2 MILLION YEARS AGO
There are many ways to describe life on this planet. Some creatures could be called, "magnificent", or "monstrous", perhaps "misunderstood". But only a few creatures who roam this Earth...
...could be called all three.
In the plains of the lost continent, South America, a predatory mammal stalks through the brush as it growls softly. As it was a big cat armed with saber-like fangs eight inches long.
And it was a legendary killer.
Two million years ago, and our wild planet is a very different place.
The cats growls as it continues stalking, and it growls more as it reaches a near the shores of a waterhole as it stands on a large, flat rock. And it was a fearsome predator, with the size of an African Lion, but more heavier.
A saber-toothed cat, the Smilodon.
The Smilodon ominously looks out across the lake scanning for any prey as it growls.
A fearsome predator of its age.
The Smilodon looks back as a second saber-tooth joins it's side.
Standing in the way, a giant terror bird, two meters tall.
Nearby, on the shore on the waterhole, another of South America's top predator was patrolling the area for prey.
The terror bird, Titanis.
The Titanis barks, and then roars out.
The pair of Smilodons watch the bird as one growls softly.
Both sides are armed...
The Smilodon have saber fangs and claws on their side.
While Titanis, a powerful beak and strong legs with claws that can give a kick.
and prepared for a fight.
The terror bird takes a step as it's left foot stomps down, and it roars out and trills.
A dramatic wildlife scene that has played over South America for a million years, and a rivalry that will continue on for two million more. And the Smilodons begin to approach the bird.
This is the story of the great battles for survival and the dynasties that would take over the world.
The Titanis begins to near the edge of the waterhole as the Smilodons stalked closer as it roars out, seemingly not to have noticed the cats.
And the two Smilodons watched the terror bird waiting for the right moment, as a fierce competition is about to begin.
This is the story of Life.
The atmosphere intensifies as the cats begin to stalk closer.
A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY SERIES
A plant chute sprouts out from the ground in a rousing matter, and soon it grows into a tree.
On the shore of a marsh, a fish-like creature called Strepsodus crawls out of the water and onto dry land as another followed. And the ground turns green and a large amphibian called Anthracosaurus chomps down on the creature.
An Scutosaur stood still as it made a low growling, and a Gorgonopsid called Inostrancevia sniffs the ground following a trail, and a Lystrosaurus stood by a tree as a forest grows more green. And the tree trunk turns green as well as vines grew.
Then a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the greatest predator ever known snarls out as a forest grew, and an Anchiornis stood on a rock trilling.
A massive explosion spreads out on the surface of the Earth, and a pair of Triceratops were trapped in a forest fire as one screeches. And the flames grew in an immense rousing rate on the tree.
A terror bird scans the area for prey like how modern Birds of Prey would, like falcons and eagles.
Plants soon regrew around the tree, and the branches spread out. Then the forest turns white with a layer of snow and a growling Smilodon stalks and the wild howls out as a herd of Woolly Mammoths treks across the frozen land. And an rumbling avalanche races down a mountainside.
And the snow melts away, and the natural rousing scene intensifies as plants grew and a massive fig tree stood.
LIFE ON
OUR WILD PLANET
The tranquil sun shines over the vast ocean.
PRESENT DAY
If you know where to look, you can still find clues to the origins of life on our wild planet.
Underwater, a feeding frenzy occurs as a group of sharks corral a school of fish. And nearby watching them, Wild Kratts team Chris, Martin, Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy Z watch them in their Amphi-Sub.
"These sharks are truly amazing." Chris said.
"As long as I'm not outside with them, I'm okay." Jimmy said calmly.
"Yeah, and sharks are some of the oldest animals around." Martin said. "They've been patrolling the oceans for some 400 million years."
"Wow, that's actually longer than dinosaurs first appear." Koki said.
"Yep, sharks are some of the oldest predators." Chris said.
This is not just a gathering of marine predators.
"Hey, look, dolphins!" Martin called out.
A pair of Common Dolphins then joins the feeding frenzy.
It is a coming together of ancient bloodlines.
The frenzy continues as fish bolted in different directions as a Silky Shark swims by.
Sharks, living fossils, virtually unchanged for hundreds of millions of years.
The Common Dolphins join in as they are not in any danger from the sharks.
Dolphins, air-breathing mammals whose ancestors once roamed on land.
Clicking fills the water as a Common Dolphin twirls around and darts into the fish shoal.
Then a bellow was heard as a Silky Shark swims aside as one of the many ocean giants appeared; a Humpback Whale as it joins the feeding frenzy.
Whales, bigger than any other animals that have ever lived.
The Humpback bellows out as the Wild Kratts were amazed by the wildlife spectacle.
And at the surface, a number of seabirds called Gannets dive in to claim their share. And the Wild Kratts knew they once came from a great family of creatures that ruled the world for 165 million years. From a time long before the first humans, even before the first dolphins or whales, or any large mammal.
Birds, the last survivors of the dinosaurs... the world's greatest dynasty.
The Wild Kratts were mesmerized by the dramatic natural event as the fish dart in every direction just to avoid the many mouths above and below.
