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Over 66 million years ago...

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SCREECHING WAIL

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..our world was ruled...

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BELLOWS

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..by dinosaurs.

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The largest animals that have ever
walked the Earth.

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Today, dinosaur experts across
the globe

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<font color="
they left behind...

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..allowing us to imagine how these
extraordinary creatures

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may have lived...

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..so that we can tell their
stories.

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SHRIEKS

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And they...

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..can walk again.

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<font color="

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Nine million square kilometres
of parched sand.

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The Sahara Desert is one of the most
inhospitable environments

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on Earth.

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But for dinosaur hunters,
like Dr Nizar Ibrahim,

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it's a gateway to a lost world.

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<font color="
known as the Kem Kem,

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Nizar and his team are excavating
the remains

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of one of the largest predatory
dinosaurs that ever lived.

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Is it broken there?

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I don't know. It seems to be one
<font color="

26
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Wow.

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A spinosaurus.

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Oh, that is beautiful.

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What do you reckon? Maybe a rib?

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Or a rib, yeah.

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I knew we'd find one.

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Using the team's discoveries,

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we can imagine how it lived
and died...

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<font color="

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In the Late Cretaceous
period...

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..Africa has just broken away
from South America.

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And the land that will become
the Sahara...

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..is a river system.

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Its waters support acres of scrub
<font color="

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that provide shade from the intense
Cretaceous sun.

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Perfect for an afternoon nap.

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GENTLE SNORTING

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This is Sobek the spinosaurus.

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11 metres long.

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His powerful jaws packed with teeth.

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Disturbing this monster's sleep...

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<font color="

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HIGH-PITCHED CLUCKING

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HIGH-PITCHED CLUCK

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LOW GROWL

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HIGH-PITCHED WAIL

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But this isn't lunch.

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HIGH-PITCHED CLUCKING

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It's one of his babies.

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Sobek is a father.

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<font color="
once the eggs are laid,

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the job of looking after the kids
falls to him.

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YELPS

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YELPS

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Sobek must keep his young family
alive...

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..until they can fend for
themselves.

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<font color="

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100 million years later...

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Looks like bone.

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You got the location mark all right?

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...Nizar and the team are
starting to uncover evidence

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that could shed light on how
spinosaurus raised their young.

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<font color="

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Bones that show Sobek wasn't built
like other dinosaurs.

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So, Marco, you can see
this nice little curvature here.

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I think this is certainly
a vertebra.

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It's a little fragile, this one.

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<font color="
six-metre tail.

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All right, let's get it out,
and let's see if we can find more.

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In total, the team has recovered
more than 40 tail bones.

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This will be vertebra number...22?

77
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Yeah. OK.

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<font color="
We're starting distally, yes.

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And for Nizar and fellow
palaeontologist Francesca Borchi,

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they reveal something unique.

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What I think is really remarkable
is, like, you get close

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to the tip of the tail, and you
<font color="

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Spines like these are not found

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on the tail bones of other
predatory dinosaurs.

85
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Once you see the shape of the
spines, it's quite narrow.

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Yes. And...and flat.

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Basically just a giant paddle.

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<font color="

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The more we collect, the more
aquatic this thing becomes. Yeah.

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For Nizar, a thin flat tail can mean
only one thing...

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..Spinosaurus was a swimmer.

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WATER SPLASHES

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Underwater, Sobek is in his
element...

94
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<font color="
through the water.

95
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He's guarding a nursery pool,

96
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the place he and his babies
call home.

97
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And with Dad's back turned,
the kids take to the water.

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This secluded backwater is the
perfect learner pool.

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<font color="

100
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So, while Sobek's patrolling,

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the babies hone their
hunting skills.

102
00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:18,480
But it's not long before one of them
gets into trouble.

103
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If it doesn't get help soon...

104
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..this baby will drown.

105
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Dad to the rescue.

106
00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:08,760
<font color="

107
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With everyone safely back on
the bank,

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the family settles down to sleep.

109
00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:10,640
But they must soon leave the safety
of the nursery pool

110
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and travel somewhere Sobek knows
they can catch

111
00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:16,920
far more substantial prey.

112
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<font color="
fraught with dangers.

113
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Because, although the dig site
is barren and lifeless today...

114
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..Nizar and the team have evidence
that when Sobek was alive,

115
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the Kem Kem was far more perilous.

116
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Lots of big predatory fish.

117
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<font color="

118
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Absolute monster.

