The Forgotten Era: What Really Happened AFTER the Dinosaurs Went Extinct ? Earth History Documentary

[Music] how did life on Earth recover after the cataclysm that struck down the gigantic dinosaurs today many extinct animals are more familiar to us than some species still alive among them the dinosaurs the Diplodocus is more famous than the aardvark and the Tyrannosaurus is more famous than the Paramount dinosaurs are part of popular culture for over 165 million years these majestic creatures dominated the Earth occupying most of the ecological niches and leaving little room for other species the Earth has on five occasions been confronted with great upheavals that have had a fundamental impact on its subsequent history when they disappeared during the fifth mass extinction the non-avian dinosaurs left an immeasurable void but one man's loss is another man's gain and this void allowed the evolution of mammals and birds which are now highly diverse groups of animals without this Extinction dinosaurs would probably have continued to dominate life on Earth and other animals would not have had the opportunity to make their way mass extinctions changed the rules of the game and reshuffle the deck dooming some groups and giving new opportunities to others when the dinosaurs disappeared our distant ancestors survived [Music] dear traveler welcome today we're going back in time to find out what the Earth was like after the dinosaurs became extinct but before you leave for a new adventure don't forget to like the video and subscribe to the channel so you don't miss anything thank you and welcome to life before and Life After The Dinosaurs [Music] foreign [Music] mass extinction is an event that resembles a relatively brief biological crisis on the geological time scale at least 75 percent of all animal and plant species disappear from the Earth's surface in the last 500 million years life on the planet has undergone five mass extinctions 75 to 90 percent of all terrestrial species have disappeared in catastrophes of Titanic proportions today more than 99 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on earth have disappeared the phenomenon of species Extinction is no longer surprising species are deadly each of the great mass extinctions has played a role in the history of the Living World leading it down New Paths as the decimated fauna and Flora are forced to evolve these deadly events however paved the way for new forms of life the ordovicians salurian extinct Extinction occurred 444 million years ago a geological event caused an episode of glaciation considerable quantities of water were trapped in an ice cap occupying three times the area of present-day Antarctica the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere was sucked out because of the alteration of the rocks and the temperature on Earth decreased considerably sea levels dropped and Marine creatures saw their habitats cool and Shrink once sea levels began to rise again the levels of available oxygen in the water dropped resulting in higher concentrations of dissolved toxic metals this event resulted in the extinction of 85 percent of all terrestrial species the devonian extinction began 383 million years ago probably due to a strong volcanic episode pulses cause the oxygen level in the oceans to drop sharply this was a real catastrophe for the Marine fauna and Flora the Earth suddenly froze again but this episode was shorter lasting less than a million years 75 percent of the species disappeared during this mass extinction the third mass extinction the Permian Triassic Extinction took place 252 million years ago it was the worst catastrophe that life on Earth has ever known more than 90 percent of the species were killed the destroyed forests will need more than 10 million years to recover huge lava spurts occurred during volcanic eruptions releasing billions of tons of carbon the Mac then seeped into the coal Fields towards the surface causing other greenhouse gases such as methane to evaporate as a result global warming of an inordinate magnitude occurred sea water and surface temperatures of the earth increased by several degrees the Earth's rocks were rapidly altered by acid rain oxygen in the oceans decreased by about 76 percent harming marine life about 200 million years ago the earth underwent the Triassic Jurassic Extinction geological events caused a warming of the Earth's surface and an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere the oceans have become acidified preventing marine species from developing properly this is a new blow for life on Earth which is losing up to 80 percent of terrestrial and marine species [Music] the fifth and last mass extinction is that of the Cretaceous paleo Gene 66 million years ago it was caused by the major impact of an asteroid and nearly 65 percent of the species in the biosphere disappeared but if this catastrophe Remains the most famous although not the most deadly it is because it saw The Disappearance of all species of the famous non-avian dinosaurs the end of the dinosaurs is an event that marks the minds however man had no part in it since nearly 60 million years separated the last dinosaurs from the first being that could be described as Almost Human this Extinction evokes the drama of the great disappeared civilizations the dinosaurs reign supreme for more than 165 million years and dominated all the continents this great Extinction has long remained mysterious and remains one of the great enigmas of the history of the globe even if scientists agree on a possible scenario but before going into details let's see what the world looked like at the time of the dinosaurs we are in the Cretaceous Period a little over 65 million years ago seen from the sky the Earth appears somewhat familiar the supercontinent Pangea has already split into two continents laurasia and gondwana later larasia splits into two parts to reveal the future North Atlantic Ocean the general climate is rather hot and humid the sea level is high the vegetation is highly Diversified we find ferns conifers but also flowering plants plant which dominate thanks to the help of insects in the seas and on the land it is time for gigantism the great family of marine reptiles is the master of the Cretaceous Waters these reptiles occupy all environments from the coastal reefs to the Open Sea the pleisosaurs Do Not swim with their tails but use their legs transformed into a swimming paddle they feed on ammonites fish and other marine reptiles mosasaurs are cousins of lizards and monitor lizards they measure between 1 and 15 meters long or between 3 and 50 feet thanks to their long vertically flattened tail they can Propel themselves underwater their limbs are transformed into a swimming paddle giving them