Prehistoric Planet Episode 2: Dinosaurs Mating, Fighting and Journeying in Deserts

Episode 2 of the Prehistoric Planet series on Apple TV+ explores the life of dinosaurs in the deserts: Dreadnoughtus (Titanosaurs), Barsboldia, Barbaridactylus (Pterosaur), Secernosaurus.

@Prehistoric Planet 2022 | Apple TV, BBC, 📺.

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Dreadnoughtus (Titanosaurs)

The dinosaurs 25 meters (85 feet) long and weighing 40 tons gather in a desert in South America for the mating season and … fighting.

Females watch the males display their muscular strength and beauty, often with chains of bubbles popping up and down along their endless necks.

The rivalry among the males sometimes leads to skirmishes: they stab each other with dagger-like spikes on each thumb, claw at their opponent's neck with their teeth, or use their necks to deliver neck-on-neck knockout blows.

The cost of failure and defeat, for some of them, is very high, sometimes their own lives.

Barsboldia

They are experts at long-distance migrations without water for an amazing amount of time.

When there is no water in the area, they make journeys to the oases.

Crest Barbaridactylus (Pterosaur)

This species has a wingspan of about 5 meters (17 feet) and males are characterized by two large crests on their heads which display their strength and charm to their mates.

Every year, they gather on top of isolated plateaus for the mating season. The mighty males will stand guard over their territory and harem, chasing away any eager young males.

However, there are young males who have a special tactic: they do not develop a crest on their head, and their shape is slim like that of the female. They infiltrates the lord's harem, making the lord think he was a female.

He is even attractive and feminine enough to make the lord approach him for love. But he knows how to deny him.

When the lord is distracted, he will start flirting with the harems. Female Barbaridactylus sometimes prefer slim, stealthy and sneaky males, and the theory is that the more fathers their offspring have, the better and more diverse for the future generations. That's all!

Secernosaurus

In a gypsum desert in South America, when the plant resources are exhausted, these small dinosaurs begin their journey to the coasts.

Experienced seniors will lead the pack at night, navigating by the night sky (presumably based on constellations), and their exceptional hearing can pick up low sound from far away – the sound of waves crashing against the shore.

In the coastal regions, the fog that forms where the dunes and the ocean meet foster a coastal paradise rich for Secernosaurus, of course just for a certain time but maybe long enough for the young to grow up.

The episode also features a few short segments of Tarbosaurus (the desert version of the T-Rex) appearing to be scavengers; feathered Velociraptor hunting in pack; lonely Mononykus also having feathers, and a highly developed sense of smell, a long and flexible tongue to catch termites and insects.