,942
The climate is drying
and the atmosphere is losing oxygen.
379
00:41:32,386 --> 00:41:36,345
The monster insects
and spiders can't survive the change.
380
00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:41,822
But with their efficient hearts
and waterproof skin,
381
00:41:42,029 --> 00:41:46,329
our versatile ancestors flourish
in the new dry climate.
382
00:41:48,202 --> 00:41:50,636
Evolution takes over.
383
00:41:53,174 --> 00:41:54,664
Lacking restrictive armour
384
00:41:54,875 --> 00:41:57,969
means the reptiles
can start to make it big.
385
00:42:02,283 --> 00:42:05,878
Their muscles and bones
broaden and extend.
386
00:42:08,289 --> 00:42:13,192
Their bodies mushroom into
huge new shapes and forms.
387
00:42:14,762 --> 00:42:18,027
Our distant ancestors
have come a long way.
388
00:42:18,465 --> 00:42:20,865
They've now conquered the land.
389
00:42:30,845 --> 00:42:34,713
The world's first
giant reptiles have arrived.
390
00:42:35,149 --> 00:42:37,174
But they're not related to dinosaurs.
391
00:42:37,384 --> 00:42:41,343
Their descendents will be
of a very different kind.
392
00:42:51,232 --> 00:42:54,793
Reptiles have now
spread all across the globe.
393
00:43:00,975 --> 00:43:04,172
Edaphosaurus bask
in the early morning sun.
394
00:43:05,846 --> 00:43:08,644
They're three metres long,
as big as hippos,
395
00:43:08,849 --> 00:43:11,579
and, like them, they're vegetarians.
396
00:43:18,425 --> 00:43:23,124
Life in their new Permian home
is a constant battle with the elements.
397
00:43:24,965 --> 00:43:28,162
The climate swings
between seasonal extremes.
398
00:43:28,369 --> 00:43:32,100
From burning summers,
to freezing winters.
399
00:43:35,876 --> 00:43:37,901
A new species of plant has evolved,
400
00:43:38,112 --> 00:43:41,548
able to withstand this cold,
dry atmosphere.
401
00:43:42,483 --> 00:43:44,280
Primitive conifers.
402
00:43:46,188 --> 00:43:48,314
ln this harsh unpredicatble world,
403
00:43:48,823 --> 00:43:51,254
creatures must be tough and
adaptable to survive.
404
00:43:54,523 --> 00:43:58,154
The insects have shrunk since
their Carboniferus glory days.
405
00:44:00,223 --> 00:44:02,054
But the giant reptiles have prospered
406
00:44:02,623 --> 00:44:06,054
by finding a way to regulate
their body temperature.
407
00:44:10,127 --> 00:44:13,255
Edaphosaurus are sluggish
autumn morning chill,
408
00:44:13,463 --> 00:44:15,397
but they'll soon warm up.
409
00:44:16,199 --> 00:44:18,997
Thanks to the huge sail on their backs.
410
00:44:22,339 --> 00:44:27,800
Their backbone has tall spines connected by
a thin membrane of blood filled skin.
411
00:44:29,313 --> 00:44:34,546
This large surface area can lose heat fast,
if the Edaphosaurus need to cool down.
412
00:44:37,621 --> 00:44:38,645
While to heat up,
413
00:44:38,855 --> 00:44:41,551
they simply turn
their sails towards the sun,
414
00:44:41,758 --> 00:44:43,726
like a solar panel.
415
00:44:50,233 --> 00:44:54,067
Amazingly, these strange sailbacks
are related to us.
416
00:44:54,271 --> 00:44:58,935
They're part of a very special group
of creatures called mammal like reptiles.
417
00:44:59,142 --> 00:45:03,579
lt's down to them that we have control
over our body temperature today.
418
00:45:10,520 --> 00:45:13,318
But Edphosaurus aren't
the only sailbacks,
419
00:45:13,523 --> 00:45:17,050
and now their biggest enemy
is one of their own kind.
420
00:45:28,972 --> 00:45:32,703
This is Dimetrodon, a vicious carnivore.
421
00:45:32,909 --> 00:45:35,343
The biggest reptile on Earth.
422
00:45:39,316 --> 00:45:41,944
She'd normally attack adult Edaphosaurus,
423
00:45:42,152 --> 00:45:44,382
but today she wants to avoid injury.
424
00:45:44,588 --> 00:45:48,115
She's pregnant and almost ready
to lay her eggs.
425
00:45:51,461 --> 00:45:54,487
She finds a smaller, softer target.
426
00:46:17,754 --> 00:46:19,415
This was only a mock charge,
427
00:46:19,623 --> 00:46:23,684
a tactic to disperse the group
and expose the vulnerable young.
428
00:46:25,162 --> 00:46:28,256
The panicking Edaphosaurus
flush their sails with blood,
429
00:46:28,465 --> 00:46:31,093
flashing an eye spot
to distract the predator's attention
430
00:46:31,301 --> 00:46:33,132
from their vulnerable head.