All predators, all hunting the same prey, but all with totally different origins.
The many ocean predators continue feeding, and the Wild Kratts knew this was just a taste of all Earth's species.
In the forests of South America, a hummingbird flies by.
There are more than ten million species of plant and animals alive today.
Elsewhere in the world, a vast colony of flying foxes flew about in a rousing scene. And in the shallows of the Caribbean Sea, a trio of stingrays swam over a field of seagrass.
In the air, a dragonfly hovers.
And yet, they are just 1% of all species that have ever existed.
A flower blooms out, and a lioness wanders on the African plain as a bird was heard chirping. On the banks of a river, a Nile Crocodile lunges out of the water towards a drinking herd of Wildebeest and snaps it's powerful jaws missing one.
In the distant past, an Inostrancevia patrols it's hunting ground as a herd of Scutosaurus travels.
By traveling back in time, the Wild Kratts will meet many of the 99% that have gone extinct...
The Scutosaurus continues traveling as the Inostrancevia stalks the herd growling watching and waiting for the right moment. And at the height of the Ice Age, a herd of Woolly Mammoths treks across the snowcapped landscape, and then confronted by a pack of Cave Lions as they roared.
In the Jurassic, a Pterodactylus, soars in the sky.
...to reveal the most extraordinary story of all,
In the oceans, a Pliosaurus snatches a sea turtle in it's massive jaws.
the story of life on our wild planet.
On land, a pack Deinonychus trots, and two male Megacerops fought as their grunting fills the air as they clashed for the right to mate.
In the Cretaceous, a Triceratops growls out as a herd stands its ground towards a mother T. Rex and her two juveniles.
CHAPTER 1
THE RULES OF LIFE
On a dark night, waves churned, rolled and crash on a beach.
4 BILLION YEARS AGO
Thunder rumbles as streaks of lightning bolts lit up the sky.
Life and all its incredible variety had to start somewhere.
The thunder continues as lightning bolts flashed out as the waves below continue rolling and crashing on the shoreline.
The first spark appeared four billion years ago. Perhaps uniquely, our planet had just the right conditions. Liquid water, energy from the Sun, and the perfect chemistry for life to take hold.
The waves continue rolling and churning as the Tortuga rests in the shallow water in Sea Turtle Mode not far from the shoreline.
And in a dreamy environment, a miniaturized Amphi-Sub travels through the micro world with the Wild Kratts keeping an eye out.
The exact process is lost in the mists of time.
"You guys sure we're in the right place and time?" Aviva asked.
"Yeah, we just gotta keeping looking." Chris said.
"It's around this time that the first form of life on Earth appeared." Martin said.
But what it produced was a tiny single living cell.
"There!" Koki called out pointing ahead.
And the Wild Kratts then saw a single living cell.
LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor... from which all life, everything, is descended.
"It's LUCA." Martin said.
"Luca?" Jimmy said puzzled. "You're naming it Luca?"
"No, this is the cell called LUCA." Martin said. "Last Universal Common Ancestor, AKA: LUCA. But I'll call this one, Origin."
The Wild Kratts watched as LUCA sat motionless but can tell it was very much alive as the cell gave a vibrant color of blue mixed with green.
"Amazing how this is the very first lifeform." Aviva said astonished.
"Yeah, and to think what it will lead ahead in the future." Chris said. "Everything we see in our home time, traces back to this little cell."
"Well I once heard that sometimes the smallest thing can make the biggest change of all." Koki said.
On the surface, the sun shines over the young ocean with clouds in the air.
From these humble beginnings, life took billions more years to develop real complexity.
450 MILLION YEARS AGO
A wave churns on the ocean.
A feat it first achieved in the oceans.
On a section of coral, polyps squelching as they cast a bright color of blue with a dash of green. And other corals flashed around.
The earliest animals to attain supremacy were simple life forms.
Water babbling as the many corals grew, and a polyp sends it's tentacles.
These invertebrates, animals without backbones, ruled the seas for many millions of years.
Throughout the shallow seas, many jellyfish swam blindly through the waters. And Chris, Martin, and Aviva swam by them careful to avoid their tentacles armed with stingers of painful venom.
"These jellyfish are beautiful." Martin said.
"Yeah, these are some of the oldest animals on Earth." Chris said. "First appearing 100 million years earlier."
"So that means they've been around for some 500 million years." Aviva said. "That's a long time."
"Yeah, and in this point of history: the Ordovician, many creatures are invertebrates." Martin said. "Animals with no backbones, and most have tough exoskeletons."
"Yeah, and the animals of this time like in our time are facing an endless battle through life." Chris said.
Throughout history, life has been waging an unending war. One dynasty rising, only to be vanquished by the next.
In the far future, some 150 million years, a vast forest stood with a layer of mist rising from the tree canopy.
Plants were among the first to conquer the land... creating conditions that, in time, allowed the invertebrates to follow and take over.
Amongst the trees, a large centipede crawls along the forest floor. Centipede are usually small, but this one was as big as a person.