119
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Its rivers teemed with massive
carnivorous fish...

120
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Ah, this is nice.

121
00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:10,840
..and enormous crocodiles.

122
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Look at that.

123
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OK.

124
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Tip of the snout, right?

125
00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:19,840
<font color="
essentially.

126
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This will be the size of the biggest
crocs today.

127
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Big, nasty elosuchus.

128
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Elosuchus is an extinct species
of croc,

129
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with jaws over a metre long.

130
00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:36,960
This tooth is very nice. Still here.

131
00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:38,920
<font color="

132
00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,120
If the rivers were dangerous...

133
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Carcharodontosaurus tooth.

134
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..the land was home to an even more
deadly predator.

135
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Yes, it's very well preserved.

136
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I can see all of the serrations
here.

137
00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:01,520
<font color="

138
00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:06,760
Carcharodontosaurus was the T-rex
of Africa...

139
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..three metres tall

140
00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:11,920
and armed with more than 50
flesh-cutting teeth.

141
00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,920
Got several T-rex-size
predatory dinosaurs,

142
00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,480
or even bigger than T-rex,
<font color="

143
00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:22,120
Not very safe. Yeah.

144
00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:25,120
You know, there are really many
different ways to die.

145
00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:31,560
These lands were once home to more
large predators

146
00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:34,760
than anywhere else in Earth's
history.

147
00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,080
<font color="
carnivores...

148
00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,120
..that Sobek must navigate...

149
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..if he's to feed his family.

150
00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:07,280
And there's danger lurking at
every turn.

151
00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:11,400
CROAKING CALL

152
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:24,040
Hidden from view,
the murky waters are patrolled

153
00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:28,760
<font color="
ferocious crocodile.

154
00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:43,720
CROAKING CALL

155
00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:45,840
But that's the least of their
worries...

156
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RUSTLING

157
00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:50,880
..because the family has just
entered the territory...

158
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LOW SNARL

159
00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:58,800
..of carcharodontosaurus.

160
00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:09,360
<font color="
killing machine...

161
00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:16,040
..is also on the hunt for food.

162
00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:28,280
ROARS

163
00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:30,600
SCREECHING

164
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LOW GROWLING

165
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ROARS

166
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ROARING

167
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Time to get the babies to safety.

168
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ROARS

169
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<font color="
around,

170
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it will take everything Sobek's got
to reach his destination...

171
00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:22,840
..without his family becoming
someone else's meal.

172
00:18:38,120 --> 00:18:42,800
And not far from the dig site,
on a remote plateau...

173
00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:52,800
<font color="
of another monster...

174
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You good? OK.

175
00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:56,920
Good. I'm ready to go whenever
you are.

176
00:18:56,920 --> 00:19:00,440
..evidence that's best seen from
the air.

177
00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:06,720
DRONE WHIRS

178
00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:13,600
So, how many pictures are we taking
<font color="

179
00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:15,680
About 500, 600.

180
00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,960
So, if we start down that ridge,

181
00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,920
and then work our way over
and do that whole site.

182
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,920
The photographic survey reveals
what's hidden here.

183
00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:51,840
Arranged in rows,
these aren't just boulders...

184
00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:55,320
<font color="

185
00:19:59,920 --> 00:20:03,760
This is a dinosaur trackway.

186
00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,680
And to identify which dinosaur
made it...

187
00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:12,840
Really big one. Wow.

188
00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:17,000
..Nizar and colleague, Dr Roy Smith,
take a closer look.

189
00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:18,920
You've got this edge here,

190
00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:21,160
<font color="
around that side, as well.

191
00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:23,160
Yeah, very nice.

192
00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:27,520
Each footprint is a cast of the foot
that made it.

193
00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:30,000
So, the claw over there, right?
Yeah, yeah.

194
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,680
And I think there's two more there.
Yeah.

195
00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,240
<font color="
Yeah.

196
00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:39,200
And at over a metre across,

197
00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:41,880
they're some of the biggest
ever found.

198
00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:43,120
No no.

199
00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:44,880
This is really impressive.
Yeah.

200
00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:46,600
There's a bit missing, or it would
<font color="

201
00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:48,160
It would have been even bigger.

202
00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:50,520
We've got a giant here.
Yeah, yeah.

203
00:20:52,120 --> 00:20:54,120
These footprints were made

204
00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:57,800
by one of the largest dinosaurs
that's ever lived.

