Sven Manguard (talk | contribs) |
Raptor Red (talk | contribs) Undid revision 423800970 by Sven Manguard (talk) Stop it!!! I showed a form of evidence. This proves that you guys really are dinosaur IDIOTS!!!!! |
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|accessdate=30 January 2011}}</ref> |
|accessdate=30 January 2011}}</ref> |
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*''[[Cryptoclidus]]''' chest structure may indicate that it was strictly aquatic. |
*''[[Cryptoclidus]]''' chest structure may indicate that it was strictly aquatic. |
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*It is now known that ''[[Coelophysis]]'' did not eat their young, and there is also no evidence for cynodonts or ''Ophthalmosaurus'' doing the same. |
*It is now known that ''[[Coelophysis]]'' did not eat their young, and there is also no evidence for cynodonts or ''Ophthalmosaurus'' doing the same. But these can't be proven as being mistakes because many types of meat-eating animals alive today eat the young of their own species: that's how a predator operates.<ref>Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages</ref> |
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*In the first episode of ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', ''[[Postosuchus]]'' urinates copiously. Michael J. Benton, a consultant to the making of the series (and Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at Bristol University), notes that a group of critics gleefully pointed out that birds and crocodiles, the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs, do not urinate; they shed waste chemicals as more solid uric acid. However, Benton notes that nobody can prove this was a real mistake: copious urination is the primitive state for tetrapods (seen in fishes, amphibians, turtles, and mammals), and perhaps basal archosaurs did the same. He believes many other claims of "errors" identified in the first weeks fizzled out, as the critics had found points about which they disagreed, but they could not prove that their views were correct.<ref>[http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Essays/WWD/default.html "birds and crocodiles, the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs, do not urinate".] Benton, M. J. 2001. "The science of 'Walking with Dinosaurs'". ''Teaching Earth Sciences'', 24, 371-400.</ref> |
*In the first episode of ''Walking with Dinosaurs'', ''[[Postosuchus]]'' urinates copiously. Michael J. Benton, a consultant to the making of the series (and Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at Bristol University), notes that a group of critics gleefully pointed out that birds and crocodiles, the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs, do not urinate; they shed waste chemicals as more solid uric acid. However, Benton notes that nobody can prove this was a real mistake: copious urination is the primitive state for tetrapods (seen in fishes, amphibians, turtles, and mammals), and perhaps basal archosaurs did the same. He believes many other claims of "errors" identified in the first weeks fizzled out, as the critics had found points about which they disagreed, but they could not prove that their views were correct.<ref>[http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Essays/WWD/default.html "birds and crocodiles, the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs, do not urinate".] Benton, M. J. 2001. "The science of 'Walking with Dinosaurs'". ''Teaching Earth Sciences'', 24, 371-400.</ref> |
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*Throughout the series, ''[[Dromaeosaurus]]'', ''[[Utahraptor]]'' and juvenile ''[[Tyrannosaurus]]'' were shown as being scaled and featherless, whereas the majority of scientists now agree that these dinosaurs had feathers, based on fossil evidence. It is also very possible that the former two were actually flightless birds.<ref>{{Cite web |
*Throughout the series, ''[[Dromaeosaurus]]'', ''[[Utahraptor]]'' and juvenile ''[[Tyrannosaurus]]'' were shown as being scaled and featherless, whereas the majority of scientists now agree that these dinosaurs had feathers, based on fossil evidence. It is also very possible that the former two were actually flightless birds.<ref>{{Cite web |
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|title=Bird-from-Dinosaur Theory of Evolution Challenged: Was It the Other Way Around? |
|title=Bird-from-Dinosaur Theory of Evolution Challenged: Was It the Other Way Around? |
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|work=sciencedaily.com |
|work=sciencedaily.com |
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|accessdate=25 February 2011}}</ref> Also, the discovery of ''[[Tianyulong]]'' suggests that all small dinosaurs had some sort of feather-like coat. |
|accessdate=25 February 2011}}</ref> Also, the discovery of ''[[Tianyulong]]'' suggests that all small dinosaurs had some sort of feather-like coat. But at the time, the idea of feathered dinosaurs was proposed but not accepted. |
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*Throughout the series, theropod's hands are depicted with the palms able to rotate, but this would have been anatomically impossible for the real animals, as their forearm bones ([[ulna]] and [[radius]]) could not rotate in this way. Their palms should have been relatively fixed facing each other, like a person about to [[applause|applaud]].<ref name=paul2002>{{cite_book |last=Paul |first=Gregory S. |authorlink=Gregory S. Paul |year=2002 |title=Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds |location=Baltimore |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |pages=472pp |isbn=978-0801867637}}</ref> |