The giant centipede, Arthropleura, crawls along the forest floor chirping as it's many legs carries it's body as a scorpion crawls off.
And the Arthropleura continues crawling off through the ancient forest.
But the invertebrates could not rule forever.
An ominous void fills the ancient swamps and marshland.
A new dynasty would surpass them. One that also came from the water.
On a bank of the marsh, an Anthracosaurus snatches a Strepsodus growling and it tosses it's catch further back in it's jaws as two other Strepsodus crawls off as fast as their short limbs could carry them.
The amphibians...
The Anthracosaurus grunts as he tossed it's catch further in it's mouth.
Another Anthracosaur crawls along the sandbank.
...whose novel body plan of four limbs and a backbone would prove an enduring blueprint for success.
The Anthracosaurus crawls along the bank and towards a group of other Anthracosaurs basking.
Their reach was limited by their ties to water.
Time goes on again, and an eye opens.
But they spawned another dynasty with no such binds.
The creature looks about as it was armed with jaws of sharp teeth.
The reptiles.
The reptile made a low growl as it crawls through a dry rocky desert region. It was Erythrosuchus.
Able to exploit even the driest regions, their sprawling gait carried them around the world.
The Erythrosuchus soon lays down on the warm sand.
For the first time in history, there was a global power. From these early reptiles came the most iconic dynasty of them all.
Further into the future, in a majestic period of history known as the Jurassic, a giant reptile; a dinosaur called Diplodocus feeds on a wetland with others of it's kind.
The dinosaurs.
The Diplodocus bellows out as the herd feeds on the trees and pterosaurs flew by.
In the forests, soft grunting was heard as a predatory dinosaur called Sinraptor watches out for prey.
They were to rule for over 150 million years.
The Sinraptor watches a small white-feathered dinosaurs called Anchiornis as it was busy croaking as it was catching insects unaware of the giant predator close by.
In a field of ferns, a trio of Diplodocus juveniles hangs around as one bleats as a massive adult ambles by.
A group of astonishing variety, whose absolute dominion was only cut short by calamitous bad luck.
In the southern regions of North America, a herd of Alamosaurus migrates to a new feeding ground.
Other dinosaurs bellow and squawking as Triceratops and Ornithomimus forage.
Through the wind howling out, a trio of Cave Lions heads to a cave.
Out of their shadows rose the last great bloodline.
One lion soon enters in the cave.
The mammals.
The lion as another walks by growling lowly.
Elsewhere, the sun shines over one particular group of two-legged mammals.
One of whom would go on to change our planet like nothing before.
The sun shines over a vast forest with birds chirping filling the forest's chorus.
The rise and fall of these dynasties, over four billion years, has not just been a matter of chance. The whole journey, from the beginning of life to the infinite variety we know today, has been driven by certain fundamental principles.
The rules of life.
"So, how is life possible other than sunlight, water, and air?" Aviva asked.
"Well, one reason is for animal being able to adapt to an environment." Chris explained. "That's one way."
The first rule is the best adapted will always win through.
As they wander through the forest, a leaf was spotted with strange orange small objects.
"What are those?" Koki wondered.
"They're eggs." Chris said. "Butterfly eggs."
"They can show us another rule in life." Martin said.
Every one of these butterfly eggs looks identical. But each has a different combination of genes that makes them, individually, completely unique.
"Even though these eggs are alike, each one will actually have it's own unique DNA." Chris said.
"Just like how every other living thing, including us are different in our own way." Martin said.
"Interesting." Aviva said.
"And with a tough world out there, it depends on who has the stronger and best genes for life." Koki said.
Birds tweeting in the treetops fills the air as the eggs sat on their leaf. And then a tranquil moment began as they watched one egg stirring.
Some will have genetic qualities that help them survive.
They soon watched as tiny caterpillars begin to crawl out of their eggs and around the leaf.
Qualities that will pass from generation to generation...
"And each one of these caterpillars that makes it to adulthood, and be passing down the skills to the next clutch of eggs." Chris said.
until eventually, one will be so different to its predecessors that it becomes an entirely new species, better adapted to its environment.
"And here's something interesting, those with the better skills, eventually leads to a new species of animal." Chris said.
"Really?" Jimmy said.
"Yep, all depends on the best skills and genes, and helps a new species improve in it's environment." Koki said.
"It's how animals evolve overtime." Aviva said. "Nature's own science experiment."
They watched as the caterpillars feed on the leaf.
This is evolution.
The caterpillars rustled on the leaf as they feed, and bird were heard chirping overhead. And the caterpillar feeding intensifies as the leaf slowly begins to vanish by the many mouths of the caterpillars.
But the caterpillars aren't the only ones evolving.
In a different part of the forest, a leaf grows high and uncurls as it rustles and creaks. And a vine grows out towards a tree.
Everything in this forest is fighting for survival...
The plant swooshes around as it soon reaches a branch.
...including the plants.
The plant soon curls securely on the branch as the caterpillars.
"Even though the caterpillars have quite a large number, but nature does have ways to keep their numbers from growing too much." Chris said.