the ability to swim they feed on fish and other reptiles all these reptiles breathe with lungs and not with gills they must therefore regularly come to the surface to renew their Air Supply some species however have nostrils that are too small for this like the plyosaurs they swim with their mouths half open letting the water pass through openings in the pallet and out through the nostrils the odors are analyzed in passing other more famous species are found alongside these reptiles such as Marine crocodiles flat-bodied snakes and sea turtles Arch alone is a sea turtle that lives in the shallow sea it is the largest sea turtle known to date to have lived alongside dinosaurs it is over 4 meters or 13 feet long with its strong beak it is able to break the shells of ammonites Bellum Knights bivalves and other crustaceans it can also tear off tough seaweed and grass its skeleton is light thanks to its large fins it can move very quickly underwater to catch its prey or Escape its Predators such as mosasaurs is a kind of carnivorous crocodile form exclusively Marine it can reach up to 3 meters or 10 feet long its body is equipped with a caudal fin in the shape of a moon making it a much more efficient swimmer than modern crocodile species its legs have taken the form of short flat fins in which all the fingers of a single limb are united in a single membrane the Marine fauna includes smaller creatures living quietly alongside the Giants the rudists are a family of bivalves that were very present during the time of the dinosaurs some are solitary and others form dense colonies and build real reefs offering shelter to fish shrimps or even sea slugs to feed themselves they filter the sea water and capture Plankton and debris in the water Plankton contains among others for Amina Farah these are single-celled animals protected by a shell rolled up on itself even if they contain only one cell they can reach up to eight centimeters or three inches in diameter there is no shortage of fish of course the representatives of our modern fishes appear at this time even if they are not yet very numerous the seas are also inhabited by mollusks and ammonites are strongly represented protected by a spiral-shaped shell and made up of a series of Chambers the animal stands in the last chamber which is often the largest it moves by means of a small tube which it can direct its tentacles are equipped with suction cups thanks to which it can seize its praise it crushes them then thanks to its jaws which look like a beak of a parrot at the time there were more than five thousand species of ammonites beside them the Bellum Knights are cephalopods whose shell is internal their hydrodynamic body allows them to reach a high swimming speed these carnivorous specimens capture fish with their 10 tentacles decorated with hooks birds and pterosaurs share the air pterosaurs are an order of flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs one of them stood out for its impressive size since it could reach up to 12 meters or 40 feet wingspan it is the quetzal Cutlass it is affected by the gigantism of the time [Music] pterosaurs are great lovers of fish not being able to swim underwater they are content to fish in Flight by sliding their beaks just on the surface of the water depending on the species the beaks of pterosaurs are very diverse some have long fine teeth to filter Plankton While others have no teeth and are more like scavengers [Music] foreign on land dinosaurs are the dominant animal group thanks to their extraordinary size and weight they Diversified and evolved on all continents dinosaurs are the pride of the Cretaceous Period with their dragon heads and their long sharp teeth they never cease to fascinate Beyond this popularized image the world of dinosaurs remains a world apart Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus are the largest land animals of all time during their ring they probably reach the size limit for a land animal on planet Earth as an animal grows its bones lengthen but they must also grow in order to remain strong enough to support its weight the limbs become thicker and thicker and therefore heavier and heavier further increasing the total weight of the animal the maximum size of a land animal is therefore Limited in Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus the vertebrae and ribs are hollowed out with multiple cavities this makes the skeleton lighter without reducing its strength however it seems that no dinosaur could have exceeded a length of 40 meters or 130 feet and a weight of a hundred tons [Music] the Diplodocus is known throughout the world it can measure up to 27 meters or 90 feet in length its skull is elongated and its snout is projected forward its nostrils are located more to the rear above the eye sockets the air follows a complex path that allows the animal to meticulously analyze the odors of its environment its well-aligned teeth are located at the front of the jaw when they wear out they are replaced by new teeth its huge pelvis reinforced with five welded vertebrae supports its weight of about 10 tons its long tail is used to counterbalance the weight of its neck it ends in a tapered Whip and allows him to use it as a defensive Weapon by snapping it like a whip its neck contains 19 vertebrae and can reach 15 meters or 50 feet in length while being a giant can have advantages such as having access to more food and being able to defend themselves more easily these animals are also forced to eat more than others and must support their own weight [Music] against these herbivorous Giants carnivorous dinosaurs are very diverse from large scavengers to small agile predators Tyrannosaurus is a true star of predation lesser known but equally powerful species live alongside it the spinosaur family is distinguished from other theropods by its long snout numerous small teeth and thumb with an impressive claw the Baryonyx is a spinosaur measuring nearly 10 meters or 30 feet long its nay means powerful claw this large carnivore moves on two legs although it is not completely aquatic it spends a lot of time near water to hunt fish its powerful arms are used to catch and control its prey his crocodile Jaws make him a formidable predator it does not only eat fish it is also an active Hunter of other land dinosaurs and a scavenger it has a long tail that allows it to balance [Music] the world of dinosaurs is teeming with insects that dig the Earth crawl on the ground or fly through the air bees ants and butterflies appeared at this time under their tiny legs the world is covered with flowers the first flowers look like our modern Magnolias with large petals the flowers will then transform and specialize acquire various shapes and colors the flowers produce a perfume