Episode 1: Dawn of a Dynasty

230 million years ago, a new group of animals arrived on the scene. Nothing, before or after, were like them. They are perhaps the most extraordinary creatures of all time. The dinosaurs. For 160 million years they dominated the Earth. From as far north as Alaska, To as far south as Antarctica. From the plains of Australia, to the forests of America. The dinosaurs were one of lifes great success stories. Now, take a journey back in time and experience their world. The world of these Mesozoic marvels.

Episode 1: Dawn of a Dynasty

As the sun rises on prehistoric South America, a new era dawns. It’s the Mid-Triassic, approximately 230 million years ago. The Earth is recovering from the greatest extinction that has and ever will occur. The Permian extinction decimated the Earth of 90 percent of her inhabitants. However, life found a way. Now, dozens of new species are emerging. The dominant life on land are the reptilian archosaurs. Some of these archosaurs are the first dinosaurs.

Eoraptor is one example. At only 3 feet long, it’s small compared to its later cousins. However, its still a major step forward for dinosaurs. Eoraptor is already outcompeting many of the other local predators its size. This is thanks to its stance, which is revolutionary for its time.

With its legs positioned directly below its body, Eoraptor is able to use its hands and run at incredible speed for a long distance.

This Eoraptor in particular is hungry. It begins to stalk through the underbrush for potential prey. As he moves through the forest, he comes across an early mammal. The mammal takes off, but the Eoraptor easily overtakes it. He snatches up the little animal in his jaws. The mammal dies quickly. Eoraptor has jaws filled with razor sharp teeth perfect for slicing flesh. He grasps the mammal in his hands and tears it apart with his jaws. Suddenly, a shadow looms over the Eoraptor. The dinosaur bolts away. Dinosaurs do not rule the Earth yet.

The shadow belonged to a large dicynodont. Dicynodonts were not dinosaurs. They were synapsids. Although many kinds of synapsids were dying out in the Triassic, dicynodonts remained common. A herd of them are making their way to a nearby watering hole. These particular ones are over 6 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds each. They are no threat to the Eoraptor as they are herbivores. He eventually returns to finish off his meal, then moves on. The dicynodonts are unaware of the approaching danger. From the bushes, a large predator stalks them. It’s Saurosuchus.

Saurosuchus is possibly the largest rauisuchia. Adults measure over 20 feet in length and weigh over 1,200 pounds. Saurosuchus was the biggest land predator the Earth had ever seen until the appearance of the really large theropod dinosaurs later in the Mesozoic.

The Saurosuchus inches his way closer. He can’t run fast for long, so he needs to get in as closely as possible before launching an attack. When he’s just a few feet away, he pounces. The dicynodonts scatter in all directions. The Saurosuchus focusses on a limping animal and attacks. The dicynodonts stands no chance as the Saurosuchus slashes its throat open with his saber like teeth. The Saurosuchus stands over his fresh kill. But this apex predator is not alone. He looks up to see the Eoraptor slowly approaching. He snarls at the little dinosaur. The Eoraptor leaps in and grabs a piece of flesh. The Saurosuchus hisses and chases after the fleeing dinosaur. The Eoraptor is able to outpace him, but the Saurosuchus won’t give up. The Eoraptor continues running, but stops dead in his tracks. He looks back at the charging Saurosuchus, then looks forward at the animal in front of him. Then, the Eoraptor runs to the left and out of the way of the two animals. The Saurosuchus stops and hisses at this new creature. It’s Saurosuchus’ only rival. At 15 feet from tip to tail and over 1,000 pounds in weight, Herrerasaurus is a deadly opponent.

Herrerasaurus was the largest predatory dinosaur of the Triassic. It used a combination of speed, claws, and teeth when taking out its prey. Adults may have been able to run as fast as 25 miles per hour. They also had 3 inch claws and 2 inch fangs.

The Herrerasaurus begins to circle the Saurosuchus. He uses his height advantage to assert his dominance. The Saurosuchus hisses at the dinosaur and the Herrerasaurus roars back. The dinosaur leaps forward and slashes the Saurosuchus on the back with his claws. The Saurosuchus’ armor takes the brunt of the blow. The Saurosuchus turns and snaps his jaws at the Herrerasaurus. The more agile dinosaur leaps out of the way and swipes the Saurosuchus across the face with his claws. The Saurosuchus leaps forward, but the dinosaur manages to outflank him. The Herrerasaurus slashes the Saurosuchus across the stomach. Then, the Herrerasaurus leaps onto the back of the Saurosuchus. He holds on with his claws and bites down repeatedly. The Saurosuchus bucks and tries to throw the dinosaur off, but can’t. Eventually, the Herrerasaurus jumps off and, as he does, slashes the thigh of the Saurosuchus. Bleeding heavily, the Saurosuchus knows he can’t last much longer. He hisses one more time before backing down. The Herrerasaurus roars in victory.

As the sun sets, the Herrerasaurus looks out over the plains of South America. His victory today was just one example of how the dinosaurs are outcompeting other reptiles. Herds of prosauropods begin to graze on the open plains instead of dicynodonts. Pretty soon, the dinosaurs will render many of the other terrestrial animals obsolete. In a few million years, the curtain will rise on the Jurassic and usher in a whole new breed of dinosaurs. Some are sinister. Some are strange. And some, are unlike anything else. With that, a new era begins and so begins a new dynasty.

Next Week on Mesozoic Marvels...

It's the coldest place on Earth. Antarctica is inhospitable to anything and everything. Even still, dinosaurs survived there. Some were peaceful herbivores. Others were deadly predators. Join us next week as we visit these frozen ferocities.