Unchecked, the caterpillars would strip them bare.
The caterpillars continues munching away on the leave dramatically. But plant evolution has tricks of their own as one leaf has an ability to deter leaf-eaters.
But this plant has evolved its own adaptations for survival.
Chris scans the leaf with his CreaturePod, and a holographic screen shows a close-up image of cells moving around.
"Lots of animals eat plants, but they have tricks of their sleeves to deter most away." Chris said. "It's poison."
Poison in its leaves, capable of killing anything that eats them.
"And many plants have poison." Martin said.
It's chemical warfare.
Then an ominous shadow appeared on a leaf as it crawls on it.
"Yet, despite the poison, animals evolve ways to deal with plant poison." Chris said.
Then a new species of caterpillar evolves... that can eat the otherwise poisonous leaves, along with any eggs that might be on them.
The Wild Kratts watched as the caterpillars feed on the leaves.
Close by, a butterfly flies around.
In response, other butterflies adapt to only lay on plants that are free of eggs...
The butterfly begins to lay her egg as a bird was heard tweeting. And the Wild Kratts watched serenely knowing that she will soon pass down new and improve genes to her offspring.
...ensuring their young have the best possible start.
Once done, the butterfly then flies off.
"As it looks like the animals have improved, plants eventually catch up." Chris said.
"Really?" Jimmy said.
"Yeah, it's like plants and animals are in neck-and-neck with each other." Martin said.
But the plants retaliate...
The Wild Kratts then observed a plant with two yellow dots.
...forming growths on their leaves that mimic butterfly eggs...
"Are those butterfly eggs?" Aviva said puzzled.
"No, their growths on the leaves that mimic them." Chris explained.
"But how did they do it?" Koki asked.
"Nobody isn't sure of it." Martin said. "It's like plants are trying to keep pace with the animals."
Close by, a butterfly flies around.
detering any females from laying there.
"Amazing, the leaves are actually fooling the butterfly." Martin observed.
"And there's more to it than that." Chris said. "They have their own nectar."
What's more, the fake eggs produce a sweet nectar that attracts ants...
They then watched as two ants crawl along the leaves.
that feed on caterpillars.
The Wild Kratts watched sinisterly as the ant drinks away on the growth's nectar.
The first rule of life, that the best adapted will win through... has produced the huge diversity that exists today.
Birds tweeting fill the chorus of the forest.
Elsewhere in the world, a waterhole rests still.
The next rule of life is that competition drives adaptation.
2 MILLION YEARS AGO
And the most acute competition comes from one's own kind.
The ominous head of a terror bird, Titanis wanders about.
A male terror bird. His territory is the lakeshore.
The Titanis approaches the lakeshore as the Wild Kratts watch from close by as he growls and roars out.
"What a magnificent creature." Chris said. "He must be taller than us."
"Yeah, Titanis is one of the biggest terror birds." Martin said. "He must be eight feet tall."
"Look at the beak." Koki said noticing the hook on it's upper beak.
"That's a serious weapon." Chris said. "A quick jab to the neck from that can actually kill a horse."
Then a distant call was heard getting the Titanis' attention.
But he's not alone.
The Titanis then roars out as the Wild Kratts then spotted another Titanis appearing.
A younger male wants this prime spot.
"Guess we're about to witness the second rule of life: competition." Chris said.
A distant call was heard as the younger male Titanus grunts and then roars out. The older resident male roars as well.
The older one can't ignore the threat.
The older Titanis then charges as the Wild Kratts watch as things are about to get tense.
They watched as the Titanis charges with a speed of over 30 miles per hour towards the younger individual as he roars. The old male confronts him as the Wild Kratts managed to move a little closer hiding behind a boulder.
The youngster refuses to back down.
The Wild Kratts watched as the two male terror birds confront each other.
He needs a territory of his own.
"Looks like the younger one is looking for a territory." Martin said.
"Yeah, but the older one isn't giving it up without a fight." Chris said.
The two male Titanis both roared at each other, but then they did some kind of display.
The two begin a ritual display.
"What are they doing?" Aviva asked.
"I think it's a display of some kind." Chris said. "Must be to show each other's strength and seeing how fit they are."
Both males made a kind of swaying motion with their heads grunting, and then moving their heads sideways as if testing each other's strength.
"This could be a way for them to show their strength without causing a serious fight." Martin said. "The claws on their feet look they can give quite a kick."
Assessing the other's strength...
They then snarled at each other as one stands next to the other.
...while showing off their own.
They then watched as the killer birds walked in perfect sync.
Their coordinated moves as formal as a dance.
The terror birds continue their display as one growls as if it was test of nerve to the other as it didn't break formation. And they then turn to each other snarling, and the Wild Kratts could tell things were beginning to heat up.
Who will be the first to back down?
They then continued as they walked in perfect sync.
Or attack?
The Wild Kratts watched tensely as the Titanis males continue on as they both look perfectly fit.
"I think a fight is about to break." Chris said.
With nothing to separate them, a fight is inevitable.
