| “ | This is gonna be a cracking adventure! | ” |
– Nigel Marven | ||
| The Giant Claw | ||||||||||||
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| Previous episode The Beasts Within |
Following episode Land of Giants | |||||||||||
Summary[]
- Purpose: To find out what the largest claws ever were used for
- Conditions: Desert, and dense forest growing on the sand dunes
Full synopsis[]
Nigel searches the early Mongolia deserts and forests for Therizinosaurus, who has massive arms and very long razor-sharp claws.
The episode starts off with Nigel in his tent where he shows a giant claw that scientists originally thought to be the rib of a giant turtle but was actually the claw of Therizinosaurus. He is interrupted when a Saurolophus tramples his tent and he films them chewing vegetation being the first dinosaurs to be able to chew their food, filming one of the hadrosaurs from under the bush the mare is eating. The Saurolophus sneezes on the lens of his camera, and Nigel sets off on his journey, stating it is going to be a cracking adventure.
Nigel comes across a nesting ground of Protoceratops that he explains that are nicknamed 'the sheep of the Cretaceous' and their strong beaks can break arms or legs if they are crossed, and he devises a plan to cross the colony via a calculated risk and a red flag, as dinosaurs can see well in color as well as birds and crocs, and he states that the protos will be deflected from him and follow the flag. He bravely crosses by using the flag to draw their attention while one of the protos snaps at his cameraman. They travel into a forest where they watch a pack of six to seven Velociraptors on the prowl for prey. The raptors are not interested in Nigel or his crew, as they want bigger prey, as Nigel carefully follows them, explaining that the pack hunting behavior of the raptors resembles that of the African wild dogs, as both are social and are highly skilled. When Nigel gets closer, the raptors have cornered a wandering Protoceratops stag, who tries to stand his ground against the raptors despite being badly wounded. However, the raptors utilize the lethal claws on their toes to bring the stag down after one of the raptors is bitten on the elbow and left with a terrible arm injury, and the raptors begin their feast. Nigel creeps closer while watching the raptors feast, stating he has done this with tigers around a kill and that predators are at risk when tackling larger prey, noticing the injured raptor thoroughly checking on the nasty injury on his left elbow, and decides it is too dangerous to linger as the raptors might turn their attention to him and maul him, and he leaves the kill sight as the raptors continue feasting.
In a different forest, Nigel sets camp and finds a scorpion that he keeps. At night, a group of Mononykus approach the camp site and Nigel tries to catch one. After he catches one, he discovers that they have feathers but he foolishly puts his right index finger in its mouth causing it to bleed before letting the monon free, and wraps a linen bandage around his finger. The next morning, Nigel finds that the monons have eaten his scorpion and tries to shoo them away, annoyed with the distractions as he packs his tent into his backpack to resume the quest. In the scrublands, Nigel comes across a Therizinosaurus nest which had been recently broken into, with a decapitated skeleton of a baby therizino showing the large claws, and notices some Therizinosaurus stool, which he states is herbivore stool rather than carnivore stool when he grabs a piece of the stool and pulls it in half, as it smells like an herbivore and shows some bits of cycad and leaves, though he questions whether or not the therizino must be a predator, further leaving him befuddled, and he puts the piece of the stool back in place and carries on with his quest. Along the way, as large pterosaurs fly about in the skies, a trio of Mononykus canter past Nigel, and he notices something troublesome ahead; a Tarbosaurus. He scurries towards a bundle of bushes to hide and takes a good look at the tarbo, stating that on any safari one wants to see the top predator. The tarbo strides towards the crew, and Nigel inadverdently states the wind is blowing towards them. Then, Nigel realizes the tarbo is heading towards the crew, and he requests the cameraman to turn the camera off so they can avoid being mauled. The tarbo stops to take a look around for a brief moment and walks away. Nigel steps out of the bushes and states that the tarbo, while scary, is also a thrill, is the largest carnivore in the region, standing tall and vertically, stating that their tiny arms help balance their massive heads, with those huge skulls and massive teeth for making devastating bites into prey items and tearing out chunks of meat, finishing that he is never going to forget that view, as the tarbo leaves the scrubland.
Then Nigel waits out at a freshwater lake with some Saurolophus and Mononykus as a perfect place for herbivores to come for a drink, and for theropods to hunt prey. There, not too far away, he finds a full skeleton of a full grown Therizinosaurus, putting together bones that make up the arm, and comparing himself with the therizino arm when he states it dwarfs him. He states that the more he gets close to solving the mystery of the therzino, the more he gets confused, and takes three therizino teeth from his vest pocket, which he describes are not like that of a carnivore, but are rather leaf shaped and serrated, meaning these teeth are designed to hack into vegetation, further stating that earlier when he found the nest there was the herbivorous stool, concluding he does not know what is going on with this amazing beast, unaware of predatory screeches behind a tree. A pack of Velociraptors notice him, and Nigel states the raptors are paying attention to them, and they chase him and his cameraman into the forest. They climb onto tall tree stumps out of their reach and use a bicycle horn to scare the raptors off, as they detest loud noises. After hearing commotion from the Saurolophus, Nigel returns to the watering hole where the duckbills are leaving due to a predatory presence, and the Tarbosaurus has arrived for a drink but is interrupted by the roar of a Therizinosaurus, who has arrived onto the the shore of the lake, with the therizino's arrival seen as a challenge to the tarbo. Nigel states that normally big predators avoid each other, but there is going to be a violent clash, and decides they must get under cover. A battle soon erupts. The therizino pushes the tarbo back and scratches him on the face with one swipe of its formidable claws as Nigel hops out of the way in the process. With only minor wounds, the tarbo turns away in defeat and leaves the lake, giving Nigel a chance to sneak out and observe the therizino. Nigel then notices a whole herd of Therizinosaurus appearing from the forest and browsing on the trees, and he finally clarifies that due to the teeth being that of a herbivore from the skeleton and the stool crammed with plant material at the nest site, the therizino is a plant-eater that uses its sickle-claws to hook tree and bush branches towards its mouth, their pot bellies being fermentation chambers for the tons of plants they can eat. Nigel decides to get closer, but as large plant-eating dinosaurs like the therizino are not safe, stating that due to his scent - he smells like a mammal - he will not be mauled by the therizinos, as the only mammals in the mesozoic era are small rat like mammals, so they will not be threatened by him. Nigel ultimately concludes that it was gentle herbivore by touching one of the therizinos on the left knee. The therizino looks down, leans in, licks his camera, and knocks him over before striding off.
Creatures []
75 Million Years Ago (Gobi Desert, Mongolia) []
- Saurolophus
- Protoceratops
- Cycads
- Ferns
- Conifers
- Velociraptor
- Scorpion (live acted)
- Azhdarcho (not identified, revealed on website)
- Mononykus
- Tarbosaurus
- Therizinosaurus
Trivia[]
- Nigel's crew mainly his cameraman are more featured in this episode when crossing the Protoceratops nesting ground, hiding from the Tarbosaurus, and being chased by Velociraptors.
Gallery[]
Broadcast[]
Original airdate[]
- 30 December 2002 20.30 BBC One
Repeat[]
- 13 August 2003 19.00 BBC One