*Throughout the series, theropod's hands are depicted with the palms able to rotate, but this would have been anatomically impossible for the real animals, as their forearm bones ([[ulna]] and [[radius]]) could not rotate in this way. Their palms should have been relatively fixed facing each other, like a person about to [[applause|applaud]].<ref name=paul2002>{{cite_book |last=Paul |first=Gregory S. |authorlink=Gregory S. Paul |year=2002 |title=Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds |location=Baltimore |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |pages=472pp |isbn=978-0801867637}}</ref> |
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*''[[Ornitholestes]]'' was depicted as having a small nasal crest. However, later study has shown that the supposed crest was an artifact of preservation.<ref>Carpenter, Kenneth; Miles, Clifford; Ostrom, John H.; Cloward, Karen (2005a). "Redescription of the Small Maniraptoran Theropods Ornitholestes and Coelurus". In Carpenter, Kenneth. ''The Carnivorous Dinosaurs''. Life of the Past. Indiana University Press. pp. 49–71. ISBN 0253345391.</ref> |
*''[[Ornitholestes]]'' was depicted as having a small nasal crest. However, later study has shown that the supposed crest was an artifact of preservation.<ref>Carpenter, Kenneth; Miles, Clifford; Ostrom, John H.; Cloward, Karen (2005a). "Redescription of the Small Maniraptoran Theropods Ornitholestes and Coelurus". In Carpenter, Kenneth. ''The Carnivorous Dinosaurs''. Life of the Past. Indiana University Press. pp. 49–71. ISBN 0253345391.</ref> |
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*''[[Ornithocheirus]]'' was depicted as far larger than it actually was. In the book based on the series, it was claimed that several large bone fragments from the [[Santana Formation]] of [[Brazil]] possibly indicate that ''Ornithocheirus'' may have had a wingspan reaching almost 12 metres and a weight of a hundred kilogrammes, making it one of the largest known pterosaurs.<ref>Haines, T., 1999, ''"Walking with Dinosaurs": A Natural History'', BBC Books, p. 158</ref> However, these specimens have not been formally described. The largest definite ''Ornithocheirus'' specimens known measure 6 metres in wingspan. The specimens which the producers of the program used to justify such a large size estimate are currently undescribed, and are being studied by Dave Martill and David Unwin. Unwin stated that he does not believe this highest estimate is likely, and that the producers likely chose the highest possible estimate because it was more "spectacular."<ref name=dmlbrdeow>Bredow, H.P. (2000). "[http://dml.cmnh.org/2000Apr/msg00446.html Re: WWD non-dino questions]." Message to the Dinosaur Mailing List, 18 Apr 2000. Accessed online 20 Jan 2011: http://dml.cmnh.org/2000Apr/msg00446.html </ref> |
*''[[Ornithocheirus]]'' was depicted as far larger than it actually was. In the book based on the series, it was claimed that several large bone fragments from the [[Santana Formation]] of [[Brazil]] possibly indicate that ''Ornithocheirus'' may have had a wingspan reaching almost 12 metres and a weight of a hundred kilogrammes, making it one of the largest known pterosaurs.<ref>Haines, T., 1999, ''"Walking with Dinosaurs": A Natural History'', BBC Books, p. 158</ref> However, these specimens have not been formally described. The largest definite ''Ornithocheirus'' specimens known measure 6 metres in wingspan. The specimens which the producers of the program used to justify such a large size estimate are currently undescribed, and are being studied by Dave Martill and David Unwin. Unwin stated that he does not believe this highest estimate is likely, and that the producers likely chose the highest possible estimate because it was more "spectacular."<ref name=dmlbrdeow>Bredow, H.P. (2000). "[http://dml.cmnh.org/2000Apr/msg00446.html Re: WWD non-dino questions]." Message to the Dinosaur Mailing List, 18 Apr 2000. Accessed online 20 Jan 2011: http://dml.cmnh.org/2000Apr/msg00446.html </ref> But they probably really meant that it was the largest pterosaur that lived in the Early Cretaceous. |
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*At the end of the first episode, the European ''[[Plateosaurus]]'' was shown living in Arizona. Fossils of ''Plateosaurus'' are widespread in Europe but have never been found west of Greenland.<ref name=jeninsetal>Jenkins, F.A. Jr., Shubin, N.H., Amaral, W.W., Gatesy, S.M., Schaff, C.R. Clemmensen, L.B., Downs, W.R., Davidson, A.R., Bonde, N. and Osbaeck, F. (1994). "Late Triassic continental vertebrates and depositional environments of the Fleming Fjord Formation, Jameson Land, East Greenland". ''Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience'' 32:1–25</ref> Additionally, the animals were shown as partially quadrupedal, as traditionally imagined by paleontologists. However, later studies showed that it would have been anatomically impossible for ''Plateosaurus'' to walk using its forelimbs, and that it was strictly bipedal.<ref name=MallisonTDPI>Mallison, H. (2010). "[http://palaeo-electronica.org/2010_2/198/index.html The digital ''Plateosaurus'' I: body mass, mass distribution and posture assessed using CAD and CAE on a digitally mounted complete skeleton]". ''Palaeontologia Electronica'' 13.2.8A [http://palaeo-electronica.org/2010_2/198/index.html]</ref> |