Soon, both males confront each other as one roars and they both roar at each other trying to see who will back down as things grew more tense.
But both the terror birds and the Wild Kratts fail to notice they weren't alone here at this waterhole.
But they have company.
One male Titanis then noticed trouble as the Wild Kratts soon saw what he was looking at. And he quickly retreats as the other male was completely oblivious as the creatures charges and then the other male Titanis turns his head as a Smilodon pounces on the bird and knocks him off his feet growling as he grunts. And the Wild Kratts watched as a second Smilodon rushed in and the first saber-tooth makes the killer blow to the bird's throat.
"Whoa, that's a Smilodon." Martin said.
"The ultimate predator of this time, and the terror bird's biggest rival." Chris said.
The Smilodon's mammalian cunning was one reason terror birds went extinct.
The second Smilodon rushed in as the first one soon finishes the bird as he limps, and the Smilodon growls as they turn to the lucky Titanis just 20 yards away.
"Is this how mammals outcompeted birds?" Aviva asked.
"Yeah, predatory mammals took over and replace most terror birds." Chris said. "But South America being cut off, they lasted longer and it wasn't until recently that the rivalry caught up to here when the land bridge between North and South America opened up."
"That allowed new animals to travel south." Martin said. "Including cats, and even Smilodon."
Competition, both within and between species, has always driven evolution.
Soon the Titanis begins to head off while the Smilodons begin to feast.
And the Wild Kratts begin to sneak away.
The sun shines over a volcanic landscape in another part of the world.
But it's not just those doing battle that are always changing. So too is the battlefield itself, which leads to the third rule of life.
The Tortuga flies over the land.
"Okay, so what's the third rule of life?" Aviva asked.
"Surprisingly, it's the land itself." Chris said. "And the landscape is always changing."
Earth never remains stable for long. Sometimes that helps life. Sometimes it hinders it.
Thing turn dramatic as the Tortuga flies over a lavafield with cracks in the ground with fiery glows.
Throughout history, volcanoes have been one of the greatest agents of change.
In a volcanic crater, a pool of lava rumbles as it sloshes within the volcano with an explosive crashing. And then lava flew out of the crater as it lands in many cinders, and the Wild Kratts high above watch in astonishment and horror as it spews high into the air.
Eruptions lasting thousands of years have repeatedly engulfed vast swathes of our planet.
"Those volcanoes sure are hot." Koki said.
"Yeah, and to think that Earth was once like that in it's younger years." Chris said.
Below, steam vents release a layer of gas carried by the wind.
Pumping gases into the atmosphere, changing the climate, and, at worst...
Lava continues rumbling from the volcanoes as it flies out.
...causing global mass extinction.
They then watched as vast rivers of lava flow down from the craters.
The world has rarely been stable. At times, a realm of fire.
From space, in the distant past, most of Earth was white in the grip of an Ice Age.
At times, a realm of ice.
On it's surface, the wind howls blowing over a field of snow.
Our changing planet has created so many challenges for life.
In a different part of the world, a body of water cast a yellowish-green color.
From toxic seas...
The ground crackles and rumbles as it breaks apart as soften mud turns to hard crust.
...to global wastelands...
From space, much of the Earth was barren.
and periods of almost endless rain.
The rains whooshed as storm clouds rumbled and lightning flashed. And thunder crashed as lightning bolts lit up the sky and droplets of rain fell down.
At four different times, the planet has pushed life to the very edge of existence.
A waterfall pours down large amounts of water over a cliff.
Each time, more than three-quarters of all species were lost in mass extinctions.
A massive storm cloud swirls in the air with thunder crashing and the wind howling out. From space, many storms covered the Earth.
Ours can be a brutal wild planet.
Many hillsides stood in an arid landscape where Montana will stand.
76 MILLION YEARS AGO
But there was one period when Earth was stable for 100 million years.
The tranquil air rests over the landscape.
A period which allowed one group to become the mightiest of dynasties.
By a hillside, the Wild Kratts watch from the Createrra watching a herd of migrating animals, as they were among the greatest creatures of all time.
This was the age of dinosaurs.
Grunting fills the air as the Wild Kratts watched a large herd of Hadrosaurs, or duckbill dinosaurs.
The long calm helped dinosaurs to proliferate in huge numbers.
The Wild Kratts watched as the Hadrosaurs migrated as some came real close to them.
These are Maiasaura, gentle plant eaters that form herds many thousands strong.
"These Maiasaura are truly amazing." Chris said. "30 feet long and weighing three to four tons."
The Maiasaura herd grunts and snorts as they continued their migration route. Made of adults and youngsters of different ages and sizes, and it wasn't long before Aviva made two Maiasaura Power Discs as the Brothers were in Maiasaura Power Suits allowing them to join the herd as Aviva, Koki and Jimmy join them.
"There sure are a lot of Maiasaura here." Aviva said.
"Yeah, maybe hundreds strong in this herd." Chris said.
This mass gathering provides safety, and not just for the adults.
As they marched on, Aviva noticed one female strangely breaking away from the herd.