which attracts insects insects will find nectar a nourishing liquid and pollen to consume these flowering plants become dominant they dress the landscape alongside conifers walnut trees Beech trees plain trees cycads and tree ferns the wind or the rain transport the pollen emitted by the male organs these grains are carried at random to the ovules of other individuals to ensure the reproduction of the plants insects coming to feed on pollen carry it from flower to flower [Music] the association between plants and insects becomes increasingly close dragonflies cockroaches and bugs also appear creta trigona is the one known Bee from the dinosaur era it looks very much like some of today's tropical bee species it has special bristles on its leg that are an adaptation for pollination since they fix the pollen when it lands on the plant mammals although modest and reserved live alongside the dinosaurs like tiny fearful Critters these primitive creatures thrived and diversified with an extremely severe limits dinosaurs and reptiles occupied most of the ecological niches and left very little space for other creatures they are left to survive in caves grottos or in Hollows and trees and under the ground constraints on their size and their way of life have naturally imposed themselves reptiles being less active at night mammals have adapted to a nocturnal life they have good eyes good ears a good sense of smell and whiskers to sense their way the Intensive functioning of all sense organs requires a larger brain than that of reptiles the energy burned by the brain must be constantly renewed warm blood and insulating coat appear mammals will prioritize protein-rich Foods they feed on insects other invertebrates and plant seeds in order to release energy very quickly and to digest food quickly sharp teeth appear they can catch kill grind and Crush food life as it is at this time will be turned upside down by a cataclysm the meteoric impact that took place at the Cretaceous paleogene boundary is a perfectly established fact of Earth history a huge asteroid the size of Everest hits the atmosphere at an exceptional speed of nearly 65 000 kilometers per hour or 40 000 miles per hour with its diameter of more than 10 kilometers or 6 miles and its weight of a billion billion tons it smashes into the province of Yucatan in the Gulf of Mexico the energy released is immeasurable this asteroid hits the mainland and forms a crater 30 kilometers or 20 miles deep the impact is so great that the rock of the Earth's crust liquefies within a radius of 60 kilometers or 40 miles around the impact all the existing water is transformed into vapor the thousands of animals that were there at the time are killed immediately everything happens so fast that they don't even have time to feel anything these animals die a gentle death but not those further away we only see a flash of light a few seconds after the impact the shock wave takes shape like a cloud of vaporized rocks which advances quickly on the ocean the unbearable heat evaporates everything around most animals are killed by the violence of this wave the most vulnerable are those who can't find shelter quickly the animals living in caves on the side of a hill and being able to take refuge in a safe place have a chance of survival fires break out the earth goes up in smoke dinosaurs because of their gigantic size have a lot of difficulties to find a refuge and are vulnerable the shock wave releases all its energy in about 10 minutes but it did not cover the whole surface of the Earth some animals are unaware of the catastrophe that has just occurred the consequences will catch up the impact of the meteorite causes a major earthquake a violent Tremor is felt cracks appear and landslides occur the earthquake crosses the whole planet the Tremors of the earthquake are felt for several days but the worst is yet to come a giant tsunami as big as a mountain range advances towards the coast it crossed the Atlantic at almost 1 000 kilometers per hour or 620 miles per hour the wave comes close to the coast and then crashes on land carrying animals trees and debris in its path it then Retreats with such force that it shapes a new geological landscape Hills valleys and canyons are formed dead animals are scattered or washed back into the sea the tsunami subsides but the millions of tons of rock that were propelled into space by the impact now fall as meteorites ranging in size from a pea to a house Boulders hit the surface of the Earth for several hours causing the temperature to rise sharply in less than a day the cataclysm exterminated almost all the life on planet Earth millions of animals are burned alive oxygen levels rise on the Earth the heat increases and the burning accelerates amidst the corpses a few survivors persevere a few isolated dinosaurs still roam the apocalyptic landscape trying to survive the purgatorius an ancestor of today's primates wanders Through the flames while for millions of years it has been preyed upon by dinosaurs it seems that its physical conditions give it an advantage in surviving the catastrophe this small mammal is similar to a large mouse that climbs trees it is at the base of a group that led to species including the great apes and man this small animal lived in the shadow of the dinosaurs it organized its life discreetly by feeding on insects and fruits found in Forest habitats it can now take advantage of the ecological niches left free by the dinosaurs to diversify [Music] clouds of Ash and chemical elements released during the impact clumped together and gradually Veil The Sky sulfur was produced in large quantities during the impact this element now comes into contact with the water in the atmosphere and is transformed into sulfuric acid a deadly rain falls on the Earth the surviving animals must take shelter because the sulfuric acid burns the skin and flesh the showers also hit the ocean the clouds present in great quantity gradually mask the sunlight the Earth is plunged Into Darkness the Plankton that needs constant light is slowly dying out the dinosaurs which use their visual sense for the most part are heavily handicapped by this new condition Darkness will rain for several weeks the small mammals that lived alongside the dinosaurs had already developed nocturnal faculties indeed they hunted mostly at night to avoid being preyed upon by the Giants they therefore have a major advantage in facing the interminable night that sets in the vegetation also suffers the effect of the cataclysm the plants that had not yet succumbed to the fire are now deprived of sunlight and stop growing the large herbivores that survived until then see their food sources diminish after a few months a cold snap sets in the earth once warm and Lush becomes