Original subtitles

The story of life on Earth...

...is marked by a series of

catastrophic extinction events.

Natural disasters which have threatened to wipe out

many of the creatures that call our planet home.

But after every brush with death,

life has come back

even stronger.

One of the most devastating catastrophes took place

66 million years ago,

an asteroid hit the Earth

with the destructive force of nine billion atomic bombs...

ending the reign of the giant dinosaurs.

But it wasn’t the blast that wiped them out.

It was the decade of darkness that followed.

After the skies cleared,

the Earth would belong to a new dynasty of animals

we are a lot more familiar with.

Mammals.

66 million years ago

life on Earth is thriving.

Polar forests cover the high arctic,

Winter is over

and months of total darkness have come to an end.

At last Spring is here.

Sunlight shines on this lost world

where dinosaurs reign supreme.

This Nanuqsaurus is enjoying the spring air.

He’s a gigantic arctic predator,

weighing as much as three polar bears.

An older male, he’s seen a lot of life.

He still wears his white winter feathers.

Good for camouflage in the snow,

but he sticks out a bit

now that the trees are turning green.

Don’t let the peaceful forest fool you,

this guy knows another rival

could be hiding anywhere in here.

A surprise encounter could result in a fight to the death.

So, when he stumbles into a female’s nesting area,

he is wary.

But there’s nothing to worry about.

She is his mate.

They have been together for twelve years.

And they’ve had each other’s backs

through many extreme Arctic seasons.

Springtime is a relief from the winter darkness,

but the months of plenty are yet to come

when all the animals here can bask in a long hot summer

of 24 hour sun.

Life is starting to gear up.

Trees take leaf,

warming waters tell these mayflies,

that it’s time to hatch.

Everywhere there is renewal.

It’s the same for our Nanuqsaurus couple.

She has just laid her eggs and they are getting

ready to have a family.

Our new mom has built a nest of leaves that

not only protects her eggs but also generates warmth

which helps them incubate.

But a nice warm home like this has also

attracted a sleepy squatter.

This tiny mammal, an Unnuakomys, is napping the day away.

But he’s not bothering anyone,

so our couple doesn’t pay him any mind.

A strange animal call drifts up from the valley below.

Mom finishes covering her eggs.

Now it’s time to hunt.

The pair work well together,

they’ve done this many times before.

Edmontosaurus.

A vast herd of these herbivores have arrived from the south

in search of plants to graze.

But these beasts won’t be easy prey for our Nanuqsaurus couple.

An adult Edmontosaurus is as long as a school bus,

far too large even for our two predators.

But they have a plan...

and wait for their moment.

Right on time some teenagers arrive.

And like most teenagers they are impatient.

What they don’t realize is they have bigger problems

than who gets to eat first.

What looks like a dim star,

is actually an asteroid.

Seven and a half-miles wide,

hurtling towards the Earth at 45,000 miles per hour.

For the dinosaurs this is the end of the world.

66 million years ago

the climate is warm, and many species of

plant and animal life thrive even at the poles.

The dinosaurs rule the world

for now.

They have no idea everything is about to change.

4,500 miles to the south

a giant asteroid has slammed into the Earth,

unleashing the destructive force

of nine billion atomic bombs.

Landing off the coast of what is now Mexico.

The rock penetrates deep into the Earth’s crust,

which triggers mega tsunamis at sea.

And releases a blast that incinerates everything

on land within 1,000 miles.

But far away in the Arctic Circle

devastation has yet to hit.

And though their world is about to end, the dinosaur predators

continue to hunt as they have done for millions of years.

The adolescent group have identified their target,

a young Edmontosaurus with his mother

on the edge of the herd.

The eager teenagers go on the attack,

while our couple wait.

At the same time, shockwaves from the blast

are racing across the planet at close to the speed of sound

...minutes after the asteroid hit.

The first shock waves reach the Nanuqsaurus Arctic home.

Triggering earthquakes and blind panic among the dinosaurs.

The herd stampedes.

In the chaos those that can’t keep up are trampled.

Finally, the tremors stop.

One of the teenagers didn’t survive.

But his pals spot a chance to pick up where they left off...

...a juvenile, abandoned by the herd.

He doesn’t stand a chance.

Our Nanuqsaurus couple watch...

and now they make their move.

After letting the teenagers do the hard work,

our more experienced team steals the prize.

They’ve been running this con for years.

Mom and dad claim the kill.

Hours have passed since the asteroid slammed into Earth.

But now another wave is tearing through the atmosphere.

An intense air blast.

It overtakes the old couple.

But they battle on to get back to their nest.