"Hey, what's that one doing?" Aviva wondered.
"I'm not sure." Martin said puzzled.
This rather cautious female is keen to get back to her nest.
They watched as the female snorts and growls softly as she wanders from the main herd. And the Wild Kratts watched her and kept an eye out for trouble if any predators were close by.
But there is a reason for her actions.
Maiasaura means "good mother."
The Maiasaura looks out as several other Maiasaura females were by their nests.
"Whoa, this must be a nesting ground for them." Chris said.
"Amazing." Koki said.
Like the other females, she has made her nest in an enormous colony.
The Maiasaura begins to head into the nesting area with the Wild Kratts behind her.
To reach it, she must run the gauntlet of defensive mothers keen to protect their young.
They head into the colony as then one mother by her nest growls out at them. And the female snorts as she continues on with the Wild Kratts right behind her, and the mother lets out a hissing growl. As they wander through the maze of nests, another Maiasaura growls at them as they quickly moved away.
In avoiding one aggressor, she strays too close to the next.
As the Maiasaura continues on, another mother Maiasaur snarls at her as she grunts backing off. And the mother snarls as the female hurries off as she grunts, and the mother grunts and roars out at her.
"Yikes, so much for Maiasaura being gentle." Aviva said.
"Yeah, who knew." Jimmy said.
Eventually, the Wild Kratts followed their friends to her own nest with hatchlings.
At last, she reaches her own nest.
Five juveniles bleat out to their mother as she tenderly greets them as she grunts softly and her babies continue bleating.
"Wow, five juveniles." Chris said. "They must be at least six months old."
"Okay, the mom I'll name Maia." Martin declared naming her. "And the five babies: Duck, Ducky, Buck, Blaze, and... Donald."
"Donald?" Aviva said and giggled. "Like Donald Duck?"
"I think it's fitting." Martin said.
Then Maia gapes her mouth open as one of the babies sticks it's head inside like how birds do to feed their chicks.
She feeds her young in a very bird-like way.
"Whoa, she actually feeds her young like some birds do." Chris said.
Then suddenly Maia roars and growls as another Maiasaura shows up as it grunts, as it rushes by. And Maia roars out again and turns back to her offspring.
"Whoa, now that is a good mother." Aviva said.
She'll protect them in the nest for many months, until they are big enough to join the rest of the herd.
All around them, many other Maiasaura rest by their nests as many juveniles bleat out.
Yet the planet didn't just support large numbers of dinosaurs, it's stability also supported dinosaurs of ever shape and size.
Bellowing fills the air as a large Titanosaur ambles by a meadow of trees as other dinosaurs grazed. And the Wild Kratts watched as a herd of Triceratops grazes on the ground plants, and Alamosaurus wandering by as pterosaurs flying overhead squawked.
And a Triceratops lightly trills as it feeds.
Triceratops is very different to the defenseless Maiasaura.
The Wild Kratts watched as a female Triceratops feeds on her own.
Weighing five tons and boasting three horns, she is heavily armored... adapted to a world where the best form of defense is attack.
"Wow, Triceratops are truly an incredible dinosaur." Chris said. "With those impressive three-foot brow horns, and that frill."
"Yeah, Triceratops is sure a tough powerhouse." Martin said.
They as she feeds on the ground plants.
With the breeding season imminent, she needs to be in peak condition. And that means finding the best food wherever she can.
As the female continues feeding, the Wild Kratts noticed she was getting further from the safety of the herd.
But her search has taken her far from the herd... and closer to the edge of the forest.
"She sure is getting quite far from the herd." Koki said.
"Yeah, and spells trouble for any herbivore on it's own." Martin said.
The Triceratops continues feeding as she lifts her head up snorting scanning the nearby trees.
"She looks nervous being that close to the trees." Chris said.
She's right to be nervous. Triceratops aren't the only giants in these woods.
At the air turns ominous, the Triceratops begins to feed again.
However, she herself was being preyed upon.
Hiding in the trees and shadows, a quiet growl was sounded as a large head cranes forward into the light seeking through the branches. As it was the only creature that could threaten her, and it was the greatest predator ever known to leave it's footprint on history.
Tyrannosaurus Rex.
The T. Rex softly grunts as she watches the Triceratops feeding and unintentionally coming towards her.
The ultimate predator.
And the Tyrannosaurus wasn't alone as with her was two juveniles either five or six years old.
She has her two youngsters with her.
The two youngsters watched as their mother has her attention focused on her target as the Triceratops ventures closer. And she growls quietly as she breathes, waiting for the right moment.
The Triceratops steps closer as the two juveniles watched, and then one hissed at it's sibling as the other snarls as their mother turns to them.
The female Triceratops froze looking to have hear something in the trees.
"You guys hear that?" Chris asked.
"What was that?" Aviva wondered.
"It almost sounded like..." Martin said.
They dramatically, the trees shook as the Triceratops quickly turns as the mother T. Rex charges out roaring and snaps her jaws just missing her.
"T. Rex!" Chris and Martin yelled.
