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Earth, a breathtaking planet
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that has supported life
for billions of years.
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But it can be a challenging
and cruel home.
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From the beginning, creatures
have had to be tough to survive.
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Mass extinctions
wiped out entire species.
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From super volcanoes
to an asteroid apocalypse.
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From megafloods to a frozen
planet strangled by darkness
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With every disaster,
there was suffering,
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but each time life returned...
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even stronger.
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Witness the heart
and the hope of our planet.
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Travel back in time to see
how life fights back...
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and wins.
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252 million years ago.
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At this time all our planet's
continents are fused together
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in one giant landmass that
stretches from pole to pole.
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It is called, Pangaea.
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Its climate is a blistering
20 degrees hotter than today
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and its vast heartlands are
dominated by endless deserts.
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Life clings on here
but it is not an easy existence.
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And something is about to happen
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that will make it everything
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much worse.
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Not all of Pangaea is barren.
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Towards both poles
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the temperatures are cooler
and forests grow.
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Conifers cover
these northern hills.
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And, beneath their branches
life thrives.
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A young Gorgonopsian...
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on a mission...
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to irritate his brother.
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Oh well, how about a sneak
attack on his mother.
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These Gorgons are early,
distant relatives of mammals...
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and, long before the dinosaurs,
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this is what an apex
predator looks like.
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In this world,
the only thing a Gorgon fears...
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is another Gorgon.
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Bigger than a tiger, this
alpha bears the battle scars
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from years of defending
his position
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as leader of this family.
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He has fathered generations
of young Gorgons
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with this group of
three different mothers.
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In this overheated world,
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he has led his family up from
the baking plains
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to find food and shade
among these foothills.
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But now, he smells trouble.
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Skulking in the shadows
a lone, younger male.
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These are his woods.
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Males will fight to the death
for the right to mate.
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This one is waiting to see
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if the old alpha shows
any signs of weakness.
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Not all creatures in
these northern forests
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survive by being aggressive.
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Some, like this burrowing Elph,
have to rely on their wits.
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Playing dead is one trick.
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It's a good performance...
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if he can just hold on...
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Too late.
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Our young Gorgon
has run straight into a giant.
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A whole herd of them...
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Scutosaurus.
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Growing over 10 feet long
and weighing over a tone,
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these bulky plant eaters
are reptiles
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and some of the largest
creatures on Earth.
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They're slow,
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but with creatures this size
he could easily be crushed.
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His frantic mum has only
now realized he's missing.
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As long as they remain calm
our little guy should be safe.
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But, across the plains below,
trouble is brewing.
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The herd can sense it
and a thunderstorm.
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And they are getting restless.
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Up here in the mountains,
lightning strikes are common.
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None of which is good
news for our youngster.
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252 million years before
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modern humans walked the Earth,
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all the continents are fused
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as one giant landmass
called Pangea.
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It is a dry desolate place,
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except at the poles
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where lush conifer
forests grow.
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Here a sudden storm has spooked
a herd of giant Scutosaurus.
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Caught in the middle
is our young Gorgon.
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One wrong step
and he will be crushed to death.
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His panicked mom needs
to find him.
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She spots him
and her every instinct is
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to save her son at all cost.
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Our mother succeeded in
protecting her little one.
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But, in doing so,
she made the ultimate sacrifice.
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He doesn't want to leave
her side.
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But his father's call
echoes through the forest.
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The old alpha leads the family
away from the panicked herd.
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After the storm,
the sun sets and the sky flares
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a spectacular blood red.
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It's an ominous sign.
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Not far from our Gorgon family
the forces of nature are
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about to put on a show that will
bring all life to its knees.
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The mighty continent of Pangaea,
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the world's single
landmass that has shaped life
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for almost 50 million years
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is being torn apart.
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A vast system of rifts
is reshaping the landscape.
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Over thousands of years
pulses of volcanic activity
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have produced enough lava
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to cover the entire
United States
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in molten rock half a mile deep.
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Now, all the side to the rift
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is ramping up
for its biggest eruption yet.
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Emissions from these
volcanoes are already having
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a profound effect on life.
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The vast amounts of carbon
dioxide being pumped out
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are sending atmospheric
temperatures soaring and forcing
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animals like our Gorgon
family to take extreme measures.
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The rising heat
is driving our alpha
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to keep migrating higher.