431
00:46:34,671 --> 00:46:37,469
But Dimetrodon can see
through their disguise.
432
00:46:58,261 --> 00:47:00,559
She locks on to her victim.
433
00:47:23,153 --> 00:47:25,553
As well as her sheer size and power,
434
00:47:25,755 --> 00:47:28,553
Dimetrodon has a killer edge.
435
00:47:30,227 --> 00:47:34,493
As a mammal like reptile,
she's evolved specialised teeth.
436
00:47:35,031 --> 00:47:37,727
lncisors shear off chunks of flesh.
437
00:47:38,135 --> 00:47:40,626
Serrated canines cut and slice.
438
00:47:41,071 --> 00:47:44,302
We humans have inherited
these same meat eating teeth.
439
00:47:45,675 --> 00:47:48,644
We have a smaller version
in our mouths today.
440
00:47:51,948 --> 00:47:55,042
The young Edaphosaurus
didn't stand a chance.
441
00:47:57,087 --> 00:47:59,749
This is a crucial kill
for the Dimetrodon.
442
00:47:59,956 --> 00:48:00,684
Before she lays
443
00:48:00,891 --> 00:48:04,292
she needs to eat enough
to last her for the next seven months.
444
00:48:05,028 --> 00:48:07,121
To boost her babies chances of survival,
445
00:48:07,330 --> 00:48:10,390
she's evolved a basic form of parental care.
446
00:48:10,834 --> 00:48:12,392
Guarding her eggs.
447
00:48:13,236 --> 00:48:16,330
But the smell of blood
has attracted more Dimetrodon.
448
00:48:17,274 --> 00:48:19,606
Highly aggressive males.
449
00:48:33,423 --> 00:48:36,824
The female knows better
than to defend her kill.
450
00:48:39,296 --> 00:48:41,025
By the time the group has finished
451
00:48:41,231 --> 00:48:43,290
there'll be nothing left but bones.
452
00:48:47,337 --> 00:48:51,034
While lions today consume
seventy per cent of a carcass,
453
00:48:51,241 --> 00:48:53,607
Dimetrodon eat ninety.
454
00:48:56,446 --> 00:49:00,576
But they'll only eat intestines
after shaking out the waste inside.
455
00:49:01,585 --> 00:49:04,986
Dung is one thing
a Dimetrodon can't stomach.
456
00:49:21,104 --> 00:49:24,801
The female has built
a nesting mound of earth and wood.
457
00:49:34,651 --> 00:49:37,381
lnside, she digs a deep burrow.
458
00:49:45,962 --> 00:49:48,089
And starts to lay her eggs.
459
00:50:00,543 --> 00:50:05,071
She covers her brood carefully,
ready to begin her guard duty.
460
00:50:07,517 --> 00:50:10,247
Egg thieves lurk in the shadows.
461
00:50:12,822 --> 00:50:15,347
Like this carnivorous amphibian.
462
00:50:15,859 --> 00:50:18,657
But he's too small
to make a full frontal attack.
463
00:50:18,862 --> 00:50:22,423
He'll have to bide his time
until the female turns her back.
464
00:50:25,302 --> 00:50:28,863
The mother must also
constantly monitor the nest's temperature.
465
00:50:31,675 --> 00:50:35,406
Temperature control is vital
for reptiles even before they hatch.
466
00:50:37,113 --> 00:50:40,480
The mother piles on more earth
if the babies are too cold.
467
00:50:41,918 --> 00:50:46,855
And will remove a layer if they're too warm,
otherwise the babies will die.
468
00:50:53,229 --> 00:50:55,720
lt's going to be a long seven months.
469
00:51:11,029 --> 00:51:16,827
The months pass
and autumn becomes a bitterly cold winter.
470
00:51:26,966 --> 00:51:29,059
The landscape is transformed.
471
00:51:35,066 --> 00:51:39,159
And eary silence descends as
all creatures seek shelter.
472
00:51:41,771 --> 00:51:44,033
Still the female keeps her vigil,
473
00:51:44,542 --> 00:51:47,175
getting weaker all the time
from lack of food.
474
00:51:52,542 --> 00:51:54,775
This is the most critical time
for her young.
475
00:51:55,542 --> 00:51:58,075
The nest temperature can plumit
to dangerous levels.
476
00:51:58,542 --> 00:52:00,675
Many of the young may never hatch out.
477
00:52:11,072 --> 00:52:14,672
Then finally winter melts into spring.
478
00:52:26,417 --> 00:52:27,816
In the morning's warmth,
479
00:52:28,019 --> 00:52:30,879
the Edaphosaurus feed on
the thriving conifers.
480
00:52:35,682 --> 00:52:38,673
These trees contain an
early form of antifreeze,
481
00:52:39,282 --> 00:52:41,673
which has helped them to
withstand the cold winter.
482
00:52:43,182 --> 00:52:46,073
They also have extremely
tough hardy leaves,
483
00:52:46,782 --> 00:52:48,873
making them particularly
difficult to digest.