*At the end of the first episode, the European ''[[Plateosaurus]]'' was shown living in Arizona. Fossils of ''Plateosaurus'' are widespread in Europe but have never been found west of Greenland.<ref name=jeninsetal>Jenkins, F.A. Jr., Shubin, N.H., Amaral, W.W., Gatesy, S.M., Schaff, C.R. Clemmensen, L.B., Downs, W.R., Davidson, A.R., Bonde, N. and Osbaeck, F. (1994). "Late Triassic continental vertebrates and depositional environments of the Fleming Fjord Formation, Jameson Land, East Greenland". ''Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience'' 32:1–25</ref> Additionally, the animals were shown as partially quadrupedal, as traditionally imagined by paleontologists. However, later studies showed that it would have been anatomically impossible for ''Plateosaurus'' to walk using its forelimbs, and that it was strictly bipedal.<ref name=MallisonTDPI>Mallison, H. (2010). "[http://palaeo-electronica.org/2010_2/198/index.html The digital ''Plateosaurus'' I: body mass, mass distribution and posture assessed using CAD and CAE on a digitally mounted complete skeleton]". ''Palaeontologia Electronica'' 13.2.8A [http://palaeo-electronica.org/2010_2/198/index.html]</ref> |
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*''[[Allosaurus]]'' was not the biggest Jurassic carnivore; that record belongs to the giant [[pliosaur]]s, notably [[Predator X]]. The largest known carnivorous dinosaur of the time was either ''[[Torvosaurus]]'' , ''[[Epanterias]]'' or ''[[Saurophaganax]]'' (although the latter two have been argued to be big specimens of ''Allosaurus''; and the ''Allosaurus'' featured in the show fits in the size range of ''Epanterias''). |
*''[[Allosaurus]]'' was not the biggest Jurassic carnivore; that record belongs to the giant [[pliosaur]]s, notably [[Predator X]]. The largest known carnivorous dinosaur of the time was either ''[[Torvosaurus]]'' , ''[[Epanterias]]'' or ''[[Saurophaganax]]'' (although the latter two have been argued to be big specimens of ''Allosaurus''; and the ''Allosaurus'' featured in the show fits in the size range of ''Epanterias''). |
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|publisher=[[University Press of Kansas]]|isbn=0700612696 |
|publisher=[[University Press of Kansas]]|isbn=0700612696 |
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|chapter=The Pliosaurs|pages=165–193 |
|chapter=The Pliosaurs|pages=165–193 |
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}}</ref> But this was explained as the male being "big even for his own kind." |
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* All dinosaurs in the series had their fleshy nostrils located quite high in the bony nostril, whilst in reality, they would've been located rostrally (as far forward as possible in the bony nostril), and in sauropods their location should be rostroventral (far in front of the bony nostrils). This was not known during the production of the series, but is later shown to be evident both in the CT-scanned fossils and relatively obvious for important physiological reasons.<ref>[http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/dbms-witmer/Downloads/2001_Witmer_nostrils.pdf] Witmer, L. M. 2001. Nostril position in dinosaurs and other vertebrates and its significance for nasal function. Science 293:850–853.</ref> |
* All dinosaurs in the series had their fleshy nostrils located quite high in the bony nostril, whilst in reality, they would've been located rostrally (as far forward as possible in the bony nostril), and in sauropods their location should be rostroventral (far in front of the bony nostrils). This was not known during the production of the series, but is later shown to be evident both in the CT-scanned fossils and relatively obvious for important physiological reasons.<ref>[http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/dbms-witmer/Downloads/2001_Witmer_nostrils.pdf] Witmer, L. M. 2001. Nostril position in dinosaurs and other vertebrates and its significance for nasal function. Science 293:850–853.</ref> |
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*''[[Utahraptor]]'' was shown living in [[Europe]]. ''Utahraptor'' fossils are actually known only from southwestern [[North America]], in what is now [[Utah]]. There is no evidence that it ever existed elsewhere. |
*''[[Utahraptor]]'' was shown living in [[Europe]]. ''Utahraptor'' fossils are actually known only from southwestern [[North America]], in what is now [[Utah]]. There is no evidence that it ever existed elsewhere. |
Revision as of 04:08, 13 April 2011
Walking with Dinosaurs | |
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Genre | Documentary |
Developed by | Andrew Wilks |
Narrated by | Kenneth Branagh |
Theme music composer | Ben Bartlett |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 series |
No. of episodes | 6 episodes |
Production | |
Executive producer | John Lynch |
Producers | Tim Haines, Jasper James |
Production locations | California, Chile, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tasmania, The Bahamas |
Running time | 180 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | BBC |
Release | 16 April 1999 |
Related | |
Other shows in the Walking with... series |
Walking with Dinosaurs is a six-part documentary television miniseries that was produced by the BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the UK, in 1999. The series was subsequently aired in North America on the Discovery Channel in 2000, with Branagh's voice replaced with that of Avery Brooks. It is the first entry of the Walking with... series and used computer-generated imagery and animatronics to recreate the life of the Mesozoic, showing dinosaurs and their contemporaries in a way that previously had only been seen in feature films. The programme's aim was to simulate the style of a nature documentary and therefore does not include "talking head" interviews. The series used palaeontologists such as Peter Dodson, Peter Larson and James Farlow as advisors (their influence in the filming process can be seen in the documentary The Making of Walking with Dinosaurs). The Guinness Book of World Records reported that the series was the most expensive documentary series per minute ever made. A £40 million 3D movie based on the TV series is currently being produced by the BBC.