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For every 1,000 feet higher
he leads his family,
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the temperature drops
almost four degrees.
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It isn't just the heat
that threatens them.
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Gases from the volcanoes
are destroying the Ozone layer,
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and this father wears
the damage of
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too much UV radiation
on his back.
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Eventually our family of
Gorgons reach somewhere
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higher and cooler to rest.
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But unlike the heat, one threat
has followed them up here.
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One that is focused exclusively
on our protective father.
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The desperate lone rival has
been shadowing his every step
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waiting for the right time
to strike.
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Dawn breaks
across the northern hills
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on the hot dry continent
of Pangea.
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The one giant landmass
on our planet.
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Volcanic activity
is making an already
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stifling world even hotter.
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To find cooler temperatures
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our Gorgon family has
climbed higher into the hills.
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They wake
in unfamiliar surroundings
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and they are starving.
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None have eaten in days...
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But just when they need it most,
a small meal appears.
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This should be no contest
for our hungry alpha.
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But this little creature isn't
playing fair, he can climb.
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And just to rub it in...
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These little
climbers are Suminia.
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They are among
the first vertebrates
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to take to the trees.
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Living up here
requires good balance,
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coordination and hands
that can grasp.
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All of which can be put
to the test by a playful game
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of steal the cone.
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However,
these ancient conifer groves
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are no longer
a sanctuary for the Suminia.
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The trees are secreting resin.
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This is what they do when
they're under severe stress.
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You'd think this dry,
overheated world
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could use a fresh rain fall
to cool it all down.
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But rain is the problem.
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All the volcanic eruptions
have poisoned the air
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and turned the rain into acid.
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This strips
the leaves of nutrients,
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and poisons the soil.
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The forests are dying.
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The tank-like Scutosaurus
have nowhere to hide.
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And the acid rain
is burning their eyes.
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Nearby, the lone younger
male is also in distress.
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He's had to abandon
his long pursuit
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of the alpha to find shelter.
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But there is no escape.
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The burning acid rain
is a telltale sign
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that the northern rift volcanoes
are becoming even more active.
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Across the vast lava fields,
new fissures have appeared.
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The ground itself is on fire.
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Molten rock has ignited
giant swathes of coal beneath
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the surface across almost
half a million square miles.
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There is more coal burning
here than during the whole
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of the industrial revolution.
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Deserts are expanding.
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Seas are dying.
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There is no place on Earth
to hide from this catastrophe.
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In the desert heart of Pangaea
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temperatures are now
a lethal 140 degrees.
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From this ever-expanding
death zone,
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any life that can
is now migrating away.
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Moving at night,
to avoid the heat of the day,
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herds of Scutosaurus
try to escape
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toward the cooler
polar regions.
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Weeks pass...
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the days are brutal
and sweltering.
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Herds arrive
on the baking plains.
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Just below
the forested foothills
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where our Gorgon family
is taking shelter.
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As the blistering sun rises,
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they all jockey
for the same thing...
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Shade.
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With their survival
depending on it,
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competition for space
is intense.
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As the shadows
move throughout the day,
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these clumsy animals
jostle to stay with them.
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This is not good news
for the locals.
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Elph are tough, little animals
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that survive on
the baking plains by burrowing.
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But now the bulky Scutosaurus
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are about to trample all over
their underground homes.
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252 million years ago...
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and the Earth's equatorial
regions have become so hot
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they cannot support life.
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Animals that can,
like these Scutosaurus,
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are migrating away towards
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cooler temperatures
at the poles.
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00:21:57,316 --> 00:21:59,927
But even here
they have to take refuge
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in the shade during the day.
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Beneath their feet,
Elph live in tunnels.
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And these migrants are not
welcomed by the locals.
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Now, the sun
is driving the shadows,
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and the Scutosaurus herd,
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closer to their homes.
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00:22:29,696 --> 00:22:32,568
The tiny locals can see
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unless they do something,
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they are in danger of
being crushed...
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00:22:45,364 --> 00:22:47,322
And the Scutosaurus
soon learn...
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...Never to underestimate
an angry Elph.
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In the forested hills above...
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our Gorgon father
continues to lead
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his starving family higher
in search of cooler air.
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They are struggling.