484
00:52:51,582 --> 00:52:53,673
To grind down these tough mouthfuls
485
00:52:54,282 --> 00:52:57,573
the Edaphosaurus have developed a
speciaized jaw and teeth.
486
00:52:58,482 --> 00:53:00,973
They're some of the first creatures
with this adaptation.
487
00:53:01,682 --> 00:53:04,673
Digesting plants is a more
chalenging task than meat,
488
00:53:05,182 --> 00:53:10,073
and the Edaphosaurus vast stomack
acts as a nonstop processing factory.
489
00:53:13,782 --> 00:53:19,673
When the hot midday sun rises
the hurd lays beneath conifers to digest.
490
00:53:28,382 --> 00:53:31,073
They carefully shade their sails
from the heat.
491
00:53:39,182 --> 00:53:41,673
But there's much activity
at the nesting mound.
492
00:53:42,685 --> 00:53:45,017
And it's not the mother who's digging.
493
00:53:47,490 --> 00:53:50,584
Another female is desperate to lay her eggs.
494
00:53:55,265 --> 00:53:56,698
lf she takes over the mound,
495
00:53:56,900 --> 00:54:00,666
she'll dig out and kill
the incubating young already inside.
496
00:54:06,943 --> 00:54:08,808
The resident mother may be weak,
497
00:54:09,012 --> 00:54:11,572
but she won't give up
her nest without a fight.
498
00:54:31,167 --> 00:54:34,159
lt's a battle neither can afford to lose.
499
00:55:01,531 --> 00:55:05,558
Next morning, just one female
remains at the nesting mound.
500
00:55:11,975 --> 00:55:16,378
lt's the resident mother.
She's managed to wrestle off her rival.
501
00:55:18,248 --> 00:55:20,273
But not without a sacrifice.
502
00:55:21,217 --> 00:55:25,620
She won't be able to defend her eggs
or herself for much longer.
503
00:55:28,458 --> 00:55:32,690
And the thieving amphibian
is poised to seize his chance.
504
00:55:42,338 --> 00:55:46,536
As summer arrives,
the Edaphosaurus are thriving in the heat.
505
00:55:51,548 --> 00:55:55,609
The young have grown
and test out their newfound strength.
506
00:56:05,028 --> 00:56:08,395
But the mother Dimetrodon
has reached the end of hers.
507
00:56:10,667 --> 00:56:14,763
So weak, she's helpless as
another intruder attacks her nest.
508
00:56:19,876 --> 00:56:21,969
Luckily this large male has got his teeth
509
00:56:22,178 --> 00:56:27,206
into something more substantial
than her young. The amphibian.
510
00:56:32,522 --> 00:56:35,855
The precious eggs are safe
and ready to hatch.
511
00:56:37,961 --> 00:56:39,929
The mother can hear them squeaking.
512
00:56:40,129 --> 00:56:41,960
She's achieved her goal.
513
00:56:44,000 --> 00:56:46,833
But at this moment
her maternal bond is severed.
514
00:56:47,170 --> 00:56:50,799
Unlike her mammal descendents,
she won't nurture her young.
515
00:56:51,374 --> 00:56:55,504
Her instinct now is to save herself,
by finding food.
516
00:57:18,935 --> 00:57:20,766
Without their mother's protection,
517
00:57:20,970 --> 00:57:23,768
the babies will have to
be ready to go it alone.
518
00:57:26,409 --> 00:57:29,810
They take their first steps into a perilous world
519
00:57:30,246 --> 00:57:33,545
and must make a mad dash
for the safety of the trees.
520
00:57:40,423 --> 00:57:43,551
A danger in a familiar form awaits them.
521
00:57:45,828 --> 00:57:48,797
Adult Dimetrodon are cannibals.
522
00:58:08,451 --> 00:58:10,476
Not all babies are helpless.
523
00:58:10,687 --> 00:58:14,248
Some already instinctively know
how to defend themselves.
524
00:58:17,226 --> 00:58:22,027
They roll in dung.
Something the adults can't stand.
525
00:58:23,132 --> 00:58:26,465
Repelling their pursuers
long enough to get a head start.
526
00:58:48,057 --> 00:58:51,686
One adult is driven on
by hunger and desperation.
527
00:58:52,328 --> 00:58:56,856
The mother.
She'll weed out weaker babies straight away,
528
00:58:57,066 --> 00:59:01,469
which helps the strong ones
and her species as a whole survive.
529
00:59:02,572 --> 00:59:06,474
And now the reptiles evolve
to tighten their grip on land.
530
00:59:11,681 --> 00:59:13,842
Their legs straighten and lengthen,
531
00:59:14,117 --> 00:59:16,745
holding them more upright
and giving them speed.
532
00:59:19,088 --> 00:59:24,219
Their backbones and muscles get stronger
and they even start to look like mammals.
533
00:59:27,897 --> 00:59:32,732
To house a larger brain
their skull bones expand into an enormous head.
