The Dinosaurs

Earth,

sixty-six million years ago.

During the great reign of the dinosaurs.

Majestic creatures.

Giants and monsters

that can often seem more imagined than real.

Including…

…this Pachycephalosaurus.

He's an old alpha male,

eager to get back to his harem of females.

But something's caught their attention.

A rival male.

If the alpha doesn't get there, he may lose them to the intruder.

There's just one problem.

There's a herd of giants in his way.

But holding on to his family

is all that matters.

He'll risk his life to reach them.

He may have survived the crossing,

but the battle has just begun.

The trespasser is younger, stronger, and more aggressive.

And he won't surrender these females…

…without a fight.

Their four-inch-thick skulls are designed for a brutal style of combat.

Neither side is backing down.

This time,

the alpha is hurt.

Dazed and fading fast, his hold on his family is slipping away.

Sensing his weakness,

the intruder prepares for a finishing blow.

But in the world of Tyrannosaurus rex…

…the only battle that counts is for survival.

This is the age of the dinosaurs.

This is the story of the dinosaurs

as it has never been told before.

It takes place in a world lost to time.

Long before the infamous asteroid.

Millions and millions of years in the past.

On a planet that looks nothing like it does today.

Where extraordinary beasts clash…

…and struggle to survive.

And where Earth's violent forces…

…determine their fates.

The story begins 235 million years ago…

in an era known as the Triassic…

where a twist of evolution will change the course of history.

The supercontinent of Pangaea.

A single immense landmass that stretches from pole to pole.

Its vast desert interior

is more like the surface of Mars…

than planet Earth.

Temperatures here are brutally hot.

In some places, it hasn't rained in thousands of years.

But there is something far worse than the heat.

Sandstorms.

Few creatures can survive in a world this extreme.

But not all of Pangaea is a desert wasteland.

Along its fringes,

the warm, lush coastlines are the perfect place

for life to thrive.

This is a time long before the age of the dinosaurs.

It is the age of the ancient reptiles.

Like Tanystropheus…

a six-meter-long nightmare that stalks the shallow sea.

And Rhynchosaurs,

one of the most successful reptiles in all of Pangaea.

To each other…

…they're brutes and bullies.

But to this reptile,

they're just the terrified locals.

Luperosuchus,

the four-meter-long apex predator of his time.

But he's not here for the Rhynchosaurs.

He's sniffed out an easier target.

A clutch of eggs.

Very special eggs.

Because growing inside them are the very first of their kind.

A baby Marasuchus.

She weighs no more than a mouse.

But she makes up for it,

because she has a set of skills

that sets her apart from the ancient reptiles.

Including the remarkable ability

to stand on two legs, not just four.

She also has advanced lungs and lighter bones.

Adaptations that give these little hatchlings

an invaluable gift.

They are born to run.

And in this day and age, they need to.

Their only hope is to find a place to hide.

Easier said than done when you've hatched into hell.

All her siblings are gone.

The survival of her bloodline is now hanging by a thread.

But thanks to her,

it's still intact.

Which is vital

because her descendants

are the dinosaurs.

One year later, Marasuchus is now fully grown.

But when you're the size of a pigeon in a land of monsters,

you're still just prey.

Now, Marasuchus must make it through another night.

It's critical,

because if this dinosaur-in-the-making doesn't survive,

her family tree could be cut down before it even takes root.

She's picked up a scent.

Something worthy of her bloodline.

A Rhynchosaur carcass.

But it's already been claimed…

…by her old nemesis,

Luperosuchus.

This is his kill.

And he does not intend to share.

But as night approaches…

temperatures start to drop.

The colder it gets, the drowsier the giant reptile becomes.

Meanwhile, the warmer-blooded Marasuchus has a feathery fuzz that keeps her cozy.

The perfect attire for a daring heist.

If she plays it right…

she may just get her moonlit dinner for one.

A feast

fit for a dinosaur.

Marasuchus has great potential.

She's adaptable, with traits that make her special.

But if the dinosaurs are to challenge the ancient reptiles,

it will take more than skills.

It will take a powerful ally.

The Earth itself.

A million years later…

in the far north of Pangaea,

the darkest forces of nature are awakening.

A series of volcanic eruptions

is creating a catastrophe.

One that will alter the fate of the dinosaurs.

But the danger is not the lava.

It's a gas.

Carbon dioxide.