icy and hostile the purgatorius isolates itself in its burrow to stay warm it feeds on everything it finds and this is what will save its life all the dinosaurs whether herbivores or carnivores succumb to this icy environment except for the avian dinosaurs in one year the planet is almost entirely emptied of all life forms 75 percent of the species that populated the biosphere disappear the ocean is empty except for a few rare species of fish and sharks generally speaking the smaller the animals were the more likely they were to survive in a few hours a few days a few months or maybe a few years the world of the dinosaurs collapses implying a fundamental change in the ecosystem since their disappearance will open the way to our distant ancestors the Earth is like a huge desert nevertheless for the few land animals that survived it is a new opportunity without predators to hunt them down these few survivors will be able to multiply rapidly with no more reason to hide they are ready to settle and repopulate the Earth the survivors will write a new chapter in their history [Music] the large reptiles disappear from the face of the Earth other orders survive with very small populations four orders of reptiles remain with turtles crocodiles snakes and lizards 98 of colonial Coral species that inhabited warm shallow tropical waters are disappearing solitary corals that establish themselves in colder deeper regions have fared better cephalopods echinoderms and bivalves are seeing their number of Genera decrease ammonites and bellumnites disappeared like all the other species of mollusks of the cephalopod class [Music] survivors of the nautiloids represented today by the Nautilus and another group to which the octopods squids and cuttlefish belong [Music] foreign [Music] the base of the food chain has been affected in the absence of light plants wither away large herbivores are deprived of food at Sea the food chains are disrupted in the same way the Plankton having disappeared all those who fed on it die of hunger the small debris eating animals are used to feeding on plant debris and small animals living in the mud even if all the plants die The Aquatic fauna can survive for a long time moreover they are also able to withstand dry spells well hidden in the mud of fresh water they spend their life in slow motion on land these debris eaters manage to find animal corpses seeds or plant debris to survive for a few months combined with their ability to hibernate they are more efficient in resisting hostile conditions another characteristic may allow some animals to better withstand the consequences of the meteorite fall mammals and birds are constant temperature species they are less dependent on the outside temperature and are capable of better survival [Music] similarly species that live by the Sea are better able to withstand major changes in their environment is it luck or a real capacity of adaptation for living organisms it is impossible to adapt to such rare and catastrophic events natural selection only works if it is slow and weak enough not to cause the immediate death of all the individuals in the species during the Cretaceous paleogene Extinction animals are killed at random if some are favored it is because they were better able to resist the new living conditions created by the event [Music] after a warm start the Earth undergoes a clear cooling trend tectonics led to a reorganization of the great ocean currents and raise the great reliefs that consume CO2 [Music] barely 10 million years later a continental tear in the northern hemisphere releases large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in the oceans causing the temperature to rise by at least 5 degrees Celsius this warming disrupts ecosystems again and has an important influence on the evolution of mammals the vegetation is transformed the forests become dense The Last Remnant of the supercontinent gondwana breaks up forming Australia and Antarctica Australia takes with it a remarkable fauna and Flora of which we still find some specimens today this separation causes the creation of a circum and Arctic current that will isolate the southern continent from warmer Waters and cause its freezing terrestrial world is now dominated by familiar life forms such as flowering plants songbirds and mammals in the waters mammals predominate with whales seals and a myriad of modern bony fish they share the ocean with sharks which were already present the explosion of all these groups created the biological world of today [Music] most of the larger animals have disappeared the surviving reptiles are rather modest in size with a few snakes lizards small crocodiles and turtles only Birds impose themselves by their size and try to rain on the animal world [Music] the gastornus parasiensis also called diatrima and the teratornus incredibilis are birds with impressive sizes the gastornis is the largest bird of its time growing up to 2 meters or seven feet for the largest specimens it has short Wings long legs and a thick beak it moves in the manner of today's ostriches since it is unable to fly he likes the forests and swamps in the tropical climate at that time it is not a prey because its potential Predators mammals or crocodilians are smaller than it s robust beak and Powerful claws allow it an omnivorous diet the teratornus is nicknamed The Monster bird its wingspan can reach up to 5 meters or 16 feet and the surface of one of its wings reaches 17.5 square meters or 190 square feet at the time it was the largest bird able to fly its strong legs and Powerful feet allow it to snatch and catch prey with a very strong grip these two specimens are only fleeting on the earth and the birds that will endure will sport more modest sizes in the future but for now these terrifying Raptors haunt the savannas they prefer a sparsely vegetated environments that allow them to chase their prey they capture and devour small mammals such as primitive horses but also corpses like modern vultures as long as mammals remain too small to act as Predators these giant birds have no serious competitors and remain at the top of the food chain the parisodactyls will be very successful and will include the ancestors of horses tappers and rhinoceroses the three lineages were one at the time these animals are different today but their ancestors were very similar although they do not occupy the same environments they do not eat the same plants which avoids too much competition that could lead to The Disappearance of some species the hierarch etherium is often attacked by these dangerous Birds although it is a member of The evolutionary lineage of the horse it is more like a dog at the time about 60 centimeters or 20 inches long and no taller than 20 centimeters or 8 