205
00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:15,200
Titanosaurs - huge long-necked
dinosaurs, 14 metres high.

206
00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,520
<font color="

207
00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:29,000
each one weighs as much as a herd
of elephants.

208
00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,880
DEEP BELLOW

209
00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:42,560
But for one elderly member of
the group...

210
00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:47,320
..this has become its final
resting place.

211
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,760
And it could provide Sobek
<font color="

212
00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,800
for his hungry babies.

213
00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,720
But they're not the only ones

214
00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:22,080
on the lookout for a free lunch.

215
00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:25,000
LOW GROWL

216
00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,800
An adult carcharodontosaurus...

217
00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:31,760
ROARS

218
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,360
CHITTERING

219
00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:38,320
..has already laid claim
to the carcass.

220
00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:46,920
<font color="

221
00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:51,200
With his babies to look after,
Sobek can't risk injury...

222
00:22:55,560 --> 00:23:00,920
..so he must now decide if it's
a prize worth fighting for.

223
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:03,520
GROWLING

224
00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:23,640
Sobek is bigger.

225
00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:29,920
But one bite from these jaws
could be fatal.

226
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:38,920
<font color="
give him the advantage.

227
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:46,360
But, crucially,
the carcharodontosaurus...

228
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:50,840
..is built for hunting on land.

229
00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,520
ROARING

230
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:04,280
HISSES

231
00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:08,160
So Sobek backs down.

232
00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:19,160
BABIES CHITTER

233
00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:21,640
His family won't eat today.

234
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,640
<font color="
journey,

235
00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,280
a much bigger prize awaits.

236
00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:47,160
As night falls,

237
00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:51,000
Nizar and the team
examine an astonishing fossil.

238
00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:56,520
NIZAR: The place where this
was found, it was so narrow

239
00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:59,520
<font color="
on your belly, essentially.

240
00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,120
Discovered
close to the dig site,

241
00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:07,320
it's the remains
of an extinct species of fish.

242
00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:11,800
This is the head
of onchopristis.

243
00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:14,320
The brain case,

244
00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:18,280
<font color="
it's all there.

245
00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,480
Onchopristis is commonly
known as a sawskate

246
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:26,960
because of the long snout,
lined with barbs,

247
00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:28,760
it used to stun its prey.

248
00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:32,240
This would have been
a fairly slow,

249
00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:35,440
bottom-dwelling
<font color="

250
00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:36,920
OK.

251
00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:40,360
But that's insane.

252
00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:46,760
And with spinosaurus
so at home in water,

253
00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:48,560
Nizar has a theory.

254
00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:51,240
So, this would have been

255
00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,520
one of the primary food sources
for spinosaurus.

256
00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:58,600
Incredible.
<font color="

257
00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:09,920
Sawskate could grow up
to four metres in length...

258
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:16,320
..so a single fish
would make a sizeable meal.

259
00:26:32,120 --> 00:26:36,120
But once a year,
like rays do today,

260
00:26:36,120 --> 00:26:38,440
it's thought
they gathered to breed...

261
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:43,640
<font color="

262
00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:52,400
..providing
an incredible feast...

263
00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:57,000
..that awaits Sobek
and his family.

264
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:05,640
BABIES CHITTER

265
00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:08,920
But in
this predator-infested land,

266
00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:12,200
danger can strike at any time.

267
00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:17,040
SCREECHING

268
00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:28,000
<font color="

269
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,000
And 100 million years ago...

270
00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,480
..there weren't just predators
on land and in the water.

271
00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,080
They were also in the air.

272
00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:46,560
NIZAR: So, this is
a lower jaw of alanqa.

273
00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:48,640
This is a Kem Kem pterosaur.

274
00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,880
<font color="
a pretty remarkable specimen.

275
00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:53,120
Uh-huh.

276
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:56,960
Alan's character
was a huge flying reptile

277
00:27:56,960 --> 00:27:59,200
with a seven-metre wing span...

278
00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,640
..twice that
of any bird alive today.

279
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,560
Essentially,
what we're looking at here is

280
00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:13,000
<font color="
you know.

281
00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:14,720
Like this.
Yeah, something like this.

282
00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:15,840
A metre, more or less.

283
00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:17,760
Yeah. Pretty big.

284
00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:20,360
Yeah, it's probably
the largest Kem Kem pterosaur.

285
00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,080
Its jaws reveal

286
00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:27,160
<font color="
would have eaten.

287
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:30,360
It's got
this really interesting

288
00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:31,920
raised structure here.