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00:23:29,016 --> 00:23:31,975
Across the world,
oxygen levels are dropping
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and, although it's getting
cooler as they climb,
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the lack of oxygen
means they are exhausted.
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Then, the starving alpha
picks up the scent of blood.
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Gorgons have
long skulls with huge jaws
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that carry six-inch canines.
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But their real superpower
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is their extraordinary
sense of smell
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which allows them
to track prey from miles away.
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Somewhere,
an animal is wounded,
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and for his family's sake
he needs to find it.
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Frustratingly, another Gorgon
has gotten there first.
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Worse, it is the lone male.
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It's clear he won't give up
his prize...
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...Without a fight.
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The two desperate predators
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must face off against each other
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This confrontation
has been a long time coming.
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Then, suddenly...
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...Clouds of insects
fill the air.
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Only one thing can cause insects
to behave like this...
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An earthquake.
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The Gorgons must flee
for their lives.
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00:26:19,795 --> 00:26:23,451
But nothing can save them
from what's coming next.
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As the ancient
supercontinent, Pangaea,
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continues to tear apart...
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00:26:41,948 --> 00:26:46,561
vast cracks in the Earth's crust
erupt on a staggering scale...
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00:26:50,565 --> 00:26:53,307
relentlessly pumping
even more of carbon dioxide,
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00:26:53,524 --> 00:26:56,919
methane, and other deadly gases
into the atmosphere.
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This supercharges
a global apocalypse.
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Temperatures skyrocket.
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00:27:27,210 --> 00:27:31,519
In the hills, our old alpha
continues to run from the heat.
255
00:27:32,433 --> 00:27:35,523
He has led his family so far.
256
00:27:37,264 --> 00:27:39,788
But the problem
with migrating higher
257
00:27:40,006 --> 00:27:43,313
is eventually,
you run out of road.
258
00:27:50,146 --> 00:27:52,975
And waiting for him
on the summit...
259
00:27:53,802 --> 00:27:56,675
is his old friend...
260
00:27:56,805 --> 00:27:58,502
...The lone male.
261
00:28:01,984 --> 00:28:05,422
Even as their world is
falling apart around them,
262
00:28:05,553 --> 00:28:10,601
their biological need to be
the alpha still conquers all.
263
00:28:19,785 --> 00:28:22,396
Our planet is on fire.
264
00:28:23,832 --> 00:28:26,356
The northern rift
volcanoes have erupted...
265
00:28:27,793 --> 00:28:31,100
spewing over
a million cubic miles of lava
266
00:28:31,231 --> 00:28:32,885
across the continent...
267
00:28:34,756 --> 00:28:38,542
and igniting the largest
coal deposits in the world.
268
00:28:40,893 --> 00:28:43,373
While the world
burns around them,
269
00:28:43,460 --> 00:28:47,247
our rival Gorgons
finally face off.
270
00:28:50,424 --> 00:28:54,036
And this time,
there is no backing down.
271
00:29:00,651 --> 00:29:03,524
The lone male may be
younger and more agile...
272
00:29:04,917 --> 00:29:08,834
but the alpha is
the more experienced fighter.
273
00:30:08,589 --> 00:30:11,244
Exhausted and badly wounded,
274
00:30:11,940 --> 00:30:13,724
the old alpha has won.
275
00:30:22,168 --> 00:30:24,648
He leads his family on,
276
00:30:24,823 --> 00:30:27,477
but there is nowhere left to go.
277
00:30:30,654 --> 00:30:35,181
Their world is doomed
and even he can't save them.
278
00:30:41,013 --> 00:30:43,406
Eventually,
the northern eruptions
279
00:30:43,624 --> 00:30:46,235
will go on to release
more than 700 times
280
00:30:46,453 --> 00:30:48,063
more carbon dioxide
281
00:30:48,281 --> 00:30:51,850
than humans have produced
in our entire history.
282
00:30:56,202 --> 00:30:59,466
This extinction event
is the worst assault on life
283
00:30:59,553 --> 00:31:02,512
our planet has ever known.
284
00:31:04,732 --> 00:31:08,736
90% of all species
on Earth are wiped out.
285
00:31:11,173 --> 00:31:14,220
While this catastrophe makes
life impossible for most...
286
00:31:15,656 --> 00:31:19,399
a stubborn few species
manage to survive.