Episodes
- 220 Million Years Ago − Late Triassic
- 152 Million Years Ago − Late Jurassic
- 149 Million Years Ago − Late Jurassic
- 127 Million Years Ago − Early Cretaceous
- 106 Million Years Ago − Middle Cretaceous
- 65.5 Million Years Ago − Late Cretaceous
Episode 1: "New Blood"
220,000,000 BC − Late Triassic − Arizona, New Mexico
The episode followed a female Coelophysis as she tried to survive in the dry season. The Coelophysis was shown hunting a herd of Placerias, looking for weak members to prey upon. Early pterosaurs called Peteinosaurus were featured, depicted cooling themselves in what little water was present during the drought. A female Postosuchus (one of the largest carnivores alive in the Triassic) was shown following the Placerias herd, and kills one of the members who had earlier been bitten by her and weakened by blood loss. Still searching for food, the Coelophysis are shown discovering a burrow of the small mammal-like cynodont. Eventually, one young cynodont strays too close and is eaten and the father attempts to protect the youngster, but to no avail. At night, the pair of cynodonts are shown eating their remaining young, then moving away. The female Postosuchus is later shown to have been wounded by Placerias's tusks (the wound is on her left thigh), and is beaten out of her territory by a rival male Postosuchus. Wounded, sick and without a territory, the female dies and is eaten by a pack of Coelophysis. As the dry season continues however, food becomes scarce and the Coelophysis start killing and cannibalizing each other. Finally, the wet season comes again, and the majority of the Coelophysis have survived, along with the cynodont pair, who have a new clutch of eggs. The episode ends with the arrival of a herd of the prosauropod Plateosaurus, foreshadowing the future dominance of giant sauropods after the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event.
Episode 2: "Time of the Titans"
152,000,000 BC − Late Jurassic − Colorado
This episode followed the life of a young female herbivorous Diplodocus. After hatching at the forest edge, she and her siblings retreat to the safety of the denser trees. As they grow, they face many dangers, including predation by Ornitholestes and Allosaurus, and a Stegosaurus, which kills one by accident while swinging its tail. Close to adulthood, the group of young Diplodocus are nearly all killed by a huge forest fire and fire storm that night, leaving three, then two survivors including the female. They are driven out onto the open plains, where they find a herd. The protagonist female mates, but not long afterwards is attacked by a bull Allosaurus. She is saved when another Diplodocus strikes the allosaur with its tail. In the end, her species will only get bigger.
- Diplodocus
- Allosaurus
- Ornitholestes
- Stegosaurus
- Anurognathus
- Brachiosaurus
- Dryosaurid
- Ornithopod
- Dung Beetle
- Damselfly
Episode 3: "Cruel Sea"
149 million years ago - Late Jurassic - Oxfordshire
The ichthyosaur Ophthalmosaurus breeding ceremony is the main event of the episode, but sharks and other predators, including the pliosaur Liopleurodon, are on the hunt. The opening portrays a Liopleurodon snatching a Eustreptospondylus (dinosaur) from the land, but there is no evidence of this ever occurring (according to the producers, they were influenced by similar attacks by killer whales on land creatures, such as sea lions). A pod of Ophthalmosaurus arrive from the open ocean to give birth. Many of the babies slip out successfully. But when one mother has trouble giving birth, a pair of Hybodus sharks go after her, but are frightened off by a male Liopleurodon, which eats the front half of the Ophthalmosaurus, leaving the tail to sink down. Meanwhile a Eustreptospondylus swims to an island. It discovers a turtle carcass and must fight another Eustreptospondylus for it, though the fight really consists of them roaring at each other. Later during the night, a group of horseshoe crabs gather at the shore to lay their eggs, which attracts a flock of Rhamphorhynchus (pterosaur) in the morning. However two or three are caught and eaten by a Eustreptospondylus in the morning. While the Ophthalmosaurus juveniles are growing up, they are still hunted by Hybodus, which in turn, are prey for the Liopleurodon. While the male Liopleurodon is hunting for prey, he is encountered by a female Liopleurodon, and after biting one of her flippers, she retires to escape. In the end of the episode, a typhoon kills many animals, including a Rhamphorhynchus, and washes the Liopleurodon ashore. He is then suffocated by his own weight and is eaten by a pair of Eustreptospondylus. The episode, however, ends on a more positive note, as it shows that the juvenile Ophthalmosaurus have survived the storm, and are now off to live and breed in the open sea.