534
00:59:33,302 --> 00:59:36,794
And out of their draw thrust huge, sharp teeth.
535
00:59:39,075 --> 00:59:42,511
A new age of specialist reptiles has dawned.
536
00:59:49,508 --> 00:59:53,108
And after 270 million years
of evolution,
537
00:59:53,167 --> 00:59:56,860
the war our distant ancestors
have waged so long
538
00:59:57,069 --> 01:00:00,470
is much more than a battle
between predator and prey.
539
01:00:03,940 --> 01:00:07,137
The whole planet
is entering a different kind of crisis,
540
01:00:07,376 --> 01:00:10,274
one that will destroy
most of these monster reptiles
541
01:00:12,379 --> 01:00:16,780
and wipe out 90 per cent of life on earth.
542
01:00:30,813 --> 01:00:34,249
All the continents on earth
have now drifted together
543
01:00:34,450 --> 01:00:38,284
to create on giant land mass called Pangaea.
544
01:00:38,654 --> 01:00:43,353
And at its centre lies the
largest desert the world has ever seen.
545
01:00:43,659 --> 01:00:48,028
lt's a brutal world where animals
have to be especially tough.
546
01:00:49,031 --> 01:00:51,056
Perfect for reptiles.
547
01:00:54,904 --> 01:00:58,237
This is a one-ton Siberian Scutosaurus,
548
01:00:58,441 --> 01:01:00,705
a distant ancestor of turtles.
549
01:01:00,910 --> 01:01:05,210
Although he has no shell,
his back is covered in hard, bony plates.
550
01:01:05,415 --> 01:01:10,751
And just as well:
these sand dunes hide a fearsome predator.
551
01:01:11,788 --> 01:01:14,484
Scutosaurus normally travel in herds.
552
01:01:14,690 --> 01:01:20,151
But this old male's got left behind,
and his keen nose senses danger.
553
01:01:36,145 --> 01:01:38,705
Once he tires, he's vulnerable.
554
01:01:58,367 --> 01:02:01,564
His attacker is a carnivorous Gorgonopsid.
555
01:02:07,910 --> 01:02:10,640
She's fast, powerful, and equipped
556
01:02:10,847 --> 01:02:13,611
with deadly weapons
no hunter has had before.
557
01:02:21,524 --> 01:02:24,925
Exhausted, trapped
and weakened by his wound,
558
01:02:25,127 --> 01:02:27,652
the old Scutosaurus has no fight left.
559
01:02:29,465 --> 01:02:32,764
All he can do is wait for the killer blow.
560
01:02:53,489 --> 01:02:58,825
The Gorgonopsid's huge jaws
hold a pair of fangs 12 centimetres long.
561
01:02:59,228 --> 01:03:02,527
She has evolved
the world's first sabre teeth -
562
01:03:02,798 --> 01:03:06,393
a lethal weapon
some mammal predators will later use.
563
01:03:18,014 --> 01:03:19,845
ln this harsh landscape,
564
01:03:20,049 --> 01:03:23,416
the reptile's biggest battle
is now with the elements.
565
01:03:23,753 --> 01:03:29,248
A massive surge in volcanic activity
is beginning to superheat the atmosphere,
566
01:03:29,458 --> 01:03:34,157
creating the highest temperature life
on earth has ever known.
567
01:03:36,632 --> 01:03:38,657
Each year the deserts spread.
568
01:03:38,868 --> 01:03:42,326
Even here in Siberia, far north of the equator,
569
01:03:42,538 --> 01:03:46,736
animals are forced to cluster around
any lasting source of water,
570
01:03:46,943 --> 01:03:48,774
no matter how small.
571
01:03:55,318 --> 01:04:00,950
The huge female Gorgonopsid has come looking
for a drink to wash down the Scutosaurus,
572
01:04:01,390 --> 01:04:05,258
and even smaller Gorgonopsids
will do well to keep out of her way.
573
01:04:06,095 --> 01:04:08,563
Five metres long from nose to tail,
574
01:04:08,764 --> 01:04:11,232
she's the top predator on earth.
575
01:04:11,434 --> 01:04:13,129
There'll be nothing to rival her
576
01:04:13,336 --> 01:04:17,432
until the dinosaurs evolve
in 30 million years' time.
577
01:04:20,142 --> 01:04:21,700
But unlike the dinosaurs,
578
01:04:21,911 --> 01:04:25,642
these early reptiles are more closely
linked to our ancestors,
579
01:04:25,848 --> 01:04:28,840
mammals, than to lizards and crocodiles.
580
01:04:29,518 --> 01:04:30,849
They don't have fur,
581
01:04:31,053 --> 01:04:34,181
but they've already evolved
scent glands in their skin.
582
01:04:34,423 --> 01:04:38,450
This way, everyone can tell
when the giant Gorgonopsid is around.
583
01:04:46,102 --> 01:04:48,161
Despite the presence of these heavyweights,
584
01:04:48,371 --> 01:04:52,137
smaller creatures also eke out
a living around the waterhole.