289
00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:33,560
It's got, like, a Y shape. Mm-hm.

290
00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:35,920
There's
a corresponding matching part

291
00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:37,760
in the upper jaw,

292
00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:39,920
<font color="

293
00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:43,560
that was used
to crush hard-shelled prey.

294
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,160
Although it's adapted
to eat shellfish,

295
00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,720
alanqa was so big,
it didn't need to be picky.

296
00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:57,920
It's possible that these things

297
00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,360
were catching little things
<font color="

298
00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:02,480
you know,
when they walk on the ground.

299
00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:06,000
Maybe little dinosaurs,
little crocs, amphibians,

300
00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:08,200
whatever they could catch.

301
00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:09,320
Yes, yes.

302
00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:19,000
With alanqa about,
no small creature was safe.

303
00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,360
ALANQA SHRIEKS

304
00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,120
<font color="

305
00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,640
To reach
the sawskate breeding ground,

306
00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:48,320
Sobek must lead his young
family through the forest.

307
00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:56,480
It's their final challenge...

308
00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:02,360
..but the most deadly.

309
00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:29,040
For alanqa, a young spinosaurus
would make a tasty meal.

310
00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:35,760
<font color="

311
00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:50,280
LOW GROWL

312
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:56,520
And the dense foliage
provides perfect cover...

313
00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:00,200
..for an ambush.

314
00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:02,480
SQUEAKS

315
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:06,880
SNAP

316
00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:13,840
TWIG SNAPS

317
00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:35,320
SQUEAKS

318
00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:01,840
SQUEAKS

319
00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:09,680
SQUEALS

320
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:11,520
GRUNTS

321
00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:15,040
<font color="

322
00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:17,080
ROARS

323
00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:23,680
Having come so far...

324
00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:28,840
..losing one of his babies
is a huge blow.

325
00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:39,360
CROAKING CALL

326
00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:42,400
But if Sobek is to keep
the others alive,

327
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:43,920
he must keep moving.

328
00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:00,760
As the family
<font color="

329
00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:05,400
..their journey's end
is in sight.

330
00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:15,280
The sawskate breeding ground...

331
00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:21,520
..and the promise
of plentiful food

332
00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:23,800
for Sobek and his family.

333
00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:33,720
But for his babies to eat,

334
00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,720
Torn
<font color="

335
00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:38,120
to the front of the queue.

336
00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:45,080
HAMMERING

337
00:33:48,800 --> 00:33:50,840
INDISTINCT CHATTER

338
00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:55,280
And at the dig,

339
00:33:55,280 --> 00:33:59,600
Nizar and palaeontologist
Dr Gabriele Bindellini

340
00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:02,560
have evidence
that could reveal

341
00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:06,120
how spinosaurus
<font color="

342
00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:12,600
NIZAR: So, I think this is
the tallest we've got.

343
00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:13,920
GABRIELE: Mm-hm.

344
00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:17,480
And it still miss
a good portion at the tip.

345
00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:24,400
Yeah, I mean,
I think we're missing 30, 35,

346
00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:26,360
<font color="

347
00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:28,800
Mm-hm.
Which makes it super long.

348
00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:30,120
Yes.

349
00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:32,680
Do you want to take this end?
I'll hold it here. Mm-hm.

350
00:34:34,720 --> 00:34:36,920
Over 1.5 metres long,

351
00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:41,240
this is one of the 15 bones
that rose up from Sobek's back,

352
00:34:41,240 --> 00:34:43,920
<font color="

353
00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,880
I've tried to visualise
all of his other spines. Mm-hm.

354
00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:52,360
I mean,
it's a massive structure.

355
00:34:57,040 --> 00:34:59,240
Spinosaurus sails are so big...

356
00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:03,800
..they must have had
an important function.

357
00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:07,360
<font color="

358
00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:08,800
a display structure
to, you know...

359
00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:11,280
To be seen from the distance.
Yeah, like...

360
00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:13,400
Peacock.
Yeah, like a peacock's train.

361
00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:18,280
But unlike a peacock,
Nizar believes

362
00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:20,960
the main function
<font color="

363
00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:23,720
might not have been
to find a mate.

364
00:35:23,720 --> 00:35:26,480
So, you're one spinosaurus,
and you come close

365
00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:28,520
to another spinosaurus's
territory...

366
00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:30,320
Yes. And what are you going to see?