inches it has four toes on its four legs and three toes on its hind legs it does not have hooves like our modern horses but a kind of paw pads resembling those of dogs it's 40 or so teeth are used to crush soft leaves and young plant sheets since it is a herbivore [Music] heptadon lives in North America this primitive Tapper measures one meter long although its limbs in its skull are similar to those of the current tappers it does not yet have their characteristic small trunk it's close cousin hirachius is one of the first rhinoceroses it is slightly larger than heptadon but does not yet have a horn look very similar at the time but their lineage will then clearly divide new mammals appear including fennekotis this medium-sized herbivore vaguely resembles a deer or a modern horse it occupies the root of the ungulate family tree it has teeth well adapted to the hard vegetation of its habitat it is up to 1.5 meters or 5 feet long has long straight legs and a narrow snout each of its limbs ends in five full fingers allowing it to walk like a modern TAP Air the 20 claws on its limbs were later modified to become Hooves in modern undulit species biodiversity is still very different from today even if the forests are present the grasslands begin to expand and the herbivorous Animals develop some families of mammals evolve towards new ecological types such as Runners gliders even real flying animals swimmers jumpers Brewers they are distributed over the entire surface of the Earth and occupy all environments from burning deserts to icy poles they adapt to Treetops high mountains oceans and freshwater swamps Innovations such as the wings of bats and the large incisors of rodents will prove crucial to their biological success [Music] Bronte therium is a genus of ungulate reminiscent of our modern rhinoceros it has a pair of horns and it snout the males being more imposing than the females although its appearance brings it closer to the rhinoceros it reaches the size of an elephant it measures up to five meters in length and weighs up to five tons this herbivore is fond of tender leaves and young shoots at 1.5 meters or 5 feet long 80 centimeters or 30 inches high and 100 kilograms or 220 pounds peracadon looks like a pony it is in fact a species of primitive rhinoceros even though it does not have a horn and is a runner at this time it feeds on a wide variety of vegetation in the steps and open forests its slender legs rest on three fingers and its head is particularly large compared to the rest of its body [Music] the diversification of herbivores undoubtedly parallels that of carnivorous mammals among the groups represented at this time hyenodon whose name means hyena teeth appears under its feline appearance its massive and robust body has a long tail and each of its toes has sharp claws hyenodon is an outstanding Hunter although its brain is small it has a highly developed sense of smell a powerful jaw and its speed allows it to hunt many praise it's sharp and pointed teeth allow it to crush them when it catches them hienodon is also a scavenger it covers the corpses it finds with excrement in order to mask its smell and avoid other Scavenging predators to Spot It standing at 1.50 meters or 5 feet and 3 meters or 10 feet long hyenodon is not afraid to take on large Predators like gastornis as it can run at speeds of 55 kilometers per hour or 35 miles per hour 55 million years ago a group of mammals took a different evolutionary path equipped with two close set eyes an opposable thumbed hands they are the first primates the precursors are the placia dapiforms these small mammals are insectivorous and arboreal the first specimen is none other than purgatorius this small being that hid as best it could during the fall of the meteorite [Music] the placia dapa forms diversify until they form a hundred species settled in tropical regions their size varies from that of a hamster to that of a squirrel the Primitive architecture of their skull their small brain and the presence of claws on their legs do not yet classify them as true primates such as marmosets baboons gorillas and humans the very first known persimian is named Althea talasius from 55 million years ago its descendants spread throughout the northern hemisphere at that time it is one of the most diverse groups of mammals the legs of the prosimians Evolve and are now hands and feet equipped with claws that form nails they are shorter and more flattened than those of the Placida performs their thumb is opposite to the other fingers they can now hold on to branches and grasp food eyes are located on the front of the face and are close together even if this position makes them lose the lateral view which was a real asset to detect Predators it allows a binocular vision in three dimensions thus the primates can jump from tree to tree by better evaluating distances and limiting the risks of falling the whole of the upper Cranium is remodeled contributing to the increase in brain size in Asia 45 million years ago the first real Apes appeared he's omnivorous or vegetarian animals have the characteristic of having a large Brain and an elaborate social behavior in the heart of regions covered by vast swampy forests primitive monkeys rub shoulders with small prosimians catapiticus which lived 36 million years ago is the oldest of the early Apes the best known and largest is egyptopithecus this mammal weighing six to seven kilograms or about 13 pounds inhabits the rainforests that cover North America it is somewhat similar to the current howler monkey of South America Egypt epitheus climbs trees crawls on branches and feeds on fruit it has a diurnal lifestyle it has all the characteristics that differentiate simeons from prosimians its cranial cavity houses a larger brain the orbit of its eye is totally closed which isolates the eyeball from the temporal part of the brain its eyes are closer together which has reduced the naval cavity and consequently the olfactory capacities it's powerful mandible is provided with molars whose Crown is relatively flat the primates will show great diversity but their Anatomy keeps a great Unity their five-fingered limbs have Nails The Hand has an opposable thumb it has been perfected and is used as a gripping instrument and as an organ of touch sight evolved and improved at the expense of the sense of smell the orbits are directed towards the front allowing a good binocular vision their complex social organization is also reflected in prolonged maternal care delayed sexual maturity and increased longevity primates generally live in groups ranging from a few individuals to several hundred members females usually give birth to a single calf sometimes too for physiological and behavioral reasons primates range in size from 50 