At last, the winds break.

In all their years together,

they’ve never experienced anything like this.

Despite the chaos most creatures try to carry on as normal.

This young Nanuqsaurus may not know what happened,

but he isn’t going to let a good Edmontosaurus carcass

go to waste.

He’s interrupted by a little opportunist.

A Dromaeosaur.

He has also brought a friend.

And another.

But this is no family style restaurant.

The Nanuqsaurus is not going to let these

scavengers interrupt his dinner.

Further up the valley our couple finally approach home.

They don’t know the high winds have damaged their nest,

exposing their hidden eggs.

Making them easy picking for a band of Dromaeosaurs.

They’ve returned seconds too late.

Even the father’s terrifying show of strength

can’t save their babies.

The mother finds four of her eggs were destroyed.

Heartbroken, they console each other.

A terrifying and deadly day for all the Artic animals.

They might hope that tomorrow will be easier.

But the asteroid isn’t finished with them yet.

In fact, the worst is yet to come.

A towering pillar of pulverized rock dust

rises from the impact crater.

Dense and vast it starts to blocks out the sun

for the entire planet.

A time of endless darkness has arrived and threatens

all life on Earth.

An asteroid has hit the Earth

launching billions of tones of debris into the atmosphere.

A dark cloud starting to covering the entire planet.

This black swirling dust, rich in carbon and sulfur,

is about to make the world uninhabitable

for millions of creatures.

Almost five thousand miles north of the impact,

the creatures of the Arctic are about to face

the asteroid’s final blow.

As the debris cloud reaches them.

They are plunged into total darkness.

They will never see the sun again.

Even animals who are adapted to dark Arctic winters

will find this darkness unlike anything

they’ve experienced before.

Earth, once home to a diverse spectrum of colorful life,

is transforming into a dark mass of gray.

Two months later what should be a hot summer

is instead a deep freeze.

The natural rhythm of life is being turned upside down.

For our Nanuqsaurus couple, there is more tragedy.

Their remaining eggs have frozen in the bitter cold.

Even this brave mother couldn’t protect them

from the decay and death of a world with no sunlight.

With no reason to stay by the nest they share,

the two decide to move on.

As months pass,

trillions of tons of dust strangle the planet.

Rain is scarce.

And what does fall is turned to acid.

In this cold darkness, plants can no longer produce

their energy through photosynthesis.

Even mature trees are dying.

It’s the beginning of the end for plant eaters

who will starve.

This young Edmontosaurus

is struggling to breathe.

Dust has filled his lungs.

But even worse, he’s lost his herd.

He would be easy prey for our resting pair of Nanuqsaurus.

Fortunately for him, with so many dying

herbivores around,

they’ve already eaten.

The youngster is spared.

The Edmontosaurus herd is following their

instincts and heading south.

Their senses tell them it’s winter.

They have no idea there’s nothing

for them to the south but more cold and darkness.

For the Nanuqsaurus, the departure of the Edmontosaurus

herd means scarcity and hunger will hit the predators too.

Life is about to become desperate for our old pair.

It’s been more than a year since the asteroid

collided with Earth and the planet is an alien world.

It remains shrouded in a thick cloud of foul dust.

And this apocalyptic, endless night,

the average temperature has dropped 36 degrees

and the once thriving ecosystems have frozen to death.

The Arctic, like much of the planet,

is in an unprecedented deep freeze.

Incredibly, there are places water still runs.

And here, near the Nanuqsaurus’ old nesting site, is an oasis.

An area of volcanic activity has caused the ground to warm.

Water is now flowing here instead of ice.

And that attracts life.

Insects thrive in the water.

They provide food for the birds.

Miraculously, the dark gray world is still showing signs of

life and hope for the future,

at least for these smaller creatures.

Our brave Nanuqsaurus pair

are still hanging on, unsure what their future holds.

Our mother is once again carrying eggs.

But something is wrong and she is growing sicker by the day.

It will be impossible for her to bring life into this world.

Her mate is powerless to help.

Unbearably, in order for him to find food,

he must leave her on her own.

With no choice, he ventures into the unknown,

leaving her without his protection.

She is now alone and vulnerable.

The two teenage Nanuqsaurus are back.

Hungry and impatient as usual.

They haven’t eaten for days and are desperate.

Once, they saw her as competition...

...now, she is prey.

She will not go without a fight,

but the end is inevitable.

The forests are frozen.

And almost all large land animals are dead and gone.

Without sunlight, the web of life that

supported them has collapsed.

Only the bones of our female Nanuqsaurus remain.

Sitting beside her skeleton is her devoted mate.