- Liopleurodon
- Eustreptospondylus
- Hybodus
- Cryptoclidus
- Ophthalmosaurus
- Rhamphorhynchus
- Leptolepis
- Ammonite
- Horseshoe Crab
Episode 4: "Giant of the Skies"
127 million years ago - Early Cretaceous - Brazil, North America, England, Spain
The story begins with a male Ornithocheirus (pterosaur) dead on a beach. It then goes back six months to Brazil, where the Ornithocheirus flies off for Cantabria among a colony of Tapejara (pterosaur). He flies past a migrating column of Iguanodon and a Polacanthus (all herbivorous dinosaurs). He reaches the southern tip of North America, where he is forced to shelter from a storm. To pass the time, he grooms himself, ridding his body of Saurophthirus fleas. Then he sets off across the Atlantic, which was then only 300 kilometers wide and, after a whole day on the wing, reaches the westernmost of the European islands. He does not rest there however, as a pack of Utahraptor are hunting Iguanodon. He flies to the outskirts of a forest, but is driven away by Iberomesornis birds. He reaches Cantabria, but was delayed by the storm and cannot reach the center of the many grounded male Ornithocheirus. Consequently, he does not mate and dies from exhaustion. In the end, a young Ornithocheirus is seen feeding on his carcass.
- Iberomesornis
- Iguanodon
- Ornithocheirus
- Polacanthus
- Tapejara
- Utahraptor
- Plesiopleurodon
- Saurophthirus
Episode 5: "Spirits of the Ice Forest"
106 million years ago - Early Cretaceous - Antarctica
This episode focuses upon a clan of herbivorous Leaellynasaura as they struggle to survive in the south polar region over the course of a year. During the spring, they are shown feeding on the fresh plant growth and building nests so they can lay their eggs. A male amphibian Koolasuchus has also woken up from hibernation, heading to a river where he will stay during the summer. Out on the plains, migrating herds of herbivorous Muttaburrasaurus are also preparing for the winter. By summer, many of the Leaellynasaura clan's eggs are eaten, but those of the matriarch hatch successfully. A male Allosaur is shown hunting the Leaellynasaura and Muttaburrasaurus, but fails. The Leaellynasaura clan continue to prepare for the winter, as well as raising the young that have now grown. When autumn arrives, the Muttaburrasaurus herd soon head back north, and the Koolasuchus finds a place to hibernate through the winter. However, the male Allosaur manages to catch and kill the matriarch of the clan, and only one of the hatchlings survived. Winter finally arrives, and the forest descends into the eternal darkness that envelops the months that will go by. The Leaellynasaura clan are able to stay active, using their beaks and eyes to forage for food. During this time, the clan and other fauna use various methods of dealing with the cold such as suspended animation, hibernation or using group body temperature to maintain heat. Finally, spring returns, and two Leaellynasaura males challenge one another for the right to mate, and after a short confrontation, the clan establishes a dominant pair once again.
Episode 6: "Death of a Dynasty"
65,5 million years ago - Late Cretaceous - Montana
This episode starts months before the extinction of the dinosaurs. The last dinosaurs are depicted living under stress due to excessive volcanism. The episode focuses on a female 14 metre long Tyrannosaurus who abandons her nest, the eggs rendered infertile due to volcanic poisoning. Her calls for a mate are answered by a smaller male who has killed a young Triceratops and is eating it. Later, after repeated copulation, she eventually drives him off. The mother fasts for an extended period as she tends to her nest, dealing with raids by dromaeosaurs and marsupial Didelphodons. Only three eggs hatch and the mother brings down an hadrosaurid Anatotitan to feed herself and her brood. While defending her two surviving offspring several days later, the mother tyrannosaur is fatally injured by an Ankylosaurus. The chicks remain next to the carcass of their mother until they, and the rest of the non-avian dinosaurs, are killed when an asteroid slams into the Earth, a catastrophe that triggers the K-T extinction. A short final sequence shows the present-day Earth, dominated by large mammals, but still populated with numerous dinosaurs known as birds.
- Anatotitan
- Ankylosaurus
- Deinosuchus
- Didelphodon
- Dinilysia
- Dromaeosaurus
- Quetzalcoatlus
- Torosaurus
- Tyrannosaurus
- Triceratops (carcass)
- Hypsilophodont
Companion book
A companion book was written by Tim Haines to accompany the first screening of the series in 1999. The settings of some of the six episodes were changed between the time the book was written and the screening of the television series, and some of their names were changed: 'New Blood' is set at Ghost Ranch; 'Cruel Sea' is set at or near Solnhofen in Germany near what then were the Vindelicisch Islands. The book elaborated on the background for each story, went further in explaining the science on which much of the program is based, and included descriptions of several animals not identified or featured in the series.
Reception
In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted on by industry professionals, Walking with Dinosaurs was placed 72nd. The series won three Emmy Awards: Outstanding Animated Program, Outstanding Special Visual Effects and Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Programming - Sound Editing. CommonSense Media greatly praised the program, giving it 5 stars out of 5 and saying that, "Somebody had a great idea, which was to make a documentary series about dinosaurs, but with a twist. The aging Ornithocheirus on a desperate final flight to his mating grounds, the sauropod hatchlings struggling for survival in the late Jurassic, the migrating herds and the undersea life of 150 million years ago would all seem as real as a nature program about polar bears or snow monkeys."[1]
Censorship
In the initial U.S. broadcasts of the series, a few scenes were omitted from some of the episodes. The most notable deletions were a shot of the cynodont pair devouring their offspring in "New Blood" and a scene where a dead-in-shell Tyrannosaurus embryo is preyed upon by a pair of Didelphodon in "Death of a Dynasty". The DVD and VHS release contains the original UK broadcast, so the omitted scenes were restored, yet in the DVD release, most of the original dialogue for "Time of the Titans" is missing.