585
01:04:53,676 --> 01:04:58,340
Diictodon, a hardly little burrower,
just half a metre long.
586
01:05:02,184 --> 01:05:07,645
They live as pairs in spiral burrows
which remain cool even in the desert heat.
587
01:05:07,857 --> 01:05:09,688
Like the large predators outside,
588
01:05:09,892 --> 01:05:13,259
Diictodon are distant
reptile relatives of mammals,
589
01:05:13,462 --> 01:05:17,592
and although it will be 30 million years
before the first true mammals appear,
590
01:05:17,800 --> 01:05:20,667
there are already family resemblances.
591
01:05:21,637 --> 01:05:25,767
ln particular, his hearing is linked to
tiny bones in his lowerjaw.
592
01:05:26,142 --> 01:05:29,407
One day these will evolve
into our middle ear bones,
593
01:05:29,612 --> 01:05:31,637
something no reptile has.
594
01:05:37,520 --> 01:05:40,455
Several pairs of Diictodon
live around the waterhole,
595
01:05:40,656 --> 01:05:42,089
but this is not a colony,
596
01:05:42,291 --> 01:05:46,352
they compete furiously for
the sparse vegetation that is their food.
597
01:05:46,629 --> 01:05:49,359
This frequently leads to confrontation.
598
01:05:56,672 --> 01:05:58,196
These clashes are one reason
599
01:05:58,407 --> 01:06:02,537
why both males and females
sport a pair of short tusks.
600
01:06:13,723 --> 01:06:17,659
There is, however,
one big advantage to living in a crowd:
601
01:06:17,960 --> 01:06:22,124
if a neighbour spots danger,
everyone soon knows about it.
602
01:06:24,533 --> 01:06:27,297
A Gorgonopsid has come to investigate.
603
01:06:39,482 --> 01:06:43,885
A single snap of those enormous jaws
would crush Diictodon -
604
01:06:44,120 --> 01:06:46,054
if they could get a grip.
605
01:06:48,557 --> 01:06:51,117
But it's not always size that counts.
606
01:07:00,703 --> 01:07:03,968
These tiny mouthfuls are more trouble
than they're worth.
607
01:07:05,708 --> 01:07:09,371
The Gorgonopsid knows that if she hangs
around the waterhole for long enough,
608
01:07:09,578 --> 01:07:12,672
eventually larger prey will come to her.
609
01:07:25,895 --> 01:07:29,661
There is another, unseen,
resident of this waterhole.
610
01:07:31,667 --> 01:07:35,865
A monster much less suited than
the reptiles to the changing climate.
611
01:07:36,705 --> 01:07:41,335
A fugitive from when this
desert world was lush and green.
612
01:07:42,344 --> 01:07:45,780
lt lies in ambush underwater,
like a crocodile.
613
01:07:52,621 --> 01:07:55,488
A giant amphibian Labyrinthodont.
614
01:07:57,393 --> 01:08:01,227
But pound for pound,
this female's picked the wrong target.
615
01:08:06,969 --> 01:08:11,736
The amphibian's ambush attempt
was probably driven by sheer desperation.
616
01:08:12,007 --> 01:08:15,841
For generations this waterhole
has supported a wide range of animals,
617
01:08:16,045 --> 01:08:18,775
including several other Labyrinthodonts.
618
01:08:19,048 --> 01:08:20,709
But this one is the last,
619
01:08:20,916 --> 01:08:24,977
and as the water she depends
on disappears, she's trapped.
620
01:08:36,665 --> 01:08:39,725
The wet season arrives,
but there's no rain.
621
01:08:40,302 --> 01:08:41,701
With life under such pressure,
622
01:08:41,904 --> 01:08:43,804
species are dying out at a rate
623
01:08:44,006 --> 01:08:48,466
that won't be matched until
humans evolve in 250 million years' time.
624
01:08:50,379 --> 01:08:54,076
The waterhole is now
no more than a large puddle.
625
01:08:59,288 --> 01:09:01,779
Diictodon are more adaptable than most.
626
01:09:02,024 --> 01:09:04,254
They can dig deeper to escape the heat,
627
01:09:04,460 --> 01:09:07,190
carving out tunnels in the rock-hard mud.
628
01:09:12,401 --> 01:09:15,097
But the giant amphibian
is in big trouble,
629
01:09:15,304 --> 01:09:19,536
and as she grows weaker,
her enemy watches and waits.
630
01:09:19,942 --> 01:09:22,877
lt's a deadly game of cat and mouse.
631
01:09:30,586 --> 01:09:33,612
But life here is about
to change for everyone.
632
01:09:54,410 --> 01:09:58,813
A migrating herd of Scutosaurus
has sniffed out the waterhole.
633
01:10:07,923 --> 01:10:11,120
lt's possible the smelt
the water several miles away,
634
01:10:11,327 --> 01:10:15,161
and this could well be the first drink
they've had in six months.