367
00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:32,480
You're going to see
<font color="

368
00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:34,040
And just by looking
at the sail, you can go,

369
00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:35,720
"Ooh, there's
a really big spinosaurus.

370
00:35:35,720 --> 00:35:37,400
"I'd better not
get close to this guy."

371
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:38,600
"Stay away from here."

372
00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:40,080
I think it would be
very efficient

373
00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:43,840
<font color="
other predators or rivals. Yeah.

374
00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:54,920
Sobek's intimidating sail

375
00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:56,920
could be just what he needs...

376
00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:01,040
..to win a prime fishing spot.

377
00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:15,440
Having run the gauntlet
of Kem Kem predators,

378
00:36:15,440 --> 00:36:17,440
there's now only one thing

379
00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:21,520
<font color="
and feeding his babies.

380
00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:30,320
A rival spinosaurus.

381
00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:32,680
LOW GROWL

382
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:37,640
ROARS

383
00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:45,360
Sobek must try to intimidate
this older male...

384
00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:49,800
..and take his place
on the bank.

385
00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:51,840
ROARS

386
00:36:56,520 --> 00:37:00,960
<font color="
a ritual dance...

387
00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:03,880
BOTH GROWL

388
00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:05,920
..showing off his sail.

389
00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:23,560
But as a young male,
Sobek's sail is smaller...

390
00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:26,720
BOTH GROWL

391
00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:32,600
ROARS

392
00:37:32,600 --> 00:37:35,040
..and not intimidating enough.

393
00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:38,320
ROARS

394
00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:52,360
<font color="
the fish are easier to catch,

395
00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:54,640
the job of feeding
his hungry babies...

396
00:37:57,160 --> 00:37:59,440
..has just got
much more difficult.

397
00:38:05,240 --> 00:38:07,280
HAMMERING AND SCRAPING

398
00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:20,400
Can we get some measurements,
Marco?

399
00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:26,360
<font color="

400
00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:28,560
140.

401
00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:31,080
..suggests Sobek may have been

402
00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:33,160
well-equipped
for the challenge.

403
00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:36,920
CAMERA CLICKS

404
00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:39,320
It's something
we haven't really seen before.

405
00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:42,360
Something new. Yeah?

406
00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:45,760
<font color="

407
00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:47,160
Yeah.

408
00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:52,760
Sobek's foot bones are similar
to those of water birds,

409
00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:55,400
meaning his feet
could have been webbed...

410
00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:57,880
Here we are.

411
00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:00,120
We're going to wrap it in this,
tape it,

412
00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:02,480
<font color="
to put in a plaster jacket.

413
00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:04,640
..helping him
to swim after his prey.

414
00:39:06,720 --> 00:39:09,360
INDISTINCT CHATTER

415
00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:11,320
It's a tibia.

416
00:39:11,320 --> 00:39:12,760
Where's the box?

417
00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:18,240
And if he caught it,
Sobek had another adaptation...

418
00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:21,800
<font color="

419
00:39:23,080 --> 00:39:26,360
..that made him a formidable
underwater predator.

420
00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:31,720
If I didn't know
spinosaurus was here,

421
00:39:31,720 --> 00:39:35,320
I would say
this is a crocodile tooth.

422
00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:39,640
Looking at it, the shape is
basically the same, you know?

423
00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:42,400
<font color="
blade-like teeth

424
00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:44,160
of other predatory dinosaurs...

425
00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:49,920
..spinosaurus teeth are smooth
and conical like a crocodile's,

426
00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:52,400
because they both eat
the same food.

427
00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:57,920
This is basically

428
00:39:57,920 --> 00:40:01,600
your main piece
<font color="

429
00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:03,520
if you're going after fish.
Oh, yeah.

430
00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:05,200
We're talking really big fish.

431
00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:07,400
Stabbing slippery prey.

432
00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:09,360
With more than 60
of these teeth

433
00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:10,640
in its long jaws...

434
00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:13,440
It's conical, it's...

435
00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:16,480
<font color="
to tackle the largest fish.

436
00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:23,080
Imagine having to hold on
to a big sawskate

437
00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:24,480
fighting for its life.

438
00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:27,080
Yeah, it definitely wasn't
an easy catch.

439
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:29,320
Yeah, I mean,
they put up a real fight.

440
00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:31,720
<font color="
of killing tools, right,

441
00:40:31,720 --> 00:40:33,360
to hold on to the prey.

442
00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:39,960
Webbed feet and spiky teeth
are critical adaptations...

