Back in modern times, the sun shine over capital of Utah.
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah, lies nestled in a valley at the foot of the Wasatch Range. But 150 million years ago, these snow-capped mountains didn't exist.
In space, the view of the Earth shows the area of Utah 150 million years ago, and it was very different.
The climate was warm and seasonal, and the land was a vast savanna that stretched from Canada, south to New Mexico. And from Idaho, east to Nebraska.
Back then, Jurassic Utah was a vast landscape of savanna with Monkey-puzzled and conifer trees, similar to modern-day Neuquén, Argentina. Which is the perfect habitat for over a dozen species of dinosaur that live in the region.
In where Salt Lake City will be, a pair of Sauropod dinosaurs called Camarasaurus trekked across the landscape.
Utah
150 Million Years Ago
It's the dry season.
The Camarasaurus pair bellowed as they continued their trek across the dry landscape.
As far as the eye can see, the once burdened plain has shriveled to a few scattered trees and drought resistant plants.
Accompanying the Camarasaurus pair was a lone Stegosaurus going the same direction as them.
Towards midday, the temperature peaks over 90 degrees, and the Jurassic Titans continued their trek as they followed a dried-up stream bed.
An empty stream bed is highway to nowhere.
The Stegosaurus bellowed as they continued their trek for water.
No rain has fallen for months.
And the heat is relentless.
A small dinosaur called Dryosaurus then appeared.
At a dried-up bed where used to be a pond, the Wild Kratts were exploring the Jurassic landscape.
"So, this area will 1 day be Salt Lake City, Utah?" Aviva asked.
"Yeah, in 150 million years time." Chris said.
"Sure is hot today." Jimmy said.
"You're telling me." Koki said.
"Must be the dry season here." Martin said.
Then, a Dryosaurus appeared on the pond bed looking for water.
"Hey, a Dryosaurus." Chris said.
In times of drought, dinosaurs like Dryosaurus, flocked to their favorite river. Here, water usually flows year-round. But now it's gone dry, and the ponds have turned to salt.
The Dryosaurus wanders around the pond bed hoping to find any sign of water, but it was completely dry. A lone Stegosaurus stood nearby, and the Dryosaurus scratched the side of her face and chittered.
They then turned to the Stegosaurus as it bellowed, and then it started to dig.
"What's that Stegosaurus doing?" Koki asked.
"Ah, must be digging the ground for water." Martin said. "Elephants actually do the same during droughts."
"If there's water, the dig will be worth it." Chris said.
This Stegosaurus is looking for a seep.
Like African Elephants, digging for water sometimes pays off.
The Dryosaurus watches as the Stegosaurus continues digging and chirps.
But scratching out a living in the dry season is hard on the dinosaurs, big and little.
Elsewhere on the dried-up pond bed, 2 other Dryosaurus were also digging for water as 2 Camarasaurus continued their trek as one of them bellowed.
Eventually, the Stegosaurus gives up and bellowed as it then walks off. And the Dryosaurus heads over to the hole.
When times are tough, and life is under stress, anything can happen.
The Dryosaurus examines the hole dug by the Stegosaurus, but looks bone dry. And then she turns to the 2 other Dryosaurus which are actually her 2 offspring.
Finding water is critical for Dryosaurus. Her offspring are less than a year old.
They've never experienced a drought.
The mother Dryosaurus went over to her offspring, and the continue digging the hole hoping to find water.
"Wow, those 2 youngsters probably never seen a drought before." Martin said. "Water must usually flow year-round."
"Seems like this year everything is dried up." Aviva said. "But hey, I got 2 Dryosaurus Power Discs ready for testing if you wanna try." She brought out 2 light green Dryosaurus Power Discs she recently finished on the M.I.K.
"Cool!" Chris and Martin said in unison.
They inserted the Power Discs, and gently went over to the Dryosaurus family knowing they could easily be spooked. The mother then turns to them, she was then curious and slowly went over to them.
"Hi, there." Chris said.
Chris then held his hand out, and the Dryosaurus curiously cocked her head and sniffed his hand. And soon Chris gently scratched her chin as Martin was able to touch her as well. Soon, they both press the Activation Button and a bright green and blue flashed appeared as the Dryosaurus leaped back. And soon saw the brothers in Dryosaurus Power Suits.
"Wow, I feel so light and fast with these legs." Martin said.
The Dryosaurus then sniffs them.
"Yeah, you're probably thinking we're the weirdest creatures you ever seen." Chris said.
Aviva, Koki and Jimmy soon join them as the Dryosaurus stares at them, but eventually her curiosity vanished as she turns back to her offspring and helps them dig for water.
Today is a lesson in survival.
The 3 Dryosaurus sniffed around the hole trying to pick up scent of water. And then they perked their heads up and looked around as the mother sniffed.
They don't know they're being watched.
Nearby, in a grove of trees stalking them, was one of Jurassic Utah's feared predators.
