| Land of Giants (Chased by Dinosaurs) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||
| Previous episode The Giant Claw |
Following episode First Ancestors | |||||||||||
Summary[]
- Purpose: To view the greatest hunt in history, a pack of Giganotosaurus hunting a herd of Argentinosaurus
- Conditions: Volcanic ash fields and conifer forest
Full synopsis[]
Nigel travels back in time with his film crew. He travels to a nearby lake, where Argentinosaurus nest every year. There Nigel sees a juvenile Argentinosaurus, where he is attacked by a Sarcosuchus. Nigel then coaxes it out of the lake by splashing a stick in the water. The Sarcosuchus lays on the shore. Nigel attaches a video camera to his head and walks towards it, and demonstrates it's biting power by pushing a stick into it's mouth and having the Sarcosuchus bite down on it.
Later Nigel climbs up the volcanic slopes to get a panoramic view of the area to see Argentinosaurus herd. Instead he finds a herd of Macrogryphosaurus. His search leads him all the way to the coast, where he views a colony of Pteranodon on the cliffs hunting fish. Nigel doesn't return to the campsite until night, where he finds that a large predator has attacked his tent, and left all the provisions littered across the surrounding ground. He finds a single theropod dinosaur tooth jammed in a can of meat.
The next morning Nigel has set up an alarm system outside the camp so that if something breaks the laser tripwire, a loud alarm will sound, alerting Nigel. Later he tracks down the predator, where, around midday, Nigel hears a commotion further ahead. He finds a wounded iguanodont in a rocky gully. He walks further upstream to find a smaller dead individual with a Giganotosaurus eating it.
Later Nigel is shown flying over the ash-fields in an ultralight. Soon he finds another Pteranodon flock. After breaking away he sees an Ornithocheirus, one of the largest animal ever to fly. Soon Nigel discovers the Argentinosaurus herd far below, so he lands the ultra light nearby his jeep. He then drives off towards the herd and locates it without any trouble.
After appreciating their gargantuan size, Nigel drives into a natural 'funnel', caused by a break in some trees. He then sets up some weighing scales designed for lorries. After several fruitless attempts, an Argentinosaurus steps on the scales, showing that it weighs 92.3 tonnes, and Nigel explains that that's the same as 30 African elephants.
The next morning Nigel in chasing an iguanodont 20 miles away from the camp in the jeep, when he realizes that it is actually running because a Giganotosaurus is chasing them both. Nigel narrowly escapes the predator only to meet up with the herd later in the morning to find an entire pack of Giganotosaurus mobbing the herd.
By the afternoon the pack has singled out a juvenile, and are inflicting wounds, waiting for her to bleed to death. The hunt continues for the rest of the day and into the night, when filming is no longer possible and Nigel must leave.
The next morning, Nigel finds the herd at the nesting site beside the lake. While the females are laying their eggs Nigel comments on what a magical ending this is for his dinosaur safari. Suddenly a Sarcosuchus lunges at him out of the water. Nigel just escapes.
Creatures[]
100 Million Years Ago (Argentina)[]
- Macrogryphosaurus (Identified as Iguanodont)
- Giganotosaurus
- Argentinosaurus
- Sarcosuchus
- Pteranodon
- Ornithocheirus
Trivia[]
- On the Science Channel, Nigel rips the background to enter this episode after The Giant Claw.
- The episode shares some similarities with the final episode of Prehistoric Park Super Croc
- Nigel splashes the water with a stick to simulate an animal drinking to attract the Sarcosuchus onto land. In Prehistoric Park, he uses a paddle to attract a Deinosuchus.
- To search for the herd of Argentinosaurus, Nigel flies in an ultralight for an aerial view while flying with a flock of Pteranodon and an Ornithocheirus. In Prehistoric Park, he does the same to search for Deinosuchus and flies with a flock of Nyctosaurus.
- This episode is not to be confused with Land of Giants (Walking with Beasts), which features another creature of gigantic proportions, this time the long necked rhino, Indricotherium.
Gallery[]
Errors[]
Broadcast[]
Original airdate[]
- 1 January 2003 18.50 BBC One
Repeat[]
- 14 August 2003 19.00 BBC One