The Triceratops flees for her life as the T. Rex gave chase as the two juveniles ran pass their mother as they rushed by the Wild Kratts.
The siblings are faster than their mother.
The Tyrannosaurus siblings caught up to the horned behemoth as one squeals as the Triceratops bellows. And one nears her as it bites on the side of her frill as she twirls around confronting the two youngsters.
They work as a team.
The Triceratops bellows as the two T. Rex youngsters hissed as the wild Kratts managed to catch up to them.
"Wow, these youngsters are tough!" Jimmy said.
"Yeah, and using teamwork to hunt the Triceratops." Martin said.
They watched as the youngsters try to keep the Triceratops in place as one bites her tail and their mother catches up.
The Triceratops can hold off the youngsters, but not the adult.
The mother Tyrannosaurus hisses as she catches up to make the final blow, but the Triceratops roars quickly turning and rams one youngster off it's feet as as the mother Rex snaps at the herbivore.
The Triceratops ran for her life as as the fallen youngster got up and the Tyrannosaurus pack chased her after as the juveniles squealed and roared. And the giant mother snapping at the Triceratops' tail.
"Whoa, this chase is tense!" Martin said.
The chases continues as one of the youngsters bites on the Triceratops' right thigh as they caught up to the rest of the herd.
Only the protection of the herd can save her.
The Triceratops grunts as the female made it just in time as the Tyrannosaurus pack found themselves being confronted by an angry herd of horns.
They form a defensive wall.
The Triceratops grunts as the mother T. Rex roars out at them, but even she knows not to dare attack such an armored herd.
Even the world's greatest predator knows when she's beaten.
Outnumbered, the Tyrannosaurus mother begins to lead her offspring away, but one sibling wasn't done with the herd just yet. As the young Tyrannosaur snarls as the roaring Triceratops herd.
"This one is sure bold." Aviva said.
"Yeah." Martin agreed.
The young male continues screeching at the herd.
Unlike the young male.
Then one Triceratops charges as it roars, and the male juvenile squeals and soon has enough and turns and retreats rushing back to his mother. And the Triceratops continues roaring.
"That... was sure wild." Chris said.
From space, the sun shines over one side of the Late Cretaceous Earth.
66.04 MILLION YEARS AGO
Dinosaurs might still rule today if conditions on Earth had remained the same.
But everything was about to change, and in just one day.
Closing in on Earth, a small object compared to the planet was racing towards it. Yet the object was six miles across; an asteroid as big as Mt. Everest streaks into the atmosphere many times faster than a fired bullet and burns up and then flashed with an explosive crash as it strikes the Gulf of Mexico with the force of 100 million Atomic Bombs.
The light from the impact fades as the plumes out and rumbles.
An asteroid the size of Mount Everest, traveling 20 times faster than a bullet, smashed into the planet.
The fiery glow dramatically plumes out over the planet as the blast front spreads out.
It blew a hole 20 kilometers deep and 180 wide...
The explosion plume spreads out as this was just the start.
setting off an earth-shattering chain of events. Rising from the massive crater came the real killer.
A wall of ash and debris hundreds of kilometers thick... that enveloped the globe.
The blast front spreads across the lands at supersonic speeds where no animal can outrun it as it rumbles.
The cloud blocked out the sunlight, leading to the death of almost all dinosaurs...
The Tortuga manages to fly just high enough to avoid the blast front as the Wild Kratts watched it spread.
"Whoa, that is one destructive wave." Aviva said.
"Yeah, and that's just the start." Martin said. "Many other events will follow when the dust cloud blocks out the sun."
"And dinosaurs won't be affected, marine reptiles, and pterosaurs and other animals will suffer as well." Chris said sadly.
From space, the dust cloud continues spreading across Earth.
...and three-quarters of life on Earth.
The annihilation was global.
Soon the dust cloud has engulfed almost the whole planet.
It was the world's fifth mass extinction.
Time goes by as the sun has returned after many years of semi-darkness as it rises over the land.
But there were survivors. Survivors that would form the basis of all species that exist today.
a peaceful moment occur as the sun continues rising and on the African Kalahari, an Ostrich chick wanders around.
The birds were the only remaining dinosaurs.
The Wild Kratts watched several Ostrich chicks wander around exploring their environment.
Today, they number more than 10,000 species...
The Ostrich chicks chirped as they explore their world.
"These Ostrich chicks sure are cute." Aviva said.
"Yeah, and real surprising that they're as big as grown chickens." Chris said.
...occupying every habitat on Earth.
One chick curiously went up to the Wild Kratts and soon heads off.
But the birds didn't have the planet to themselves.
The chicks were soon joined by their father as the Wild Kratts watch them head off.
Another great dynasty also rose from the ashes.
Elsewhere on the African landscape, a three-toed foot land as another swings by as a Black Rhino wanders in search of food and water.
The mammals.
The Wild Kratts watch from a respectfully distance as the rhino wanders by.
Under the dinosaurs, they had been a mere footnote in history.
"Amazing how far mammals have come since dinosaurs died out." Aviva said.