Ceratosaurus.
Its name means Horned Lizard, not for the hornlets above its eyes, but rather for the blade-like appendage on its nose. Its the only predatory dinosaur known to have this distinctive feature. The horns were for display, and it got 13 feet tall, 20 feet long, and weighed 1,200 pounds. That made it a mid-sized predator in the Late Jurassic. Compared to later predatory dinosaurs.
Ceratosaurus had another feature that distinguished it from other predators - 4 fingers on each hand. Each is unusual in predatory dinosaurs of this time had 3 fingers. Making Ceratosaurus more of a primitive dinosaur.
Ceratosaurus may not have been large, but its oversized teeth meant that they worked much like a meat slicer. It's upper jaw is armed with long, blade-like teeth. Ceratosaurus was also roaming Jurassic Europe like in Portugal and Spain, and Africa, making it a widespread dinosaur. This prehistoric monster literally dominated the Earth.
The Ceratosaurus softly growled as he watches the 3 Dryosaurus, 2 brothers as Dryosaurs, and 3 humans.
Ceratosaurus is the last of its kind, but more dangerous than ever.
The 3 Dryosaurus, Kratt Brothers in Dryosaurus Power Suits, and Aviva, Koki and Jimmy were unaware of the Ceratosaurus just hiding in the trees less than 100 feet away.
The Dryosaurs then perked as if they sensed something wasn't right. And the Ceratosaurus kept still softly growling as he watches them.
The Dryosaurs continued looking around still not noticing the Ceratosaurus.
Dryosaurus is too small to defend her brood against a hungry predator.
"Wait, do you all get the feeling we're being watch?" Aviva asked suddenly feeling like something was watching them.
The Ceratosaurus growled softly as he watches the group, and then he roared and charges towards them.
They were all alerted and turned to the grove of trees.
"CERATOSAURUS!" Martin yelled.
They then quickly flee as the Ceratosaurus rushed out from the trees, and roars as he chased after them.
All they can do is run for their lives.
They quickly got over an old fallen tree as the Ceratosaurus leaps over it, and slipped a bit as he chased them towards the trees.
They quickly ran through the trees as the Ceratosaurus roared as he was right behind them. They ran across the field with the roaring Ceratosaurus hot on their tails.
Dryosaurus' extra long legs make for speed, but of her offspring lags behind.
They continued running as the Ceratosaurus begins to close in on them, and then he turns to one of the Dryosaurus youngsters near him. And then he strikes and snatches the Dryosaur in his jaws. And the helpless Dryosaurus cries as the Ceratosaurus shakes him like a ragdoll, and throws him to the ground.
Meanwhile, the remaining 2 Dryosaurus and the Wild Kratts quickly ran towards the forest.
Now, the only hope is to find cover.
The Ceratosaurus has nearly finished his meal, and had the Dryosaur's tail sticking out from his mouth. And starts to swallow it whole.
By the tree line, the mother Dryosaurus and her remaining offspring hid behind the trees as well as the Wild Kratts.
"That was close." Chris said.
"You're telling me." Jimmy said.
The 2 Dryosaurus chittered as the hid behind the tree trunk.
And the Ceratosaurus begins to finish swallowing his meal.
Then Martin noticed something strange about the tree the Dryosaurus were hiding behind.
In the Jurassic World, there's something even bigger than Ceratosaurus.
The 2 Dryosaurus noticed as well, and looked up as well as the Wild Kratts. And saw that the trees were actually tree trunk-like legs, attached to a mammoth body, and a long neck and small head. And they saw it was a Jurassic colossus browsing at the treetops bellowing.
Chris and Martin soon recognized the species.
It was a titan of the Jurassic World, a long-necked dinosaur named Camarasaurus.
"Whoa, a Camarasaurus!" Chris and Martin said in astonish unison.
Camarasaurus was the first dinosaur that showed that there were giant animals bigger than elephants, long necks, heads full of plant-eating teeth, enormous sturdy legs, and gigantic tails, and roamed the Earth in great numbers.
They were the most common long-neck dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic Period. They could grow to a staggering 20 feet tall at the hips, measured 60 feet in length, and tipped the scales at 20 tons. That's 9 times the mass and 4 times the weight of an elephant.
Attacking a dinosaur this size would be like attacking a building.
Camarasaurus got that big, because few dinosaurs were as successful in its environment.
A dried bed shows shows the dozens of bones from many dinosaurs.