BBC Walking with Dinosaurs Exhibition
The first exhibition to be based on the series was opened by HRH Queen Elizabeth II in 2000 at the Yorkshire Museum, York, UK.
'Walking with Dinosaurs - The Exhibition' was developed by museum curator Paul Howard and Dr. Phil Manning. The exhibition featured replicas of many of the dinosaurs that appeared in the TV series, the scanning models (maquettes) used to create the animated stars of the show, the animatronic and puppet heads made for close-up shots, high-resolution large format printed graphics, extracts from the series and various interactives.
Targeted at family audiences, the travelling exhibition took a more in-depth look at the science that informed the series and the technology that was used to create it.
Exhibitions based on sequels
The BBC Walking with Beasts Exhibition (2003) followed a similar format to the BBC Walking with Dinosaurs Exhibition and featured the full-size woolly mammoth from the series, along with replicas of Gastornis, Phorusrhacos, Leptictidium, Moeritherium, Smilodon, Woolly Rhinoceros, Cro-Magnon man and Neanderthal.
BBC Sea Monsters: A Walking with Dinosaurs Exhibition opened at the Hancock Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne, England in 2004. Developed by exhibitions company Tour-Ex under licence from BBC Worldwide, it featured replicas of the Cameroceras, Nothosaurus, Archelon, Basilosaurus, Coelacanth, Giant Squid and Megalodon. Presenter Nigel Marven was digitally removed from extracts and stills in order to maintain scientific integrity and the established 'Walking with ...' exhibition format.
BBC The Ballad of Big Al: A Walking with Dinosaurs Exhibition (2005) was based on the special programme of the same name and followed its narrative.
BBC Walking with Prehistoric Life Exhibition (2008) combines the BBC Walking with Dinosaurs, Walking with Beasts, Sea Monsters and Ballad of Big Al exhibitions with additional content and exhibits from sequel series Walking with Monsters, Walking with Cavemen and special Land of Giants and Giant Claw.
Walking with Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular
Walking with Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular, is a live adaptation of the series that originated in Australia in January 2007 (as Walking with Dinosaurs - The Live Experience), and toured North America in 2007-2010; it currently travels through Europe until 2010 and is scheduled through to 2011 returning to North America. An Asian tour is also on the road, starting with Singapore shows on December 1-4, 2010 in the Singapore Indoor Stadium.[2] The show has played to over 6.5 million people and has made over $350 million at the box office.
Artistic director William May developed the creative vision of the show based on an original idea by entrepreneur Bruce Mactaggart to create an arena version of the Walking with Dinosaurs television series. The show features animatronic and costumed dinosaurs and are narrated by an on set paleontologist (actor) named Huxley.
The show is directed by Scott Faris, a Broadway veteran. The creatures are designed and built by Sonny Tilders; the set and projected image design are by Peter England; the show's lighting is by John Rayment, the score is composed by James Seymour Brett; Warner Brown wrote the script. Tim Haines, producer of the original BBC series serves as project consultant.
The show featured in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2010.
Dinosaurs
Up to 20 costumed and animatronic dinosaurs varying from the size of a small cat and up to 72' (22m). Weighing up to 1.6 tons and driven on six roller blade wheels, the larger being operated by three people; a driver and two "voodoo puppeteers" controlling body movement and minor or detailed movement.
The dinosaurs featured are:
- Allosaurus
- Ankylosaurus
- Brachiosaurus
- Iguanodon (carcass)
- Liliensternus (not included in documentary)
- Ornithocheirus
- Plateosaurus
- Stegosaurus
- Torosaurus
- Tyrannosaurus
- Utahraptor
Remake
BBC Earth is currently working on a remake of the original TV series and turning it into a motion picture. It will be released in 2012.
Subsequent work and production
Tim Haines and Paul Chambers wrote a Walking With... encyclopedia known as The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life, featuring most animals from the series, including those in the specials.
A child-oriented re-version was released in America as Prehistoric Planet for the Discovery Kids Saturday morning line-up on NBC, with new narration read by Ben Stiller and Christian Slater. Some violent and sexual scenes were cut.
Tim Haines followed with the Walking with... series. In 2001 the sequel Walking with Beasts, set in the Cenozoic era. This series featured extinct mammals and birds such as Indricotherium and Gastornis. In 2005 the prequel Walking with Monsters, set primarily in the Paleozoic era, was produced.
In 2008, BBC released a re-worked version of Walking with Dinosaurs series. The original six 30-minute episodes were reworked into three hour-long episodes, done in the style of When Dinosaurs Roamed America and Dinosaur Planet, which includes commentaries by various paleontology experts. It includes scene footage from When Dinosaurs Roamed America and Dinosaur Planet. The script changed little from the original, though some scenes and plot lines, such as the evolution of the birds, were deleted, while others were altered (Leallynasaura is no longer considered nocturnal, for example).