287
00:31:32,238 --> 00:31:35,894
Close relatives of Elph
are among these survivors.
288
00:31:37,199 --> 00:31:39,419
By burrowing
and hibernating
289
00:31:39,506 --> 00:31:42,117
their kind withstand
everything the volcanoes
290
00:31:42,291 --> 00:31:45,555
can throw at them
and find ways to endure.
291
00:31:49,908 --> 00:31:51,605
This single event changes
292
00:31:51,779 --> 00:31:54,129
the entire direction
of evolution,
293
00:31:54,347 --> 00:31:56,915
as the few survivors
go on to establish
294
00:31:57,132 --> 00:32:00,353
all the animal dynasties
we know today.
295
00:32:04,183 --> 00:32:08,274
After 100,000 years
the volcanoes grow cold...
296
00:32:09,492 --> 00:32:12,800
but the world remains
a toxic wasteland.
297
00:32:14,323 --> 00:32:16,847
The atmosphere still
has carbon dioxide levels
298
00:32:16,935 --> 00:32:19,111
five times those of today.
299
00:32:24,638 --> 00:32:26,596
Millions of years pass,
300
00:32:26,727 --> 00:32:31,950
and slowly,
our wonderous planet heals.
301
00:32:34,909 --> 00:32:38,130
Helped by the most
lowly of the survivors...
302
00:32:39,261 --> 00:32:42,482
fungi, bacteria
303
00:32:42,656 --> 00:32:45,137
and photosynthetic algae.
304
00:32:51,186 --> 00:32:53,232
These tiny
life forms flourish in
305
00:32:53,406 --> 00:32:55,234
the carbon rich atmosphere
306
00:32:55,451 --> 00:32:59,281
and steadily consume
the excessive greenhouse gases.
307
00:33:03,329 --> 00:33:06,158
Earth finally begins to cool.
308
00:33:24,698 --> 00:33:29,224
10 million years later,
309
00:33:29,398 --> 00:33:32,401
free of
its poisonous volcanic legacy,
310
00:33:32,619 --> 00:33:34,838
Earth is renewed.
311
00:33:36,492 --> 00:33:38,494
Our planet
can once again support
312
00:33:38,712 --> 00:33:41,019
a rich array of habitats.
313
00:33:44,848 --> 00:33:47,112
In this empty paradise,
314
00:33:47,286 --> 00:33:52,030
life begins to reclaim
every corner of the planet...
315
00:33:53,857 --> 00:33:58,558
sparking an extraordinary
explosion in evolution.
316
00:34:10,048 --> 00:34:11,658
10 million
years have passed
317
00:34:11,875 --> 00:34:14,922
since the giant
northern eruptions fell silent.
318
00:34:16,402 --> 00:34:18,839
It's taken this long
for the seas and forests
319
00:34:19,013 --> 00:34:20,580
to fully recover...
320
00:34:21,624 --> 00:34:24,149
and they are
teeming with life.
321
00:34:26,934 --> 00:34:29,023
On the shores of a shallow sea,
322
00:34:29,937 --> 00:34:31,939
the sand stirs.
323
00:34:33,984 --> 00:34:37,945
Eggs, laid months ago,
are hatching.
324
00:34:41,166 --> 00:34:43,690
It is a baby Cyamodus...
325
00:34:45,561 --> 00:34:47,955
a new type of
hard-shelled reptile
326
00:34:48,434 --> 00:34:50,914
that has taken to
a life in the sea.
327
00:34:53,613 --> 00:34:55,484
They lay their eggs in the sand
328
00:34:55,702 --> 00:34:58,096
to protect them
from marine predators.
329
00:35:03,449 --> 00:35:06,626
But these days there
are predators everywhere.
330
00:35:14,590 --> 00:35:17,158
A female Dongusuchus.
331
00:35:17,941 --> 00:35:20,770
She's a new type
of feathered reptile.
332
00:35:32,391 --> 00:35:35,437
She is being watched
333
00:35:35,611 --> 00:35:37,657
by another Dongusuchus.
334
00:35:41,356 --> 00:35:42,662
A male.
335
00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:48,363
He's not looking for lunch,
he's looking...
336
00:35:48,537 --> 00:35:51,018
for a lunch date.
337
00:35:53,107 --> 00:35:55,979
With his bright plumage
and cool moves,
338
00:35:56,110 --> 00:35:59,026
he's hoping to impress her.