"The Jurassic river-bottom preserved here at Dinosaur National Monument contains an extraordinary diversity of dinosaurs. There are 4 kinds of Sauropod dinosaurs, 3 kinds of meat-eating dinosaurs, there are 2 kinds of bipedal plant-eating dinosaurs, and of course there's Stegosaurus the great plated dinosaur. Now these animals when we look at their carcasses, we can see they're of the same condition of preservation. This suggests they all died pretty close to the same time. Well what brought all these animals here? Most bone beds are just 1 species. We believe that this was a location where there was a perennial river flowing through the savanna of the Upper Jurassic of Western North America and it dried up. Animals would come to this place during the dry season where seeps would bring water to the surface where everywhere else was dry, but one 1 particularly bad year the river dried up completely. The animals not wanting to leave their only known source of water, stayed until they finally died. We're looking at the deaths of the predators, the prey, young, and old animals alike." Dr. James Kirkland said.
Dr JAMES KIRKLAND
Utah Geological Survey
"This is truly an extraordinary dinosaur deposit." Dr. James Kirkland said.
In Jurassic Utah, the Wild Kratts and Dryosaurus pair followed a herd of 3 Camarasaurus, made of 2 adults and a youngster.
Utah
150 Million Years Ago
They followed the Jurassic Titans as a few pterosaurs flew by as the Sauropods bellowed.
Like a caravan in the desert, a group of Camarasaurus lumbers towards an oasis.
A grove of conifer trees.
The Camarasaurus herd nears the trees as each footfall made the Earth shook.
Long ago, the plant-eaters found a way to coexist with nature.
And each other.
The Camarasaurus herd, the Dryosaurus pair, and the Wild Kratts soon arrived at the grove of trees. And saw another Camarasaurus by the trees heading towards one to feed.
When it comes to food, they live in a vertical world.
The Camarasaurus soon got to the tree, and it's head nears the treetop as it begins to feed.
Below them, the Dryosaurus pair followed the giants as well as the Wild Kratts.
Dryosaurus is tagging along.
A Camarasaurus starts feeding in the treetops of a Monkey-puzzle tree.
Without rain, the pickings are slim. But where the big Sauropods go, Dryosaurus knows a feast is in the making.
"Wow, this is incredible." Chris said filming the Camarasaurus feeding.
"Yeah, we're looking at some of the biggest dinosaurs of Utah." Martin said.
"Wow, he really is a big eater." Jimmy said.
"Yeah, Camarasaurus can probably eat thousands of pounds of food a day." Chris said. "That could be like us eating 3,000 salads 1 day alone."
"Whoa, that's a lot of greens." Aviva said.
"And this is one of the advantages of being big." Martin said. "Camarasaurus has the tops of the trees to themselves, just like with giraffes."
The Camarasaurus feeds on the branches as the Wild Kratts watched the giant eat them like they were pretzels.
Camarasaurus thrives on the boughs of evergreens, high in the trees.
Camarasaurus was very successful, because it could feed from a variety of ranges. It could feed low at the ground. It could feed at about its shoulder height, and high up in the trees. By having this big wide range, it could find food in all sorts of environments.
Camarasaurus also owned its success to a set of 5-inch long spoon-shaped teeth that paleontologists realized could defoliant entire trees at will.
Their strong teeth and powerful jaws, literally rip the branches off.
The Camarasaurus continues feeding as the Dryosaurus snatch the falling plants.
To reach them, Camarasaurus can do something most other Sauropods can't.
The Camarasaurus bellowed as Martin scans the behemoth, and soon saws the X-ray of it's skeleton as it's head and neck.
The vertebrae in its neck are strong, yet hollow, which makes them lightweight. A network of cable-like ligaments helps Camarasaurus hold its head in an almost vertical position.
The scan then shows the large stomach in it's rib-cage. And saw a number of stones inside the stomach.
Sauropods don't chew their food, they gulp it. To digest it, they swallow stones called gastroliths, which grind the food in their stomach.
Because Camarasaurus consumes large quantities of vegetation faster than it can process it, it's belly is huge.
The Camarasaurus then walks off.
"This scan is incredible." Aviva said working on her M.I.K. "But what are those stones in his stomach?"
"Are are gastroliths." Chris said.
"Gastroliths?" Jimmy blinked.
"Yeah, Sauropods actually swallow stones to help grind up the plant material in their stomachs." Martin said. "Some birds actually do that as well."
"You mean like with Rocko when we saw the Dodos?" Koki asked thinking back to the Back in Creature Time adventure.
"Exactly." Martin said.
Soon, the M.I.K's slot opens revealing 2 gray Camarasaurus Power Discs.
"Listo! Camarasaurus Power Discs, ready!" Aviva said grabbing them.
Chris and Martin took them and inserted them into the slot of the Power Suits. They then placed a hand on the Camarasaurus' leg, and then press the Activation Button. Then a green and blue flash occurred and faded as Chris and Martin were in Camarasaurus Power Suits, and creature sized as one as well.
"Whoa! Incredible!" The 2 brothers said in unison.
Close by, the Dryosaurus mother and her youngster were feeding on the scraps felt by the giants.
The Dryosaurus make short work of the scraps. They chew their food to speed digestion.