Now alone, he must endure the cold and conserve his energy

and hope for something, anything,

to give him a chance to survive.

Year two of endless night on Earth.

It is a catastrophe for all life,

especially large animals like the dinosaurs.

Our old female Nanuqsaurus put up a fight,

but is long gone.

Miraculously, her mate is still alive.

Enduring the cold and scavenging for food.

His body has even become a refuge

for other living creatures.

In his feathers,

the tiny mammal, Unnuakomys, picks ticks from his skin.

A good exchange for the warm bed.

The Nanuqsaurus never did shed his winter coat.

At last, he spots what he has been waiting for.

One of the adolescent Nanuqsaurus

is wasting his energy chasing birds.

Still, our male waits.

He watches as the kid wears himself out.

Then, he summons what little

strength he has for the attack.

Revenge is sweet.

Our Nanuqsaurus is now the last of his kind.

After a 170 million year reign,

the giant dinosaurs are passing into history.

Years go by, and still,

the dark cloud blankets the Earth.

Robbed of the sun’s energy, three quarters of

all species across the planet are driven to extinction.

Finally, a decade later...

the dust clouds clear and give way to a new dawn.

Seeds that have laid dormant in the soil spring to life.

Few animals made it,

finding creative ways to survive.

Some hid underground...

...some in water.

But all were small and adaptable.

The planet they inherited is a blank canvas,

and evolution is about to go into overdrive.

Five million years later

a vibrant new habitat now dominates the land.

Lush, tropical rainforests.

Beneath the canopy, the air is filled with the scent

of colorful flowers

and the hum of pollinating insects.

The only descendants of the dinosaurs that have

survived are the birds.

Other creatures have made the most of this new

environment and found ways to thrive.

High in the canopy, it is not just the birds

looking for breakfast.

These are Plesiadapis.

They are mammals, and mammals are thriving

in these new forests.

This is a fruit hunting mission.

They work together to find the best afternoon snack.

And there are plenty of delicious options.

The new world is so abundant,

they have the luxury to choose only the ripe ones.

Plesiadapis is one of the very first primates.

A group of mammals whose intelligence and climbing skills

have helped them seize the high ground up in the tree canopies.

But in the water below, there is danger.

Not every reptilian predator...

died with the dinosaurs.

It is five million years after the asteroid impact.

The world is now covered in lush tropical rainforests.

Here, birds and mammals thrive.

The giant dinosaurs are gone,

but other reptilian predators have survived.

This Plesiadapis is safe

as long as he stays in the trees.

But this tasty snack is just out of reach

and he makes a potentially fatal mistake.

This little mammal has no idea

what lurks in the murky depths.

It doesn’t look good for our little...

aw, never mind.

Crocodiles survived the apocalyptic winter

because they lived in the water and could go long periods

without eating.

After devouring his prey, this giant Kosmodraco

likes to take a long bask in the sun.

He settles down and opens his mouth wide to keep cool.

But a nice warm patch of sand attracts all sorts

of creatures from the forest...

...like Titanoides.

Mammals like these have evolved to be immense

and powerful.

Large enough to take on the biggest reptiles.

These tough guys now rule the shores.

The age of the mammals has truly arrived.

No longer in the shadow of the reptiles,

mammals will soon dominate the planet.

When scientists became convinced that

a cosmic collision killed off the dinosaurs,

it inspired more thorough scientific study

of the threat asteroids present to life on Earth.

Starting in the 1990s,

astronomers all over the world have been using

their telescopes to track and catalog

the many objects flying around our Solar System.

Today, they believe they have found all asteroids

large enough to cause a similar mass extinction event.

And while none of these present

any immediate danger, there are thousands of

smaller objects which could cause major destruction

if they impacted the Earth.

Recently, a 100-foot-wide lump of rock

called 2024-YR4 was spotted

on a near-collision course with Earth.

It will miss us, but only by luck.

Few scientists believe that watching the skies

and hoping for the best is a winning strategy.

So, in 2021, NASA launched DART,

a prototype of a new planetary defense system,

its aim was to smash into the side of an asteroid

and prove threats like these could be neutralized,

if we spotted them in time.

The mission succeeded.

While some human technology may

pose a threat to life on Earth...

breakthroughs like the DART program could be what

saves many species,

including our own,

from going the way of the dinosaurs.

♪ I see trees of green ♪

♪ Red roses too ♪

♪ I watch them bloom ♪

♪ For me and you ♪

♪ And I think to myself ♪

♪ What a wonderful world ♪

♪ Yes, I think to myself ♪

♪ What a wonderful world ♪