grams to over 100 kilograms or over 220 pounds their diet is Diversified smaller specimens are more likely to be insectivorous or frugivorous while larger specimens generally have an omnivorous diet primates thrive in tropical and subtropical regions the majority of monkeys are diurnal while prosimians live at night primates have a wide range of postures and modes of locomotion in trees some climb and walk on branches on the ground they adopt a quadrupedal gate but are also capable of running upright and Performing lateral jumps some species use their tails as a fifth limb to suspend themselves some great apes practice a hanging Movement by swinging on the ground their quadrupedal movement is particular since they move semi-erect by leaning on the second Phalanx of the fingers of the hand they all practice bipedalism occasionally only man makes it his specialty [Music] some small mammals begin to exploit a new environment the Treetops up there is inexhaustible food and safe shelter from predators however living in the Treetops involves three-dimensional movement not the two-dimensional movement of terrestrial animals there is therefore an additional danger the risk of falling [Music] the little people of the high branches will display particular adaptations such as a large brain or eyes directed towards the front allowing to elevate distances precisely color vision is also an innovation that allows the animals to easily spot fruits and young leaves more tender and nutritious carpalests is a small hamster-sized mammal with rodent-like teeth its long finger is an opposable thumb allow it to climb easily to the top of trees its elbows are not flexible enough for it to LEAP from Branch to branch its eyes located on the sides of the head do not allow it to evaluate distances with great accuracy carpolest is is a close relative of the first Apes but is not a true ancestor [Music] korifodon is a large amphibious herbivore like modern hippos it lives in swamps and feeds on aquatic plants its size is close to that of a bore and it can weigh up to 500 kilograms or 1100 pounds its two tusks are not very developed at this time it is considered a large animal compared to the average size of humans the ancestors of whales and dolphins literally galloped on land today it is difficult to imagine how terrestrial quadrupeds could have turned into cetaceans despite its name which means king of reptiles bacillusaurus is a mammal the whale-sized animal has a jaw filled with teeth it does not yet have blowholes but nostrils located in the middle of the snout forcing it to take its head out of the water to breathe it has two small hind legs which are not used to walk or swim its long tail in its arms in the shape of Finn help it to propel itself to move the silosaurus like other cetacean ancestors exploits the coastal environment and feeds on fish crabs and mollusks the evolution pushed him to adapt to the marine environment its hind legs progressively reduce in size and its arms and tail become flippers its nostrils migrate towards the top of the head to give the vents the ear evolves to allow the animals to properly hear sounds underwater protocetis is a kind of primitive cetacean it is 2.5 meters or eight feet long its legs which it uses as flippers are rather small but allow it to move on the ground its long jaw has very sharp teeth the structure of its ear allows it to hear well underwater but certainly not to practice echolocation its nostrils are halfway to the snout which is the first step on the way to the top of the skull in modern cetaceans amphibious life is still relevant for these primitive animals some females still give birth on land bats appear with a Cara nectarus this animal already has the appearance of modern bats its wings can reach up to 35 centimeters or 14 inches in Span its long tail serves as a rudder its legs are still too small to allow it to hang upside down it wears a fur it likes warm climates and feeds on insects even the oldest bats are already able to flap their wings dermoptera or flying lemurs are an order of mammals they live in trees and are best equipped for gliding when they launch themselves from a branch they extend their four limbs in such a way as to stretch a sail of skin that connects their wrists ankles and tail this allows them to Glide more than 100 meters or 330 feet [Music] Palms flowering trees and conifers thrive a group of plants will make its appearance in the plant world they are the herbaceous flowering plants plant their success is linked to the evolution of pollinating insects animals that eat seeds and fruits such as bats and birds have also contributed to the spread of plants herbaceous plants have a secret they have the ability to survive and thrive even when cut regularly by animals cutting off the tops of their leaves does not damage their growth they even survive severe harvesting expanding grasslands support the survival of herbivorous mammals grasses include most of the species commonly called grasses and cereals they are generally herbaceous plants whether annual or perennial they will adapt to a wide variety of environmental conditions ranging from Lush rainforests to arid deserts from Cold Mountain climates to tropical climates they are a valuable source of food and energy for wildlife grasses are angiosperms the flower is a complex structure in which the male and female reproductive organs are grouped and enveloped the female part will give the fruit at maturity but only after fertilization it is the fruit that characterizes the angiosperms it participates in the dissemination of seeds through various animals wind and water the plants were able to disperse on the two continents before the total separation of gondwana birds are small feathered flying theropod dinosaurs their ancestors were land Predators true Hunters of the Jurassic lands they did not fly is an adaptation now indelibly associated with birds the survival of some species can sometimes be surprising before the impact of the meteorite birds already had a long history behind them the oldest known archeopteryx appeared at the end of the Jurassic period about 150 million years ago this animal has the body and teeth of a reptile combined with the feathers of a bird it represents the missing link between reptiles and birds archeopteryx probably descended from a small terrestrial cholerosaur these hollow-tailed reptiles include small light and fast carnivores like companionatus but also the huge and famous Tyrannosaurus some colorosores were covered with feathers and could fly their skeleton is very similar to that of birds [Music] feathers in Flight did not appear all at once but were acquired through evolution feathers are According to some theories an evolution of reptilian scales before