They continue feeding as then the ground shook, and then turned and quickly flee as a Camarasaurus foot stomps on the ground right where they were standing.
A Camarasaurus heads over to a tree as another walks by.
A Sauropod is a virtual bulldozer. They can wipeout entire forest in no time, by uprooting trees and plants.
The Wild Kratts soon came across another one of the adults by a tree and it bellows out.
In the days to come, herds of Sauropods will scour the landscape. But for now, it's 1 tree at a time.
They then watched as the Camarasaurus pushes the tree with it's sheer size and power, and soon knocks it down. And behind it was the youngster.
The remains of 3 Camarasaurus found together in Wyoming in 1997 suggested that these dinosaurs traveled in small herds.
Eventually, they left the Camarasaurus and wandered the landscape, and came across a Stegosaurs pair.
2 other local residents, a male, and a female Stegosaurus, are also scrounging for food.
"Wow, Stegosaurus." Martin said.
They watched as the 2 armored giants near each other.
For an animal the length of a bus, and the weight of a rhino, its snout is small and toothless.
They watched as the female Stegosaurus nears some rocks, and then she rears up placing her front feet on the rocks. And feeds on the leaves of a small tree.
She soon lowers down after feeding as they walked off.
Still, it's the largest dinosaur if its kind in the world.
"So, why do Stegosaurus have those cool plates on it's back, anyway?" Jimmy said.
"Well, there has been a lot of theories." Chris said. "When Stegosaurus was first found, people thought the plates were flat out. Which is how Stegosaurus got it's name, meaning Roof Lizard. But more skeletons and bones were found, and saw they had their plates straight up."
"Stegosaurus has 17 plates, ranging from 4 inches, to 3 feet." Martin said. "1 idea was thought that the plates were used to help warm up or cool down Stegosaurus. They were also once thought for defense, like to make themselves look bigger. But the main reason, is that the plates are likely for display."
"And the tail spikes?" Koki asked.
"Those spines are actually called a thagomizer." Chris said. "Those 4 thagomizers are 3 feet long. A serious weapon on predators, and they can swing it with surprising speed."
"It's like having a spiked mace as a tail." Martin said. "And they can swing it at a speed of 89 miles per hour. There was even an Allosaurus fossil of a vertebrae found with a impact wound made by one, the Allosaur who owned it was lucky to recover from the wound."
The plates on its back, and its tail bristling with 3-foot spikes, are designed to repel the most aggressive attackers.
"Done!" Aviva said holding out 2 new orange Stegosaurus Power Discs. "Stegosaurus Power Discs!"
"Wow, you're getting good at this, Aviva." Chris said grabbing a disc.
Martin takes the other Power Disc, and they inserted the Discs in the slots. And they slowly went up to the Stegosaurus, they both don't want to startle them, since these are 3 ton powerhouses of a creature. They quietly approached the male Stegosaurus from behind, and Chris carefully reaches his arm out and touched the Stegosaurus by the tail.
The male Stegosaurus then lowed and turns to them.
"Huh?" Martin frowned.
The Stegosaurus them lifts his tail back thinking they were both a threat.
"Uh-oh!" Chris said.
Then the Stegosaurus swung his tail with incredible speed, and hits the 2 brothers sending them flying back. The 2 then hit the rocks as Aviva, Koki and Jimmy cringed from the impact.
"Ouch." Chris said.
Then their Power Suits flashed as the Stegosaur tail has actually hit the Activation Buttons. And soon they flashed as Chris and Martin were in Stegosaurus Power Suits.
They soon regain their senses and got up.
"Whoa! Check out these spikes!" Chris said checking out the tail thagomizers.
"Awesome plates!" Martin said looking at his back plates.
Nearby, the Ceratosaurus appeared softly growling and was looking for a meal and roared and heads off.
The 2 Stegosaurus soon saw the Ceratosaurus and started bellowing out at him.
"Uh-oh!" Martin said. "It's Blade."
"Blade?" Koki said.
"His name." Martin said. "The horns he has are almost blade-like."
"Can we worry about names later?" Jimmy asked nervously hiding behind Chris. "One of us could be lunch!"
The 2 Stegosaurus bellowed at the Ceratosaurus as Chris and Martin soon join next to them. And Blade roars out at them.
"He's not actually gonna try messing with these guys, is he?!" Koki said thinking the Ceratosaurus was crazy enough to do it.
"Well, attacking a Stegosaurus is dangerous." Chris said. "But to attack a Stegosaurus, he has to attack one at the front!"
The male Stegosaurus turns and swung his tail at the Ceratosaurus as if he was shielding the female from the predator. Chris and Martin turned into a defensive stance and swung their tails at Blade to deter him from coming closer.
"A Ceratosaurus would never consider attacking a Stegosaurus." Martin said. "But he will test one anyway for weaknesses."