Chased By Dinosaurs, two episodes featuring real-world zoologist Nigel Marven, stars Argentinosaurus and Therizinosaurus. In the first episode, Marven tracks the biggest prey and the biggest predator. In the second episode, he takes a look at the longest dinosaur claws. The Ballad Of Big Al follows the life of an Allosaurus (inspired by evidence found on a single Allosaurus skeleton). Marven returns in Sea Monsters Trilogy, trying to survive the seven most dangerous seas of all time. Listed in order from tamest to most dangerous, they are the Ordovician with Cameroceras, the Triassic with Cymbospondylus, the Devonian with Dunkleosteus, the Eocene with Basilosaurus, the Pliocene with Megalodon, the Jurassic with Liopleurodon and, finally, the Cretaceous with Tylosaurus. Nigel also stars in the latest special: Prehistoric Park, six episodes in which he tries to collect Tyrannosaurus, the Woolly Mammoth, Microraptor, Smilodon, Arthropleura, and Deinosuchus, among other creatures, for a prehistoric zoo known as Prehistoric Park.
A 3D movie which is a remake the original TV series is being produced by the BBC. Announced in November 2010, the £40 million venture is to have most of the original dinosaurs from the TV series changed to be more accurate, based on the latest palaeontological research. For instance, Utahraptor will be depicted with feathers and living in North America, while Ornitholestes will lack a nasal crest and Plateosaurus will be shown strictly bipedal etc.
Dinosaur World is a free and downloadable game based on Walking with Dinosaurs (mostly "Time of the Titans"). It is available for free download at the BBC website.
Paleontological inaccuracies
See more info in Walking with...#Paleontological inaccuracies
Despite the show being remarkably well-researched, it has featured a few inaccuracies.
- Research indicates that juvenile sauropods may have been able to run bipedally on occasion, which is not depicted in the series.[3]
- Cryptoclidus' chest structure may indicate that it was strictly aquatic.
- It is now known that Coelophysis did not eat their young, and there is also no evidence for cynodonts or Ophthalmosaurus doing the same. But these can't be proven as being mistakes because many types of meat-eating animals alive today eat the young of their own species: that's how a predator operates.[4]
- In the first episode of Walking with Dinosaurs, Postosuchus urinates copiously. Michael J. Benton, a consultant to the making of the series (and Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at Bristol University), notes that a group of critics gleefully pointed out that birds and crocodiles, the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs, do not urinate; they shed waste chemicals as more solid uric acid. However, Benton notes that nobody can prove this was a real mistake: copious urination is the primitive state for tetrapods (seen in fishes, amphibians, turtles, and mammals), and perhaps basal archosaurs did the same. He believes many other claims of "errors" identified in the first weeks fizzled out, as the critics had found points about which they disagreed, but they could not prove that their views were correct.[5]
- Throughout the series, Dromaeosaurus, Utahraptor and juvenile Tyrannosaurus were shown as being scaled and featherless, whereas the majority of scientists now agree that these dinosaurs had feathers, based on fossil evidence. It is also very possible that the former two were actually flightless birds.[6] Also, the discovery of Tianyulong suggests that all small dinosaurs had some sort of feather-like coat. But at the time, the idea of feathered dinosaurs was proposed but not accepted.
- Throughout the series, theropod's hands are depicted with the palms able to rotate, but this would have been anatomically impossible for the real animals, as their forearm bones (ulna and radius) could not rotate in this way. Their palms should have been relatively fixed facing each other, like a person about to applaud.[7]
- Ornitholestes was depicted as having a small nasal crest. However, later study has shown that the supposed crest was an artifact of preservation.[8]
- Ornithocheirus was depicted as far larger than it actually was. In the book based on the series, it was claimed that several large bone fragments from the Santana Formation of Brazil possibly indicate that Ornithocheirus may have had a wingspan reaching almost 12 metres and a weight of a hundred kilogrammes, making it one of the largest known pterosaurs.[9] However, these specimens have not been formally described. The largest definite Ornithocheirus specimens known measure 6 metres in wingspan. The specimens which the producers of the program used to justify such a large size estimate are currently undescribed, and are being studied by Dave Martill and David Unwin. Unwin stated that he does not believe this highest estimate is likely, and that the producers likely chose the highest possible estimate because it was more "spectacular."[10] But they probably really meant that it was the largest pterosaur that lived in the Early Cretaceous.
- At the end of the first episode, the European Plateosaurus was shown living in Arizona. Fossils of Plateosaurus are widespread in Europe but have never been found west of Greenland.[11] Additionally, the animals were shown as partially quadrupedal, as traditionally imagined by paleontologists. However, later studies showed that it would have been anatomically impossible for Plateosaurus to walk using its forelimbs, and that it was strictly bipedal.[12]
- Allosaurus was not the biggest Jurassic carnivore; that record belongs to the giant pliosaurs, notably Predator X. The largest known carnivorous dinosaur of the time was either Torvosaurus , Epanterias or Saurophaganax (although the latter two have been argued to be big specimens of Allosaurus; and the Allosaurus featured in the show fits in the size range of Epanterias).
- In the second episode of the original British version of the show, the narrator refers to "a great family of dinosaurs called the sauropods". However, sauropoda is actually classified as an infraorder, not family, of dinosaurs.