"Yeah, that opened the door for many mammals." Chris said. "Leading to all the mammal species we know today."
Nearby, the foot of the biggest land mammal alive steps forward as it's long nose sways as the mammal grunts and snuffles. And the Wild Kratts watched as a large herd of African Elephants wanders the dry land in search of food and water.
"Amazing that we're living with the largest land mammal." Aviva said.
"Yeah, African Elephants are pretty big." Chris said. "But there were bigger land mammals."
"Columbian Mammoths are one example." Martin said.
"And Paraceratherium, a giant rhino relative that looks like a giraffe." Chris said. "It's the biggest land mammal ever. Twice the weight of an African Elephant."
Without the asteroid strike, none of these survivors would have had a chance to rule.
Elsewhere, a herd of Wildebeest was also migrating.
From the cataclysm of the mass extinction came this new multitude of life in all its wondrous variety...
And Oryx wanders the desert region also in search of food and water as a herd was with it.
Two giraffes also in search of water.
...all perfectly adapted to the challenges of life.
Birds were heard trilling and chirping as the Ostrich father was also looking for water and food for him and his chicks as they followed him and their mother.
The struggle to protect and raise one's young, to find food, and to breed.
The Wild Kratts watched as African mammals of every kind, shape and size wander all around.
The cast of characters may have changed, but the essentials remain the same.
A herd of Springbok drinks water of an oasis, and an elephant joins in as it sucks four liters of water and pours it into it's mouth.
Water and the energy from the Sun continue to support life, just as they have for billions of years.
A herd of zebras also take their share of water as they drink, and two birds lift their heads up as chirping was heard. And the Wild Kratts watched the natural gathering.
Even today, the rules of life still apply.
Nearby, a lioness wanders by.
Only the best adapted will win through.
Things start to tense as the Springboks were aware of her presence, and birds squawked as they flew off as a Black Rhino noticed as well despite having poor eyesight.
And three other lionesses were with her.
Competition drives evolution. And a rapidly changing planet causes chaos.
The other animals start to get nervous of the approaching hunters as a giraffe grunts lifting it's head up, and the Oryx and zebras rushed off squealing. As they and the giraffes retreat.
And the lioness stood watching the distance like a queen looking out her domain.
These rules of life determine how dynasties will rise and how they will fall.
Elsewhere, bird chicks chirped as a tern flew up to them and feeds them food.
Every single thing alive today can trace its heritage back four billion years ago.
A Red-eyed Tree Frog crawls on a branch in the humid rainforest. And on the islands of Komodo, a Komodo Dragon patrols the shoreline for a meal.
This in the face of incredible odds.
A herd of American Bison travels through a snowcapped prairie as a male grunts. And in the heights of the remote Himalayas, a Snow Leopard mother and her litter of three cubs rests by a ledge sheltered from the wind.
And resting on a tree, a Great Grey Owl ruffles it's feathers shaking some snow off.
99% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct.
In Madagascar, a Sifaka lemur feeds on flowers, and elsewhere, a flock of flamingos display out chirping.
In the oceans, a Humpback Whale launches upward from the water and crashes back down. And a shark swims through a shoal of fish.
Life today is the 1% that made it through.
Gannets dives in towards the shoal, and in Antarctica, a flock of Gentoo Penguins dives down. And a colony of flying foxes flies through a forest squealing.
And a layer of clouds rests over a forest.
This series will explore the most important milestones in the history of life. And the Wild Kratts team exploring them all.
A Megacerops wanders through a forest and lightly grunts.
From when mammals established themselves as a global power...
The Megacerops lets out a heavy grunting.
Deeper in the past, an Anchiornis glides from the cliffs.
...to the ancestors of the birds first taking to the air...
The Anchiornis glides through the air as this feathery evolution will one day lead to the flying birds.
...to the evolution of hard-shelled eggs that led to the rise of the mighty dinosaurs.
A clutch of eggs rests in a nest, and a lizard crawls off and later rushes off as a large dinosaur stood close by. A Plateosaurus forages in the forest growling as it rears up to reach some branches.
And even the moment when animals first came out of the water.
A Strepsodus crawls out of the water and onto the shore of a bank and rests.
Waves of waters churns and crashes as they whooshed over the dark depths.
In the next chapter, we go back to life's origins in the sea...
In the shallow seas of the Ordovician, a Cameroceras swims about.
and the very first fights for survival...
A trilobite crawls to a section of coral as a Cameroceras pursuits after it, and reaches it's tentacles out.
on our extraordinary wild planet.
The Cameroceras moves over and it's tentacles soon reaches the trilobite and brought it back to it's beak to feed.
Author's Note:
Boy, this chapter pretty much took all day to work on. But here we are, the next story of Wild Kratts, exploring the life on our planet.
Now next chapter should be ready sometime next week at least. Tomorrow I plan to watch the entire series.
Last thing: big question I feel like I need to get my head around.
These days now people say dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago instead of 65 million years. Why is that? Did we live pass the 65 million year mark already or has it been 66 million this whole time without even knowing it?