Blade then roars out and nears the Stegosaurus male and Stego-bros as he tests them for any weakness. And also looking for a window to strike at the Stegosaur's weak points. And the female Stegosaurus begins to move away as Aviva, Koki and Jimmy followed her.
The Ceratosaurus attempts to strike, but Chris swiftly swung his tail near Blade's face as he backs away from it.
The male Stegosaurus continues swinging his tail, and then he raised it up high.
Blade roars out, and then saw a window and charges.
The Ceratosaurus attempts to strike at the Stegosaur's hind leg, but the Stegosaurus swiftly struck his tail at Blade's left leg. And then swung his tail back again at the Ceratosaur's side knocking him off his feet and hits the ground.
The male Stegosaurus bellows as he swung his tail and turns to the fallen Ceratosaurus.
Blade roars as he held his head up, and soon he rolls onto his feet and got up. And soon, he roars out and heads off, and considering himself lucky without having a thagomizer wound at his foot or leg.
"Whoa, and the Stegosaurus wins!" Martin cheered.
The 2 brothers deactivated as the female Stegosaurus walks off, and the male Stegosaur bellows out in triumph.
Flush with victory, the male Stegosaurus begins to strut, his back plates are like feathers to a Peacock. They're priceless when it comes to mating.
The male Stegosaurus continues bellowing, and he nears the female. He then rears up to mount onto her, but the female moves away from him.
The female's not ready.
The Stegosaurus female begins to head off.
The male Stegosaurus lowed as all he could, is follow her and that eventually she'll accept him to mating.
For the male, there's always tomorrow.
The Wild Kratts watched as the Stegosaurus pair heads off.
Sometime later, the Jurassic sun begins to set.
The dry season is now in its 4th month.
But a change is in the wind.
The clouds start to gather heavily, and thunder was heard.
Storm clouds bring the promise of needed rain.
That night, lightning flashed as soon it started to rain.
And soon, rivers begin to flow again.
By a tree, Camarasaurus bellowed as it was feeding on a tree, turned to the pouring rain. And then it begins to head off.
Elsewhere, a Ceratosaurus was sleeping and soon woke up and lifted it's head up. And looks up at the pouring rain.
Nearby, 2 Camarasaurus head off as it rained.
The monsoon will last for days.
Days later, the Jurassic sun rises at the calm after the storm.
By storm's end, the landscape is transformed.
Towards morning, a river flows downhill.
Torrents of water cascade from the hills and rivers begin to flow.
At a calm section of river, the Wild Kratts were by the shoreline as they saw dozens of footprints left by dinosaurs.
Seasonal lakes and ponds magically reappear, their muddy banks are a maze of footprints left by thirsty dinosaurs. Large and small, both predator and prey running helter-skelter together.
But the coming of the wet season ushers in more than just rain.
On the other bank of the river, a herd of 4 Camarasaurus head to the water's edge to drink.
A few hours later, the Wild Kratts explored the landscaped and soon arriving on a hilltop. They saw a herd of one of the most famous of all Jurassic dinosaurs.
Apatosaurus has arrived.
"Whoa, Apatosaurus!" Martin said.
"Amazing!" Aviva said.
The herd bellowed as then the Dryosaurus mother and her youngster rushed by. And then a single Apatosaurus walks by them, and they were amazed by the sheer size of the Jurassic Titan.
This Dino of the Flintstones, in the flesh, all 30 tons.
They watched as the Apatosaurus walks by so close to them, and they felt the ground shake with each footstep.
Soon, they watched the herd walk by.
With legs the width of tree trunks, and feet almost as big as bicycle tires, Apatosaurus is the Elephant of the Jurassic.
Only 12 times heavier.
Sauropods, like Apatosaurus and Camarasaurus, are the largest land animals the world has ever seen.
The skeleton of a Camarasaurus youngster lies in display of a museum exhibit.
"This is the most complete Sauropod dinosaurs ever found. It's a Camarasaurus, about 2 years old and already about 19 feet long. The Sauropod dinosaurs are the kind of thing we always think about when we hear the word "Dinosaur". I grew up with Brontosaurus, now correctly called Apatosaurus." Dr. James Kirkland said.
Dr JAMES KIRKLAND
Utah Geological Survey
"If we look around the world in the Upper Jurassic, Sauropods are the dominant dinosaur." Dr. James said. "In fact, in North America in any particular dinosaur quarry we find, we usually see as many as 4 different types. Some feeding high the trees, some feeding low grazing on the surface. They're an immense part of the fauna, very important to the ecosystem. You would think we'd know a lot about these dinosaurs, however, young and their eggs are virtually unknown. In fact, in all of Western North America, extending from Canada down to central New Mexico, we have not found a single Sauropod eggshell fragment in the Morrison Basin. If we look at eggs from South America or from Europe, we see the Sauropods laid eggs as big as soccer balls, with eggshells about a quarter inch think. Well in western North America in the Morrison we do get dinosaur eggs, some of which are only 2 millimeters thick. So, you would certainly think we'd be finding Sauropod eggs here at all. This tells us that these animals were migrating into and out of the basin. Perhaps they nesting in the lowlands of the mountains to the west, or perhaps to the north and Canada along the coast of the sea. Certainly they weren't nesting and reproducing within the Rocky Mountain region."