- It is now thought that sauropods reached maturity in forty to seventy years, as opposed to the decade or so depicted in the series.[13]
- Liopleurodon was overestimated to be 25 metres (82 ft) long and 150 tons in weight. These lengths were based on what was at first believed to be tooth marks from a juvenile Liopleurodon.[citation needed] Known specimens actually range from 5–7 metres (16–23 ft) long.[14] Richard Ellis (2003) noted the existence of fragments hinting at individuals about 50 feet (15 m) long, but described the 150-ton mass estimate from Walking With Dinosaurs as "irresponsible and sensationalistic."[15] But this was explained as the male being "big even for his own kind."
- All dinosaurs in the series had their fleshy nostrils located quite high in the bony nostril, whilst in reality, they would've been located rostrally (as far forward as possible in the bony nostril), and in sauropods their location should be rostroventral (far in front of the bony nostrils). This was not known during the production of the series, but is later shown to be evident both in the CT-scanned fossils and relatively obvious for important physiological reasons.[16]
- Utahraptor was shown living in Europe. Utahraptor fossils are actually known only from southwestern North America, in what is now Utah. There is no evidence that it ever existed elsewhere.
- Rhamphorhynchus probably swallowed its prey as it caught it, as opposed to bringing its catch to the cliffs to eat.[17]
- The theory that sauropods held their necks straight in front of their bodies at all times has been called into question. It is likely that they would normally have raised the necks up when active and alert.[18]
Notes
- ^ "Walking with Dinosaurs review". Commonsensemedia.com. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "Walking With Dinosaurs Singapore". dinosaurlive.com.sg. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
- ^ "Sauropod footprints discovered in Colorado". sciencedaily.com. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages
- ^ "birds and crocodiles, the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs, do not urinate". Benton, M. J. 2001. "The science of 'Walking with Dinosaurs'". Teaching Earth Sciences, 24, 371-400.
- ^ "Bird-from-Dinosaur Theory of Evolution Challenged: Was It the Other Way Around?". sciencedaily.com. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- ^ Paul, Gregory S. (2002). Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 472pp. ISBN 978-0801867637.
- ^ Carpenter, Kenneth; Miles, Clifford; Ostrom, John H.; Cloward, Karen (2005a). "Redescription of the Small Maniraptoran Theropods Ornitholestes and Coelurus". In Carpenter, Kenneth. The Carnivorous Dinosaurs. Life of the Past. Indiana University Press. pp. 49–71. ISBN 0253345391.
- ^ Haines, T., 1999, "Walking with Dinosaurs": A Natural History, BBC Books, p. 158
- ^ Bredow, H.P. (2000). "Re: WWD non-dino questions." Message to the Dinosaur Mailing List, 18 Apr 2000. Accessed online 20 Jan 2011: http://dml.cmnh.org/2000Apr/msg00446.html
- ^ Jenkins, F.A. Jr., Shubin, N.H., Amaral, W.W., Gatesy, S.M., Schaff, C.R. Clemmensen, L.B., Downs, W.R., Davidson, A.R., Bonde, N. and Osbaeck, F. (1994). "Late Triassic continental vertebrates and depositional environments of the Fleming Fjord Formation, Jameson Land, East Greenland". Meddelelser om Grønland, Geoscience 32:1–25
- ^ Mallison, H. (2010). "The digital Plateosaurus I: body mass, mass distribution and posture assessed using CAD and CAE on a digitally mounted complete skeleton". Palaeontologia Electronica 13.2.8A [1]
- ^ "Modeling growth rates for sauropod dinosaurs". bioone.org. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ^ Forrest, Richard (20 November 2007). "Liopleurodon". The Plesiosaur Site. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
- ^ Ellis, Richard (2003). "The Pliosaurs". Sea Dragons: Predators of the Prehistoric Oceans. University Press of Kansas. pp. 165–193. ISBN 0700612696.
- ^ [2] Witmer, L. M. 2001. Nostril position in dinosaurs and other vertebrates and its significance for nasal function. Science 293:850–853.
- ^ Dixon, Dougal (2009). "In The Sky". The Ultimate Guide to Dinosaurs. Ticktock Media Ltd. pp. 92–123. ISBN 978 1 84696 988 1.
- ^ "Head and neck posture in sauropod dinosaurs inferred from extant animals" (PDF). app.pan.pl. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
See also
Walking with Dinosaurs is part of a series of BBC documentaries that also include:
- Walking with Beasts (2001)
- Walking with Monsters (2005)
The following are Walking With ... series specials:
- The Ballad of Big Al (2000)
- Chased by Dinosaurs (2002)
- Walking With Cavemen (2003)
- Sea Monsters (2003)
- Prehistoric Park (2006)
The following are similar programs, produced by the BBC:
- Prehistoric America (2003)
- Monsters We Met (2004)
- The Truth About Killer Dinosaurs (2005)
Other programs by the creators
- Primeval, the ITV sci-fi drama about prehistoric and future creatures coming into the present through portals.
External links
- BBC Science & Nature - Prehistoric Life
- Walking with Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular Official Website