443
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:45,040
..that Sobek will need
to make a catch.

444
00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:02,680
But even so...

445
00:41:04,320 --> 00:41:05,920
..success...

446
00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:12,840
<font color="

447
00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:17,960
Although Sobek is faster...

448
00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:23,360
..the sawskate is more agile.

449
00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:36,240
Time for a change of tactics.

450
00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:49,360
Attacking from below...

451
00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:53,400
..like a shark.

452
00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:21,480
Success.

453
00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:31,160
But getting his catch
to his family won't be easy.

454
00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:33,200
<font color="

455
00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:39,880
ROARS

456
00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:44,800
WAILS

457
00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:49,800
BOTH ROAR

458
00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:58,800
This time, Sobek is in no mood
to give up his kill.

459
00:43:02,200 --> 00:43:04,240
BABIES CHITTER

460
00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:22,600
By leading them
to this land of plenty,

461
00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:26,560
Sobek has ensured
his babies' survival.

462
00:43:41,200 --> 00:43:43,080
<font color="

463
00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:52,000
..has come at a terrible cost.

464
00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:59,160
So, these are small parts

465
00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:00,680
of the femur,

466
00:44:00,680 --> 00:44:02,560
of the thigh bone,
of our spinosaurus.

467
00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:05,320
Yeah, wow.
That's really nice, right?

468
00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:07,400
Slices cut through
<font color="

469
00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:09,640
have a disturbing story
to tell.

470
00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:12,800
We looked at
some of the sections.

471
00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:17,200
We looked at the growth lines
under the microscope,

472
00:44:17,200 --> 00:44:18,480
trying to look at the age.

473
00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:20,040
Oh, yeah.
They came out pretty nice.

474
00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:21,320
<font color="

475
00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:23,680
as reading growth lines
on a tree,

476
00:44:23,680 --> 00:44:26,840
but we can narrow it down
to an age

477
00:44:26,840 --> 00:44:30,520
of 17 to 19 years at death.

478
00:44:30,520 --> 00:44:32,760
OK, so he wasn't that old.

479
00:44:32,760 --> 00:44:35,040
Yeah, like a young adult-ish,
you know.

480
00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:36,920
Mm-hm.

481
00:44:36,920 --> 00:44:39,600
<font color="

482
00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:43,040
are thought to have had
a lifespan of about 30 years.

483
00:44:44,440 --> 00:44:47,000
But Sobek's bones reveal

484
00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:49,840
he was barely an adult
when he died.

485
00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:54,960
So, maybe he could have lived
a little bit longer.

486
00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:56,840
Yeah, if we assume
<font color="

487
00:44:56,840 --> 00:44:59,520
for a spinosaurus, you know,
late 20s, early 30s,

488
00:44:59,520 --> 00:45:01,920
it's a life cut short.

489
00:45:06,360 --> 00:45:10,400
The evidence
hidden within his bones...

490
00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:12,800
BABIES CHITTER

491
00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:19,560
..suggests Sobek
may not have lived

492
00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:21,680
<font color="

493
00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:47,280
In providing for his babies...

494
00:45:50,480 --> 00:45:53,600
..he has paid
the ultimate price.

495
00:45:59,720 --> 00:46:01,760
BREATHES HEAVILY

496
00:46:12,360 --> 00:46:14,440
GASPS

497
00:46:21,120 --> 00:46:23,160
EXHALES

498
00:46:24,880 --> 00:46:26,960
GROANS SOFTLY

499
00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:35,160
BREATHES SOFTLY

500
00:46:49,800 --> 00:46:54,360
And as the great river
<font color="

501
00:46:54,360 --> 00:46:56,400
it covers his body

502
00:46:56,400 --> 00:46:59,160
with layer upon layer
of sediment...

503
00:47:04,080 --> 00:47:06,760
..preserving Sobek's story

504
00:47:06,760 --> 00:47:09,800
beneath
the desert's shifting sands...

505
00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:16,240
..until he is
eventually found...

506
00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:20,480
..100 million years later.

507
00:47:31,120 --> 00:47:33,240
<font color="

508
00:47:33,240 --> 00:47:36,160
..a gang of armoured dinosaurs

509
00:47:36,160 --> 00:47:38,240
battles to reach adulthood...

510
00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:43,600
..hunted by one of the most
fearsome predators...

511
00:47:47,720 --> 00:47:50,040
..that's ever lived.