2 Apatosaurus walked uphill near a pond with a pouring waterfall as the Wild Kratts followed them.
Utah
150 Million Years Ago
"Wow." Aviva said amazed. "They're beautiful."
When Apatosaurus moves, the earth begins to tremble.
The 2 Apatosaurus continue marching pass the stream and waterfall. And the Wild Kratts continued following the majestic giants.
Eventually, they got to an area with plenty of vegetation for the herd to feed.
Like elephants, these Sauropods migrate long distances following the rainy season.
Soon, 1 Apatosaurus got to a large bush and starts feeding.
Along the way the graze on ferns and low-lying plants.
Soon, the herd starts feeding as well as the Wild Kratts watched.
To accommodate their immense size, Apatosaurus had perfected a way to eat the most amount of food, with the least amount of effort. Sweeping its neck in an arc from side to side, it scours the ground like a giant vacuum cleaner.
"So, how do Apatosaurus get enough food?" Koki asked.
"Well, like elephants, these dinosaurs are always on the move to find plenty of food." Chris said. "In fact, it's head and neck are secret to getting enough food."
"Really?" Jimmy said.
"Yeah, Apatosaurus can move it's head and neck like the arm of a crane." Martin said. "Moving side to side, or up and down to reach plants on the ground, or it's shoulder height or in the tree branches. They could even use the head and neck to reach deep through the tree line of forests if the trees are too thick for them to go further."
"But sometimes, they'll just knock the whole tree down like elephants." Chris said.
"So, what other Sauropods are around here, anyway?" Aviva asked.
"Well, there is Camarasarus and Apatosaurus we've met." Martin said. "But there's also Brachiosaurus and Diplodocus as well. We also got Supersaurus."
"Sauropods were the dominant dinosaur of the Jurassic." Chris said.
"Well, too bad their weren't any in the Cretaceous." Jimmy said.
"Actually there is." Martin said.
"Get outta here." Aviva scoffed unconvinced. "Everyone knows they're Jurassic dinosaurs."
"No, we're serious." Chris said. "Everyone used to believe Sauropods were Jurassic dinosaurs. But Cretaceous species were found as well meaning they survived right until the very end of the Cretaceous."
"You're kidding me." Jimmy said.
"Yeah, the Cretaceous saw a new line of Sauropods." Martin said. "The Titanosaurs. The biggest of all the Sauropods. These giants were found of every continent."
"So, what's the biggest dinosaur?" Aviva asked.
"Well, the true biggest is still yet to be known." Chris said. "But the biggest known dinosaur, has yet to exist." He worked his CreaturePod and it showed a holographic screen of the fossil remains of a true giant among Sauropods. "This are the fossil remains of a dinosaur from South America, called Argentinosaurus. The biggest known dinosaur."
"It was so big, it easily dwarfs both Apatosaurus and Camarasaurus." Martin said. "It was as heavy as 15 African Elephants. Making it the heaviest land animal ever."
"Whoa." Aviva, Koki and Jimmy said in unison.
"Yeah, few other Titanosaurs even comes close." Chris said.
"Titanosaurs were found everywhere." Martin said. "In North America, there's Alamosaurus. Europe has Ampelosaurus."
"Africa has Paralititan, the biggest African dinosaur." Chris said. "But South America was the true land of giants. Saltasaurus, Puetrasaurus, Dreadnoughtus, Patagotitan, and Argentinosaurus. Australia has Diamantinasaurus, and that newcomer that was just discovered, Australotitan."
"Okay, time to make an Apatosaurus Power Disc." Aviva said bringing out her M.I.K.
She starts working as Chris scans an Apatosaurus near them.
Apatosaurus is the length of a tennis court. Its tail alone is 30 feet long, and ends with a whiplash.
Soon, the screen of the M.I.K showed the giant's skeleton.
To carry the weight, Apatosaurus' backbone has tall vertebral spines over its hips.
The scan moves over to the pelvic spines showing ligaments on each side.
Attached to the spines are ligaments that hold its neck and tail up.
The scan then moves over to the front of the Apatosaurus showing it's neck.
At the front of its body, the spines are forked to brace its neck when moving it over the ground.
"And... done!" Aviva said and pushed a button.
A slot from the M.I.K opens and revealed 2 tan/yellow Apatosaurus Power Discs and she grabs.
"2 Apatosaurus Power Discs!" Aviva announced and she tossed them to the brothers.
Chris and Martin caught them, and inserted them into the slots of the Power Suits. They then went over to an Apatosaurus, and touched it's leg and press the Activation Button.