it became the modern feather as we know it today the form and function of ancestral feathers were different the archaic function of the feather is its insulation by being covered in feathers the animal is able to retain body heat and protect itself from the cold some of the earliest feathers have a configuration that is no longer seen today they have a more unstructured down-like branching and configuration it is as if a number of filaments had been gathered and fused at their base [Music] the Kiwi a species of bird that is currently unable to fly has feathers that look like hair as if they had been simplified because they are not needed for flight feathers also play a role in display or camouflage they can also be used for recognition between groups of individuals or as maid attraction partners feathers are also protective keeping eggs out of the Sun or warming them by trapping air they can be used during sexual parade [Music] flight is defined as the active production of energy that propels the animal through the air using its own power this requires certain physiological characteristics such as hollow bones a strong sternum and a perched foot in order to fly the animal must have an air-worthy wing it must be able to generate a Vortex wake that propels it forward its neuromuscular coordination must allow it to navigate efficiently and its metabolic level must support flight for long periods [Music] archeopteryx already possesses an airworthy wing which makes it capable of generating the flight stroke it has an ear canal reflecting the ability to negotiate three-dimensional space which is particularly useful for an animal traveling through the air it would seem that its capacity for flight is weak several scenarios are possible as to the acquisition and origin of flight everything could have started from trees some species would have been able to climb high enough to Jump Then Glide and fly another scenario is that some animals would have started by running along the ground while flapping their Proto Wings which would have given them thrust and lift until they could lift off the ground while birds are considered particularly sensitive to environmental fluctuations they Remain the sole Heirs of the Dinosaurs ten thousand living species of birds have been recorded today whereas it seems that there were only a few during the dinosaur era including the archeopteryx and pterosaur lines most of the modern bird orders were established and put in place 55 million years ago the speciation of the different groups is stimulated by the changing patterns of glaciation at the time which results in a cooling and drying of the climate [Music] around 60 million years ago a strong volcanic episode in the North Atlantic releases carbon dioxide a first warming of the lower atmosphere and oceanic Waters is felt the methane stored in the sediments on the Continental margins is destabilized released in Mass it leads to a thermal Peak and a sudden climatic warming it is at this time that the context becomes favorable to the rapid diversification of mammals their development will lead them to master swimming and flying [Music] the cordilleras in the west of the Americas undergo intense deformations Europe is dragged into a subduction and gets closer to Africa their contact leads to the formation of mountains including the Alps completed by folding on the margins of the Persian Gulf and the Himalayan uplift where India sinks under Asia [Music] around 34 million years ago an important climatic change occurs due to Continental Drift the global temperature decreased and the different seasons became more pronounced the arm of the sea which separates Europe from Asia undergoes a regression which opens new routes to the fauna and the Flora on both sides some time later North America and Scandinavian Europe separate after the warming period the Earth is again affected by major ice ages following the formation of the American cordilleras and the Alpine chains the Caribbean and fetus closed the link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean is cut in the warm Zone the sea currents change to a predominantly north to south Direction especially in the Atlantic which leads to the cooling of the globe around 23 million years ago Antarctica began a generalized freeze-up of its surface surrounded by an ocean current that prevents warm water from reaching it it becomes isolated from South America and becomes a large reservoir of cold the cause of climate change could also be explained by a tilt of the axis of the planet the Earth would thus receive little light during a part of the year which would Mark the seasons even more and would imply a lower average temperature the change in climate which is becoming colder and drier is causing many of the world's Landscapes to change Savannahs and steps are replacing forests the modification of food resources disturbs herbivorous species but also their predators these must evolve and adapt to the new conditions the small Forest herbivores that used to feed on leaves are now replaced by large grass eating species the expansion of grasslands favors the appearance of animals capable of running faster and longer grass as a food resource is less nutritious and wears down teeth more quickly the animals must therefore consume large quantities of grass and continuously growing teeth appear as in rodents and horses this adaptation compensates for the rapid wear of the teeth of herbivores many species will disappear among the archaic mammals they leave the place to other groups like rodents ruminants or modern carnivores the evolution of mammals leads to more and more diverse forms and to the birth of real giants that could almost be compared to the largest dinosaurs this evolutionary Trend towards larger and larger animals is explained by the fact that they were originally small being large has many advantages some predators are less likely to attack large animals and it is also easier to find food their temperature is kept constant while they expend less energy however the overall amount of vegetation needed by large herbivores is substantial they cannot be very numerous and their species will be more vulnerable in case of a crisis the baluk ethereum is a hornless rhinoceros at 5 meters or 16 feet it is the largest known representative of this group and one of the largest land mammals it manages to gray his on the tallest leaves of trees in comparison it is as big as a giraffe but weighs a lot more as it can reach up to 15 Tons despite its large size it remains prey to crocodiles and other predators at its side we find cousins of the current bores and warthogs the intellidons they can be recognized by their enormous heads bristling with bony growths these hoofed animals feed on small