Walking with Dinosaurs

...with some lingering clouds around Kodiak Island.

Look for a chance of overnight showers

along the mountainous areas of South Eastern Alaska.

And now back to music on KBWZ, Alaska listens.

Brad?

Wait, you cut out. What?

No, dude, my parents went to Europe

and they sent us to Alaska to hang out with my uncle.

It's fine.

Yeah, my uncle is a paleontologist.

He collects dinosaur bones. I guess he's taking us to work with him.

Brad?

Brad? Brad, are you there?

Great, no signal.

Where are we going anyway?

I'll give you a clue.

I got it in here somewhere.

Ah, there we go!

Check it out.

What is it?

That, my friend, is the tooth of a Gorgosaurus.

Cool! Isn't it?

You know, it was almost as big as a T-Rex, but way faster.

They roamed the Earth millions of years ago and they got wiped out.

Their only living descendants are birds and blah, blah, blah.

Oh, come on, man. You used to love dinosaurs, you were an expert.

This guy must have been really scary.

How do you think he lost his tooth?

The Gorgo? Yeah.

I wonder if he was in, like, a huge fight with a load of other dinosaurs.

My friend, Natalie, she ran into a flagpole at school and lost two teeth.

There was blood everywhere.

Yeah, a flagpole will do that.

Let's go!

You sure you don't want to come?

I'm not really into digging up dead things.

All right. Well, stay close to the truck.

If you change your mind just follow the trail up.

Got it.

Okay, bud.

Psst!

Psst! Psst!

Hey, kid.

Yeah, you. I'm talking to you.

What's wrong? You never heard a bird talk before?

You think you're pretty smart, don't you?

It's all right. I'm not offended about

those things you said about my ancestors.

Totally cool with it. You should see your ancestors.

Three words: u-g-ly.

But you know that every fossil tells a story...

...and this tooth tells a pretty good one.

So go ahead and pick it up. Come on, come on, pick it up.

Pick it up, pick it up!

Come on, it won't bite you. Not anymore, at least.

It will, however, open a window into the ancient past.

A vibrant world of wonder and danger,

when dinosaurs roamed the earth...

...and birds looked a little more like this.

There, you see? Now we can begin.

And try to keep up, will you?!

70 million years ago, in the late Cretaceous period of planet Earth...

...there lived a miraculous...

...bird. That's me, Alex!

Alexornis, meaning Alexander's Bird, insectivore.

beautiful plumage...

...majestic wingspan, the classically curved beak.

Not to brag, but I am kind of the whole package.

Of course, if you're familiar with the Cretaceous Period,

you probably know all of this.

Hmm.

Now watch closely.

This is a delicate operation, best left to the professionals.

Ah, the enticing smell of decay.

Look at this tartar build-up. Mmm!

Hey, watch it!

I'm telling you, it's hard out here for a bird!

But enough about me.

The story you're about to see concerns a friend of mine.

I gotta say, it's a pretty good one,

filled with mystery and adventure...

...hope and despair.

Excuse me while I take a personal moment. Gotcha!

By the way, this isn't the guy I was talking about. It's his mother.

She is a Pachyrhinosaurus.

Pachyrhinosaurus, meaning thick-nosed lizard, herbivore.

But pay attention, because the adventures of her son, Patchi...

...are the stuff of legend.

Which has nothing to do with that stuff right there.

Let me at it. Hey, that's not fair!

There he is! That's Patchi.

Mm-mm, barf.

The runt of the litter, the guy

at the bottom of the pecking order.

Hey, Patchi! Can't talk now, Alex!

Trying to work on my survival instincts!

Excuse me, Alpha male coming through.

Pardon, I'm just gonna have a bite.

Back off, Patchi.

What about my fair share?

Your fair share was delicious.

That's my big brother, Scowler. He's usually really cool.

He just gets weird around puke. Mm, there's some of it now.

Sometimes you gotta think outside the nest.

So now I just gotta get out of the nest.

Troodon, meaning wounding tooth, omnivore.

Alex might say I'm a runt, but you gotta start somewhere.

From zero to hero, baby.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. I'm the one telling the story!

I have more credibility here. It's my story, Alex.

Yeah, but I have a more neutral perspective.

Wait a minute. Are you really gonna eat that?

You know it. Mom's cooking, and still warm!

Uh-oh! Run away! Where you going?

All right, more for me.

Seriously, there's a big monster behind you!

Sure, there's a big monster behind you too!

So much for your survival instincts!

Help!

Okay, so I quickly learned that

not everybody eats puked-up leaves.

There are things out here called meat-eaters.

Exactly, and you, my friend, are made up almost entirely of meat.

Hey, put me down! I am not a chew toy!

Good thing my dad showed up.

That's Bulldust, Patchi's 6,000-pound papa.

Nobody messes with him.

Hey, Dad, little help?

Oh! Whoa! Whoa!

Thank you!

Medic!

Classic Dad. He was a man of few words.

Actually, he was a man of one word.

That one.

Huh? What is that?

That, my friend, is a hole in your head.

But don't worry, one day that hole will be filled with greatness.

Right! Plus you can hardly see it.

Especially if you don't look at it. Besides...

...mistakes are natural at a young age.

Look at that!

Leaving the nest was totally worth it!

Hey, what's going on up there?

What is this?

That is the price of leaving the nest.

Oh, who are you? You're pretty cool.

Come over here! Where you going?

Hey, don't be afraid.

I'm not gonna eat you or anything.

He will.

Hey, there. Name's Patchi. Wanna be friends?

Wait, wait! Wait up!

I don't always smell like this!

I'm just covered in poop at the moment!

Aw, come on! Are we playing tag? Is that what this is?

Okay, I guess I'm it then, right?

Whoa.

Ankylosaur, meaning fused lizard, herbivore.

This thing is huge!

Which means I should probably steer clear of his butt.

Good for you, Patchi. You're learning.

Wow! This is the most beautiful place I've ever seen.

It's a future oil field, so don't get too attached.

Hey! Pick on someone your own size!

Uh, you know, I mean, if that's a convenient option for you.

Oop, there he goes. You lost him.

Hesperonychus, meaning western claw, carnivore.

No, I didn't mean me!

Oh, you misunderstood! I meant my brother!

Yeah, he's bigger, he's meatier.

He's a lot slower! Oh, he's so tender... Oh!

Hey, Ma. Oh, I had it, but thanks for showing up.

And so, with a little help from Mom...

...Patchi returned from his first adventure a little bit wiser...

...and a whole lot smellier.

Hey, guys, you are not gonna believe what just happened to me.

Oh, my gosh! Did you just take a poop shower?!

No.

Maybe.

Define poop shower.

They were all jealous, Patchi, 'cause you'd been out in the world.

You were on your way to becoming a grownup.

Right, Dad, got it! Knock down the tree

and feast on the leafy greens up top! Mmm-mmm.

Yeah, I also got it, Dad. I'm just gonna square up here and...

...knock down the tree!

I'll square up and knock down the tree.

Oh, I'm gonna just gonna grab... He's stronger than he looks.

Gonna feast on that leafy...

Okay. Uh, Dad?

Are we really from the same litter?

Okay, what's so special about dust? I don't get it.

You roll around on your back and you make some grunting noises.

I mean, how is that a hobby? What?

Oh, man! You haven't lived until

you've taken a dirt bath. It's the best.

Here, let me get in there, fellas.

Yeah, oh, boy!

It's so fun. You gotta try...

Hey, hey, hey! Watch the plumage!