For 165 million years, the dinosaurs ruled this world.
While living in their shadows, was a group of animals. Which couldn't have been more different.
These were our ancestors. Small furry creatures, called Mammals.
Clinging to safety, wherever they could.
The Mammal's time will come.
65 million years ago, volcanic activity started to poison the atmosphere.
The last dinosaur were already living on a sick planet.
When their nemesis arrived...
From space.
A meteor, 6 miles wide, slammed into Earth. To mark the end...
Of the Reign of Dinosaurs.
This story, is about what happen next.
The survivors of the extinction all had one thing in common.
Their size.
Nearly every animal over 20 pounds had been wiped out. Leaving the world of little creatures. Among them...
Were the Mammals.
In the Life of Mammals, the Mane 7 will witness their origins of how Mammals left behind this small beginnings.
In took over the world.
In the course of 20 million years, Mammals got more, and more successful.
Until they were the biggest.
Fiercest.
And most spectacular animals on the planet.
Whatever the climate, whatever the habitat. Mammals made it their own. Their great strength, was their ability to adapt.
They grew to gigantic sizes.
They evolved into powerful killers, like the famous Saber-Tooth Cats.
And they even laid claim, to the Oceans.
Then, around 4 million years ago came Mankind's own origins. In a type of Ape came down from the trees, and walked upright.
Our story of this epic time finishes just 30,000 years ago. With the Ice Ages. When our planet turned cold, and out ancestors hunted, in the realm, of the Mammoth.
A Mammoth trumpets.
What Mammals like an Arctic Fox and Twilight have in common, is that their both Mammals. And that their Warm Blooded, and that the food they eat ups maintain their body temperature. The reason the Fox is more at home in the Arctic then she is. Is that it has more of that other Mammalian characteristic, hair. Then she have. It's body is insulated with fur.
Warm bloodedness is one of the key factors, that have allow Mammals to conquer the Earth. And to develop, the most complex bodies, in the whole Animal Kingdom.
In this story, Twilight and her friends will discover just how varied, and how astonishing Mammals are.
In Africa, is where the Mammals are at their most spectacular. Here the plains are full of specialist grass eaters. And there are other Mammals here too, with different tastes.
Some hunting Mammals have become the fastest creatures on Earth. And those they hunt, have to respond, or die.
Some Mammals have become fiercely strong and aggressive.
They fight for mates.
They fight for food.
Some, even have to fight, for a place to live.
Wherever you go, you'll find a bewildering variety of Mammals.
Some are miniatures, a few inches long.
Others are more massive.
And the biggest of those on land, are dwarfed, by those in the sea.
"I can see it's tail." Said an elderly pony seeing a blue colored tail underwater. "Just under us. And it's coming up. It's coming up."
And then emerging from the depths, surfaced a Blue Whale.
"The Blue Whale." Said the pony. "It's the biggest creature that exists, or has ever existed on the planet!"
The Blue Whale dives under and swims.
Mammals, are as at home in the water, as they are on land.
Some, lounge around on the surface. Others, prefer to do so, on the beach.
They've gone underground as well.
And up, into the tops of the tallest trees.
Mammals have even taken to the air, and challenged the Birds.
In some places, they gather in large numbers.
They thrive almost everywhere.
And how they do so, is what they eat.
Between them, they tackle everything that's editable.
Some, are very particular about their food.
Others will simply take, the best of whatever around at the time.
They will look, at the lives of their closely relatives.
And they, will lead them to themselves.
Perhaps the most successful veriest of the Mammal's winning design.
Planet Earth - 25 million years ago. Just before dawn, in Mongolia, a female Paraceratherium enters a canyon. And she's an expectant mother, she is hoping the calf will be safe from predators. And soon, she gives birth to a male calf weighing 500 pounds. But soon they got unwelcome company when 2 Hyaenodons drawn by the noise of the mother's labor appeared. The Mother keeps the 2 predators at bay away from the calf by keeping him between her legs so she can defended him with kicks. But this calf, will be lucky to see his 1st sun raise.
36 million years ago. Out in the legendary Tethys Sea, 2 Sharks swarm around a large shoal of fish, and feed as well. But below them, a monster shape emerges from the deep. And then, a Basilosaurus snatches one of the Sharks and toss and throws it in the air and hits the water. These days, every Whale... Is a killer.
30,000 years ago. In the cold weather of November, of the Ice Age a herd of Woolly Mammoths migrates across the landscape that they've been doing for countless generations. But then a young female falls through the ice of a frozen pond and is now trapped. She soon calls out in distress, and the herd stops and turns back to her. Such are the bonds between Mammoths, that the herd do not leave their stranded sister. They stay nearby, distress, but powerless. Except to comfort her. And the herd stayed with her the entire night. But sadly they were forced to leave to her fate as it could take days for her to die.
For many millennia, Mammals have ruled the Earth. And have rivaled in size and ferocity the dinosaurs.
In Equestria, it was now night. And in her castle, Twilight was peacefully asleep as a little gray Mouse wanders around her as she sleeps.
And the Mouse moves around as he then glances at the sleeping pony and stands of his back legs and lifts up as his whiskers twitch. And then he moves around and carries on through the night.
Author's Note:
This take's place after Age of the Dinosaurs, and will have a Species Shown list, but will show both extinct and living Mammals.
And in some chapters, since some Mammals have emotional feelings. Some chapters will show empathy.