The Apatosaurus then noticed a green and blue flash, and it turns it's head around seeing 2 of the strangest Apatosaurs it ever seen in green and blue. But soon, got back to the business of eating.
"Whoa, this is awesome!" Chris said.
"Wow, check out this tail!" Martin said swinging his long tail. "It's like having a bullwhip for a tail."
Soon, the herd begins to head off as they followed them.
A healthy adult has no enemies, its size alone protects it.
"Say, why do Apatosaurus have a whip-like tail, anyway?" Koki said.
"Well, some Sauropods like Apatosaurus and Diplodocus had whip-like tails are for defense." Chris said. "They can use it like a large whip, and maybe even make a loud sound."
"But most of the time, Apatosaurus are usually safe from predators." Martin said. "Unless they're old, weak, sick, injured or young."
"Well, then, seems like Apatosaurus has a long peaceful life." Koki said. "They have few predators to worry about. If you have predators watching, you'd be big too."
Suddenly Jimmy got nervous with widen eyes.
"Are Allosaurus one of their predators?" Jimmy asked looking scared.
"Yep. Allosaurus are one of the few main predators that could threaten even an adult Apatosaurus." Koki confirmed.
"'Cause there's one now." Jimmy said pointing straight ahead.
"Hmm?" Chris, Martin, Aviva and Koki turned to where Jimmy was pointed.
But stalking the herd is Allosaurus, the most advanced flesh eater of its day.
Standing by a grove of trees watching the herd, was an Allosaurus. Eyeing the herd like a lion stalking zebras. And it was also one of the most terrifying predators of the Jurassic, and made Ceratosaurus look like a lightweight. A terror of the Jurassic World.
"Whoa, an Allosaurus!" Chris said. "That's the Lion of the Jurassic, right there!"
"T. Rex may have been King of the Cretaceous." Martin said. "But Allosaurus is the King of the Jurassic."
Allosaurus was a powerhouse of the predator. Armed with sharp hand claws, and serrated teeth in powerful jaws. It stalked Jurassic Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. And are capable of going after even the biggest dinosaurs of the region.
"In fact, Allosaurus is actually the State Fossil of Utah." Chris said. "Fossils of them found in the thousands."
The Allosaurus continues watching the herd, and soon it sets it's sights on an Apatosaurus youngster about 3 or 4 years old.
Having chosen it's target, the Allosaurus begins to close in.
This youngster has strayed from the center of the herd.
"Uh-oh." Martin said. "It's gonna after the youngster."
The Allosaurus stalks closer, and soon it charges and let out a screeching roar as it charges towards the youngster with it's teeth and claws out.
Then suddenly, an adult Apatosaurus next to the youngster quickly swung it's massive tail. And then swiftly swings it near the Allosaurus like a bullwhip, and the tail even made a loud sound as the Allosaur backs off. And the Apatosaurus bellows out, and the Allosaurus roared as it walks off deciding the youngster was not worth the trouble for an injury.
The adult Apatosaurus watches the Allosaurus leave as it bellowed.
And the Allosaurus continues heading off, away from the herd.
Allosaurus is no quitter.
The Allosaurus looked back, and continues off to find an easier meal.
Soon, the Dryosaurus mother and her remaining youngster appeared. And Chris and Martin deactivated as they Wild Kratts went over to them.
There's plenty more fish in the sea.
Then suddenly, the Ceratosaurus lunges from it's ambush spot.
"You again!" Martin said.
The Dryosaurus quickly turn and fled as the Ceratosaurus roared, and chased after them.
Ceratosaurus has also been stalking the herd.
The Dryosaurus and Wild Kratts ran for their lives as the Ceratosaurus chased them, and then the Ceratosaurus lunges and snaps his jaws ripping a piece of Jimmy's shorts from it's teeth causing him to jump as he screamed.
The Dryosaurus and Wild Kratts continued running for their lives with the Ceratosaurus behind them. Then suddenly, the Ceratosaurus only had time to look to it's left, and fails to react quickly enough when the enormous jaws of the Allosaurus lunging from nowhere, clamp down on the neck of the Ceratosaurus. The Ceratosaur was thrown off it's feet as it roars in pain and was helpless as Allosaurus made the killer blow.
The Dryosaurus continue running as they rushed by the Apatosaurus herd.
And the Wild Kratts ducked behind a bush.
"Are you okay, Jimmy?" Aviva asked.
"Ask me that when we're back in the Tortuga." Jimmy said shuddering as he almost felt the teeth of the Ceratosaurus.
They then peeked through the bush, and saw the Allosaurus feeding on the Ceratosaurus. And soon, a 2nd Allosaurus arrived as the first one turns it it roaring. It got back to feeding as the 2nd Allosaur turns to the distant herd, and soon begins to approach the carcass to feed.
"Whoa, seems like the theory of Allosaurus and Ceratosaurus being serious competition is true." Chris said.