635
01:10:22,037 --> 01:10:25,006
The desert plants
are a poor source of nutrients,
636
01:10:25,207 --> 01:10:29,268
but these large reptiles are designed
to squeeze out every ounce,
637
01:10:29,511 --> 01:10:31,479
although they cannot chew.
638
01:10:32,748 --> 01:10:36,582
Their huge stomachs hold stones
they've picked up from the desert.
639
01:10:36,919 --> 01:10:41,788
These help grind the vegetation
so their digestive juices can get to work.
640
01:10:52,868 --> 01:10:56,326
The tough little Diictodons
are used to dodging danger.
641
01:10:57,873 --> 01:11:00,808
But the Gorgonopsid now
keeps her distance.
642
01:11:01,643 --> 01:11:05,773
Even she dare not attack
such a large armoured herd.
643
01:11:14,156 --> 01:11:15,817
lt's a standoff.
644
01:11:23,165 --> 01:11:26,293
lt turns out the Scutosaurus
are a bigger threat to life
645
01:11:26,502 --> 01:11:29,266
around the waterhole than the predators.
646
01:11:29,671 --> 01:11:32,231
Within a few days they have drunk it dry.
647
01:11:35,210 --> 01:11:39,306
And moved on once again
in their eternal search for food.
648
01:11:49,258 --> 01:11:53,820
They represent the plight of
all creatures on the continent of Pangaea.
649
01:11:54,463 --> 01:11:59,196
The global drought is now obliterating
millions of years of evolution.
650
01:11:59,768 --> 01:12:02,896
Life everywhere is on the brink.
651
01:12:16,485 --> 01:12:18,851
For animals that do not migrate,
652
01:12:19,054 --> 01:12:21,716
the situation's reaching a crisis point.
653
01:12:28,430 --> 01:12:31,957
Hunger drives the Gorgonopsid
back to the Diictodon -
654
01:12:32,167 --> 01:12:35,034
and this time she tries to dig them out.
655
01:12:44,413 --> 01:12:47,075
But the Diictodon's hard work pays off.
656
01:12:47,483 --> 01:12:51,886
Their tunnel in the sun-baked earth
is deep enough to keep them safe.
657
01:12:54,690 --> 01:12:59,559
lnstead, the Gorgonopsid's nose
leads her back to the dried-up waterhole.
658
01:12:59,962 --> 01:13:03,398
She senses things are not
as lifeless as they seem.
659
01:13:19,448 --> 01:13:21,177
The giant amphibian.
660
01:13:21,383 --> 01:13:23,613
Just before the waterhole dried up,
661
01:13:23,819 --> 01:13:26,014
she must have burrowed into the damp mud,
662
01:13:26,221 --> 01:13:28,416
forming a cocoon around herself,
663
01:13:28,624 --> 01:13:32,185
in a last-ditch
attempt to sit out the drought.
664
01:13:34,463 --> 01:13:35,794
But in her torpid state,
665
01:13:35,998 --> 01:13:39,661
she's helpless as the Gorgonopsid feasts.
666
01:14:01,190 --> 01:14:03,750
Eventually storm clouds gather,
667
01:14:03,992 --> 01:14:07,120
but instead of rainwater they bring sand.
668
01:14:17,039 --> 01:14:18,904
The sandstorm sweeps in,
669
01:14:19,107 --> 01:14:21,735
burying the waterhole completely.
670
01:14:45,467 --> 01:14:48,527
The vast Pangaean deserts
continue to spread,
671
01:14:48,804 --> 01:14:51,466
snuffing out entire ecosystems.
672
01:14:51,940 --> 01:14:55,376
Even the mighty Gorgonopsid
has at last succumbed.
673
01:14:55,644 --> 01:14:59,011
With no prey, even she could not survive.
674
01:14:59,815 --> 01:15:01,407
Mummified in the sand,
675
01:15:01,617 --> 01:15:04,745
this monster will soon
be nothing but dust.
676
01:15:08,890 --> 01:15:10,721
Over the next few million years,
677
01:15:10,926 --> 01:15:14,828
the earth will suffocate
under a stagnant blanket of heat,
678
01:15:15,130 --> 01:15:16,791
sparking a mass extinction,
679
01:15:16,999 --> 01:15:20,435
even greater than the one
that will destroy the dinosaurs.
680
01:15:21,136 --> 01:15:24,264
The future belongs to
a tiny group of survivors,
681
01:15:24,473 --> 01:15:27,601
small and adaptable enough to sit it out.
682
01:15:28,410 --> 01:15:31,504
The Diictodon carry on
digging throughout the drought.
683
01:15:31,880 --> 01:15:34,246
This pair has unearthed plant tubers,
684
01:15:34,449 --> 01:15:38,977
which hold enough water and nutrients
to keep them going for several months.
685
01:15:47,562 --> 01:15:49,496
As millions of years go by,
686
01:15:49,698 --> 01:15:51,632
the climate shifts again,
687
01:15:51,833 --> 01:15:56,668
and the reptiles are among the first
to recover and repopulate the empty earth.