339
00:36:02,769 --> 00:36:05,815
She's not sure, yet.
340
00:36:10,298 --> 00:36:12,779
But he's got more moves.
341
00:36:18,785 --> 00:36:20,874
New types of
gliding reptiles
342
00:36:21,091 --> 00:36:25,357
called proto-Pterosaurs,
head for the sand.
343
00:36:29,883 --> 00:36:31,885
The beach is getting busy.
344
00:36:34,975 --> 00:36:38,196
But our guy is not giving up
on his mating dance.
345
00:36:43,244 --> 00:36:45,464
Time to pull out all the stops.
346
00:37:07,921 --> 00:37:11,359
Well, someone really
didn't like his dancing.
347
00:37:24,720 --> 00:37:26,853
Cymbospondylus.
348
00:37:30,465 --> 00:37:33,555
A new type of
giant marine reptile...
349
00:37:34,556 --> 00:37:36,732
that will come
to dominate the seas
350
00:37:36,950 --> 00:37:40,954
for the next 157 million years.
351
00:37:47,221 --> 00:37:49,919
In the forests and mountains,
352
00:37:50,050 --> 00:37:52,835
in the water and in the air
353
00:37:53,706 --> 00:37:57,275
it is the reptiles
that have seized the moment.
354
00:38:01,888 --> 00:38:05,326
If there is one point in
the history of life on Earth
355
00:38:05,544 --> 00:38:08,590
that sums up
its limitless resilience...
356
00:38:09,591 --> 00:38:11,898
this is it.
357
00:38:25,215 --> 00:38:27,740
Only two hundred years ago
358
00:38:27,914 --> 00:38:31,265
Earth had some of the lowest
carbon dioxide levels
359
00:38:31,787 --> 00:38:33,659
that have ever existed.
360
00:38:42,145 --> 00:38:44,931
But since
the Industrial Revolution
361
00:38:45,061 --> 00:38:47,847
they have risen by
over 50 percent.
362
00:38:58,553 --> 00:39:01,948
Compared with
the history of life on Earth,
363
00:39:02,078 --> 00:39:06,213
today's levels of carbon
dioxide are still not high...
364
00:39:10,652 --> 00:39:12,915
but it is
the speed of the change
365
00:39:13,133 --> 00:39:16,223
that is challenging
all living things.
366
00:39:25,101 --> 00:39:27,887
Recently,
action has been taken.
367
00:39:31,456 --> 00:39:35,373
In the next few years,
emissions could stop rising...
368
00:39:37,853 --> 00:39:39,768
but the extra greenhouse gases
369
00:39:39,899 --> 00:39:43,816
will remain in
our atmosphere for decades,
370
00:39:44,033 --> 00:39:46,384
possibly even centuries.
371
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:52,781
If these levels are to drop,
372
00:39:52,955 --> 00:39:55,262
the key will lie in
our planet's ability
373
00:39:55,393 --> 00:39:57,830
to absorb carbon dioxide.
374
00:40:02,269 --> 00:40:05,533
In our peat bogs
and sea grass meadows...
375
00:40:06,665 --> 00:40:09,015
oceans and forests.
376
00:40:09,798 --> 00:40:12,279
Nature already has
the best tools
377
00:40:12,410 --> 00:40:15,108
to turn the tide
on greenhouse gases.
378
00:40:17,850 --> 00:40:20,330
Protecting
and bolstering these habitats
379
00:40:20,505 --> 00:40:22,289
is the next great challenge
380
00:40:22,768 --> 00:40:25,423
in the fight against
global warming.
381
00:40:28,338 --> 00:40:32,517
♪ I see trees of green ♪
382
00:40:32,734 --> 00:40:35,041
♪ Red roses too ♪
383
00:40:35,171 --> 00:40:38,740
♪ I see watch bloom ♪
384
00:40:38,914 --> 00:40:41,134
♪ For me and you ♪
385
00:40:41,264 --> 00:40:45,094
♪ And I think to myself ♪
386
00:40:45,268 --> 00:40:52,145
♪ What a wonderful world ♪
387
00:40:52,275 --> 00:40:57,280
♪ Yes, I think to myself ♪
388
00:40:57,455 --> 00:41:02,590
♪ What a wonderful world ♪