"Yeah, just like with lions and hyenas in our time." Martin said.
Ceratosaurus sat atop of a dinosaur pyramid like a sovereign on a throne. For 20 million years, he was the unchallenged super predator. But now, this monster fought his own battle royale against an interloper more than twice his size.
Now the hunter becomes the hunted.
For nearly 20 million years, Ceratosaurus had dominated the region of North America where the Rocky Mountain states are now. But the emergence of Allosaurus, a bigger, faster, stronger adversary, changed everything. Allosaurus represented a considerable upgrade from the Ceratosaurus. In fact, its size was unprecedented for its time. And what made Allosaurus even more dangerous, was these behemoths lived in packs. And another major difference between them, was that Allosaurus was a more intelligent creature with the capacity to form strategies.
And Allosaurus dethrones Ceratosaurus as the most lethal creature on Planet Earth.
Ceratosaurus will ultimately, be outcompeted into extinction.
Elsewhere in Jurassic Utah, the male Stegosaurus lightly lowed.
Danger has a whole different meaning for Stegosaurus.
The male Stegosaurus nears the female as she was resting.
For days, the male has been trying to lure the female into mating.
Now his persistence finally pays off.
The 2 Stegosaurus bellowed out, and soon the male placed his front feet over her back as they start to bellow out.
And start to bring the next generation of Stegosaurus.
Time has pass over the Jurassic landscape.
A season of Sauropods has wreaked havoc on the land, for Apatosaurus it's time to go.
The Wild Kratts watched the herd of Apatosaurus marched by as the ground shook, as they begin to head off to a new area.
Dinosaurs this big are constantly on the move.
Having eaten their fill, they head for greener pastures.
The Wild Kratts watched the giants as they marched near a ledge.
"I can never get enough of watching Apatosaurus." Aviva said watching the herd.
"Yeah, truly is a sight." Martin said.
But big animals traveling near ledges can have risks.
1 Apatosaurus follows the other herd members, but was dangerously close to the ledge. And then, it's right front foot lands on the ground, but it was also on a loose rock as it then slipped and fell off it's feet. And then the 35 ton giant rolled, and fell off the ledge and hits the ground on it's side with a tremendous thud shaking the ground.
The Apatosaurus lifts it's head up high as it then roars in agonizing pain as it tries to get back on it's feet. But it couldn't as the fall has broke a leg bone.
Felled by a broken leg, Apatosaurus is mortally wounded.
The Apatosaurus continues bellowing in distress as it's long whip-like tail swung around.
And the Wild Kratts stood near the ledge as they were unsure how to help the fallen giant.
But the crashing thud and the distress roaring has just rang the dinner bell for some unwanted company. A pack of 3 Allosaurus attracted by the noise heads over towards the ledge.
The Wild Kratts were forced to move away as the Allosaurs' attention was more on the fallen Sauropod as they got to the ledge.
Today, Allosaurus is the victor.
But their days, have also been numbered.
The 3 Allosaurus watched the Apatosaurus for a few moments, making sure is was totally immobilized.
And then, one of the Allosaurus roars out and then rushed forward down the ledge. And they near the fallen giant as one roared, and then like lions striking on an elephant, the 3 Allosaurus lunge onto the Apatosaur's side as the giant roars out in pain as they start to eat it alive as one attacks it at the throat. The helpless Sauropod cries in pain as there was nothing the Wild Kratts could do as they leave the scene. As it was a part of nature, though they didn't have to like it.
Meanwhile, the herd of Apatosaurus continues on with no concern. As they had no social bonds like those of mammals.
The Sauropods will live on, and a whole new generation of titans will leave their footprints in the mud.
Meanwhile, the Allosaurus pack gorges themselves on the body as the feast could last for weeks. And one lifts it's head up with after swallowing some meat.
Allosaurus, will vanish into extinction.
The Allosaurus then bites down and rips off a slab of flesh and tossed it in it's mouth.
Days later, the Apatosaurus carcass stay lies where it fell.
And the Jurassic sun shines over Utah.
In Utah, the seasons come and go.
Once again the dry spell returns. Now all that hints at the passage of time, are bones bleaching in the sun.
The Jurassic sun begins to set as the Apatosaurus herd bellowed as they migrated across the landscape. And the Tortuga flies over them as it then vanished into a time warp.
Tomorrow, the curtain will rise on the Cretaceous.
And a new cast of characters will appear.
Some are sinister, some are strange, and some...
Have never been seen before.
Night soon shines over the Jurassic land as the moon soon shines.
Author's Note:
Not that I'm against the Allosaurus of When Dinosaurs Roamed America, but I think they should've done a different roar for it. Those roars it had are more suited to small size dinosaurs, rather than a large one.
I think what John Goodman meant by Ceratosaurus being the last of it's kind, is by the last of the Ceratosaurids. I think.