animals roots and plants that they can dig up with their tusks among them Dino hias a large animal of two meters or seven feet high and weighing about 1.5 tons is a scavenger that comes to crush the bones of dead animals with its powerful jaws the megatherium belongs to the endentalist family like the modern sloths unlike the latter it lives on the ground because its gigantic size does not allow it to climb trees it can reach up to 6 meters or 20 feet long and weigh up to four tons as much as an Asian elephant it moves on all fours and stands up if it needs to feed thanks to its powerful claws it attracts the branches of the trees to Crunch the leaves little by little grasslands and savannas take the place of forests animals adapt to this change and new species of herbivores replace the old ones Grass Grows from its base all the faster if it is cut often when the climate permits this free growth there is no shortage of food for the grass eaters grass quickly wears down the teeth this new diet requires special adaptations to the teeth distant cousins of camels and llamas appeared they are the protoceratids most of the species have strange horns in their heads like the syntheticeris which has a forked horn on its now and a pair of extra horns on its head this is a formidable weapon for fights between males since these ornaments are absent in females 35 million years ago ruminants a new group of hoofed herbivores appeared these animals have specialized stomachs that allow them to digest hard grass in the Prairies with greater ease they're continuously growing teeth compensate for the wear and tear caused by chewing they first settled in Asia but very quickly the species colonized America and Africa and the ancestors of giraffes deer cows and antelopes showed up [Music] the hot Pluto Merricks is a curious animal that has five horns on its skull one of which is located in the middle of the forehead barely higher than a goat it has two long canines in the shape of a defense with its elk-like appearance the civatherium is one of the first giraffes to live in India it is much smaller and more massive than the giraffe and has large horns faced with these herbivores that grow and arm themselves with horns and tusks the carnivores also evolve the former are small animals that can easily climb trees to look for their prey their diet is rather varied with meat fruits leaves eggs and insects over time their offspring will develop particularly large and sharp teeth functioning like shears it is at this time that the first true carnivores appear feeding exclusively on flesh two lines of carnivores were born on one side the lineage that will give birth to wolves bears and seals and on the other side the lineage that will give birth to hyenas and felines [Music] in some species the fangs become long and strong these impressive predators are called saber-toothed tigers although they are not actually related to Tigers their skulls had to be modified to make room for these huge canines their face is rather short and the musculature of their neck is powerful the canines are flat and sometimes credulated saber-toothed tigers choke their prey by biting them in the throat saber-toothed Predators occur in several lineages so very similar adaptations are found in species that may be distant rodents are also characterized by their sharp teeth they have continuously growing incisors that will sharpen by rubbing against each other this makes them very sharp and allows them to cut pieces of food or wood further down in the jaw particularly hard molars allow them to crush food before rodents other small primitive mammals the multi-tuberculates had this type of dentition they were the first vegetarian mammals it is only after their disappearance that the real rodents will take an important place today they represent almost half of all mammal species the first rodents appeared in Asia and then spread throughout the world until they even reached Australia they diversify occupy all environments and specialize he's become semi-aquatic like the Beavers others live in trees others still live in deep Burrows most rodents have modest sizes but some rare species reach much larger sizes this is the case of fabaramus which weighs nearly 700 kilograms or 1500 pounds this caveamorph is part of the guinea pig and Capybara family a last large family is imposed in Mastery at the time they are the proboscidians the current elephants are the last ascendants the Primitive elephants are represented among others by more etherian as big as a pig its massive body is supported by short legs it spends a lot of time in the water it has no probiscus but a thick and mobile upper lip a little later some species start to have a short trunk the trunk and elephants comes from the fusion of the nose and the upper lip for reasons of balance and muscle power the large head of elephants must be carried by a short neck the movements are then limited to reach the vegetation hence the appearance of the trunk which proves to be very useful mass extinctions have irreversible consequences for biodiversity by causing The Disappearance of many species and reducing the diversity of life forms on Earth ecosystems species relationships and life cycles are disrupted nevertheless they allow the appearance of new life forms that occupy the ecological niches left vacant by the extinct species today's world has a beautiful and Rich history the past is necessarily different from the present this history was not originally written the Earth is continually undergoing unforeseen events extraterrestrial or not taking evolution in new directions a part of the actors is then ousted while the survivors are favored thanks to the fossil remains buried in the Deep layers of the earth we now know that the parrot was not born a parrot and that the dolphin was not born a dolphin the stone skeletons reveal to us every day this history to which we belong for although modern man does not appear in this chapter his ancestors are largely represented without The Disappearance of the dinosaurs we would certainly not be here to talk about it [Music]

Channel: Wondody | The World of Odysseys

Views: 8,247

Keywords: wondodi, science, space, documentary, earth, space documentary, galaxy, universe, nasa, alien, history, solar system, water, history of the earth, animal documentary, history documentary, natural documentary, dinosaurs documentary, journey, history of the universe, earth documentary, pangea, pangea documentary, earth history, universe documentary, after dinosaur extinction, after dinosaurs, after dinosaurs died, earth after dinosaurs, dinosaur documentary, dinosaurs extinction, dinosaurs

Id: EPYstHyYNSA

Length: 80min 33sec (4833 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 09 2023