688
01:15:57,372 --> 01:16:02,810
From creatures like little Diictodon,
larger, stronger herbivores evolve.
689
01:16:03,845 --> 01:16:09,147
These tough forerunners of mammals
seem poised to seize control for good,
690
01:16:09,651 --> 01:16:13,678
but they are in fact
set to play out their final scene.
691
01:16:28,370 --> 01:16:30,702
The dawn of the Triassic era,
692
01:16:30,906 --> 01:16:34,603
and the earth has only just begun
to show signs of recovery.
693
01:16:35,177 --> 01:16:36,667
The deserts have stopped growing,
694
01:16:36,878 --> 01:16:41,906
and huge forests of primitive conifer
start to re-colonise the land.
695
01:16:46,021 --> 01:16:49,957
ln these new forests,
plant eaters recover first.
696
01:16:50,292 --> 01:16:53,625
One in particular.
Like most of the large reptiles,
697
01:16:53,829 --> 01:16:55,694
they may resemble dinosaurs,
698
01:16:55,897 --> 01:17:00,857
but Lystrosaurus are more
closely linked to mammals - and to us.
699
01:17:01,269 --> 01:17:06,468
Astonishingly, their vast herds make up
more than half of all life on earth.
700
01:17:06,875 --> 01:17:10,743
Never again will
a single species do so well.
701
01:17:15,217 --> 01:17:19,085
Deep within the forests, though,
a rival is evolving.
702
01:17:19,287 --> 01:17:24,281
A new type of animal,
destined to change the face of life on earth.
703
01:17:30,799 --> 01:17:34,667
Meet Euparkeria, a tiny insect-eater.
704
01:17:34,970 --> 01:17:37,837
He may not look much of a threat
to the dominant reptiles,
705
01:17:38,039 --> 01:17:41,202
but the key to his success is in his hip.
706
01:17:42,978 --> 01:17:45,037
The way his thigh bone is attached
707
01:17:45,247 --> 01:17:48,978
allows him to run on two legs,
freeing his hands.
708
01:17:56,091 --> 01:17:59,788
This kind of agility has never
been seen before in reptiles,
709
01:17:59,995 --> 01:18:02,623
and gives Euparkeria an edge.
710
01:18:15,844 --> 01:18:21,476
Euparkeria will lay the foundations for
a new group of reptiles - the dinosaurs.
711
01:18:25,120 --> 01:18:28,647
Giants such as Tyrannosaurus
and Diplodocus can all trace
712
01:18:28,857 --> 01:18:33,920
their family tree back to this
little insect hunter in the Triassic forests.
713
01:18:43,505 --> 01:18:48,169
The monster herds of Lystrosaurus
hoover up so much vegetation
714
01:18:48,376 --> 01:18:51,675
that they constantly migrate
to find fresh food.
715
01:18:52,247 --> 01:18:54,408
They follow the seasonal rains,
716
01:18:54,616 --> 01:18:59,918
and each year in Antarctica this brings
them to the edge of a huge escarpment.
717
01:19:03,358 --> 01:19:08,261
The only way down for these cumbersome
animals is through a deep ravine.
718
01:19:31,286 --> 01:19:34,653
The herd moves mostly at night,
and come sunset,
719
01:19:34,856 --> 01:19:37,450
they begin the dangerous descent.
720
01:19:38,860 --> 01:19:43,024
lt will take several hours
for all of them to pass through the ravine,
721
01:19:43,231 --> 01:19:46,632
and in some parts
there's only space to move in single file,
722
01:19:47,335 --> 01:19:49,735
which leaves them very vulnerable.
723
01:20:03,752 --> 01:20:08,018
Lystrosaurus have sharp eyesight
and a very good sense of smell.
724
01:20:08,456 --> 01:20:12,950
But in these cramped conditions
it's hard to spot trouble ahead.
725
01:20:18,967 --> 01:20:24,667
They're being watched by a vicious
nocturnal hunter - a therocephalian.
726
01:20:28,343 --> 01:20:30,811
Lystrosaurus are strong opponents,
727
01:20:31,012 --> 01:20:34,379
but this hunter doesn't rely
on power to make a kill.
728
01:20:44,593 --> 01:20:48,689
The attack is swift,
and seems to have been unsuccessful.
729
01:20:49,064 --> 01:20:52,431
But this predator's secret weapon
is a poisonous bite.
730
01:20:52,734 --> 01:20:55,294
lts venom is more lethal
than a black mamba's,
731
01:20:55,503 --> 01:20:58,700
and it quickly floods
the Lystrosaurus's blood stream.
732
01:21:00,108 --> 01:21:04,511
All the therocephalians have to do
is wait for it to take effect.
733
01:21:08,750 --> 01:21:12,413
The victim collapses,
but the herd moves on without concern.
734
01:21:12,687 --> 01:21:14,746
They have no social bonds.
735
01:21:24,766 --> 01:21:27,667
The therocephalians close in for the kill.
736
01:21:41,149 --> 01:21:43,413
Dawn at the foot of the escarpment,
737
01:21:43,618 --> 01:21:47,486
and here the Lystrosaurus
will face their biggest challenge yet.
738
01:21:47,722 --> 01:21:52,557
They need to cross a river,
but its banks are lined with open jaws.
739
01:21:55,797 --> 01:22:00,097
Chasmatosaurs are the earliest ancestors
of crocodiles and alligators.
740
01:22:00,301 --> 01:22:03,862
Their strange overbite means
once they get their teeth into a victim,
741
01:22:04,072 --> 01:22:06,267
there is no chance of escape.
742
01:22:06,508 --> 01:22:08,499
They don't normally gather in such numbers,
743
01:22:08,710 --> 01:22:14,546
but they're here for a special event -
the annual migration of the Lystrosaurus.
744
01:22:16,518 --> 01:22:20,887
lf you're a Euparkeria, the river's
not a great place for hunting insects.
745
01:22:21,389 --> 01:22:23,448
But he has speed on his side.
746
01:22:35,570 --> 01:22:39,904
As the sun rises, the Chasmatosaurs
are drawn towards the water.
747
01:22:40,308 --> 01:22:41,468
Some of them haven't eaten
748
01:22:41,676 --> 01:22:45,077
since the Lystrosaurus
last passed this way a year ago.
749
01:22:45,280 --> 01:22:48,113
Now they sense it's time to feed again.
750
01:22:59,961 --> 01:23:04,193
The front of the vast Lystrosaurus
herd finally reaches the river.
751
01:23:10,605 --> 01:23:14,803
They're strong swimmers,
but drowning is not the danger here.
752
01:23:20,548 --> 01:23:24,075
They linger at the river's edge,
reluctant to go in.
753
01:23:24,853 --> 01:23:27,788
For reptiles,
they have relatively large brains,
754
01:23:27,989 --> 01:23:30,457
and they remember what happened last year.
755
01:23:31,459 --> 01:23:34,394
But with more Lystrosaurus
arriving all the time,
756
01:23:34,629 --> 01:23:37,097
the backlog will soon force them in.
757
01:23:45,373 --> 01:23:48,570
On the other side, lush grazing beckons,
758
01:23:48,910 --> 01:23:52,175
and eventually the first one
takes the plunge.
759
01:24:01,689 --> 01:24:04,920
A strong swimmer,
he quickly makes it to the other side.
760
01:24:05,193 --> 01:24:06,057
But with the steep banks,
761
01:24:06,261 --> 01:24:08,855
he's still got to find a place
where he can get ashore,
762
01:24:09,097 --> 01:24:12,533
and every extra moment
in the water increases the risk.
763
01:24:22,677 --> 01:24:26,579
More and more Lystrosaurus
warily strike out for the other side.
764
01:24:31,553 --> 01:24:34,078
But now the predators are homing in.
765
01:24:52,707 --> 01:24:56,336
The first swimmer has made it,
and clambers ashore.
766
01:24:56,544 --> 01:25:00,571
But many of the herd now
entering the water will not be so lucky.
767
01:26:01,509 --> 01:26:02,703
Despite the carnage,
768
01:26:02,911 --> 01:26:05,607
the herd is soon reforming on the other side.
769
01:26:13,554 --> 01:26:16,489
The predators are quickly sated and exhausted.
770
01:26:17,892 --> 01:26:19,826
Although many Lystrosaurus are dead,
771
01:26:20,028 --> 01:26:23,225
it's still only
a small proportion of the herd.
772
01:26:30,535 --> 01:26:36,101
But the brief glory days of these strange
mammal-like reptiles will soon be gone.
773
01:26:47,187 --> 01:26:50,518
As life contines to revive after
the Permian extiction
774
01:26:51,224 --> 01:26:53,556
a battle for survival intensifies.
775
01:26:54,866 --> 01:26:58,362
Euparkeria may only have had a
walk-on part so far,
776
01:26:58,873 --> 01:27:02,502
but he's about to herald the
new age of lethal predators.
777
01:27:15,383 --> 01:27:18,846
Its descendants will be known as
the most notorious monsters of them all.
778
01:27:25,504 --> 01:27:26,962
Dinosaurs!
779
01:27:36,104 --> 01:27:39,962
The unique ability to stand upright,
and the agility disallowed
780
01:27:40,104 --> 01:27:46,162
gives the early dinosaurs a competitive edge
over our four-legged mammal-like ancestors.
781
01:27:47,104 --> 01:27:48,762
Repressed by these swift killers
782
01:27:49,104 --> 01:27:53,762
our ancestors are refused to small
creatures, hiding in the shadows.
783
01:27:55,104 --> 01:27:56,562
Their time will come.
784
01:27:58,504 --> 01:28:04,762
But for the next 170 million years
the world belongs to the dinosaurs!
785
01:28:20,000 --> 01:28:25,000
Subtitled by Webster, april 2009
69157
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