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Badlands

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“ Trudging through a scorching desert, two young Tarchia find relief at an oasis and encounter an adult twice their size, ready to lay claim. ”

― The official Apple TV+ episode synopsis for Badlands

Badlands is the second episode of the second season of Prehistoric Planet, and the seventh episode of the series overall.

Segment I: Isisaurus[]

The episode starts out in The Deccan Traps in India. The dangers of this place, one of the largest and most active volcanic regions in the world is made clear by all the lava and smoke spewing from various places in the area.

“ This is the largest expansive lava to flood the Earth for 100 million years. The Deccan in Central India, a hellish place, and certainly not where you'd expect to find dinosaurs. And yet, giants risk their lives traveling here. Isisaurs, and all are females. Lava has been flowing in The Deccan for so long, that in places, it is a mile thick. Every spring, females leave the safety of their forest home to make a perilous journey into these badlands. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

Even so, under the light of dawn, a herd of Isisaurus females risk their lives going through the volcanic badlands just to get to where they need to go.

“ They can pick a safe route through cooled, hardened lava. But there are other dangers here. In addition to the steam, a deadly mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide spews from volcanic vents. In the cool, pre-dawn air, these heavy gases sink to create a barely-visible suffocating blanket. Just a few lungfuls can kill. But Isisaurs have one crucial advantage. Their long necks can keep their heads above this blanket of poisonous fumes. But ahead is a place where this will be hard to do... ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

For a while, all seems well, with them able to traverse the deadly area by traveling on cooled lava, their long necks keeping their heads above the deadly gases clinging close to the ground.

“ They're entering a low-lying area where the deadly gases are particularly thick, and for these females, something is already wrong. And worse, as the sun rises and warms the air, the gases swirl even higher. Long necks can no longer protect the herd. They must escape to higher ground, and quickly. The climb is steep, but should bring fresher air. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

However, as the titanosaurs enter a low-lying area where the gases are even more heavily-concentrated, the rising sun warms the air and causes the gases to rise. With the land and time itself working against them, the Isisauruses hurry to higher ground, with some shown struggling up a steep climb in a bid for salvation. Fortunately, the herd makes it past this slope, and sees before them the place they need to go to.

“ Relief, at last. And ahead, their final destination. A volcanic island in the sky, rising high above these treacherous badlands. The huge crater, a caldera, provides a safe, communal nesting ground. The surrounding sea of poisonous gases helps to keep predators away. And the in-built geothermal heating makes it an ideal incubator. Each mother digs a seven-foot trench in the warm sand, to hold over 20 melon-sized eggs. The eggs are safe in the caldera for now, but this is just the beginning of their story. In a few months, hundreds of tiny babies will hatch to face this desolate world. If any are to survive, they'll need a perfectly-timed change in conditions. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

With that, the hundreds of sauropod enact what they came to do, lay eggs in the warm soil, a great incubator. One mother, as she is kicking dirt back to bury her eggs in a mound, accidentally gets sand on the face of another Isisaurus, waking her up. The sauropods settle down, some sleeping, some just lying next to their eggs, looking down on their effort. The segment ends with the view zooming out and away from the caldera, showing the rocky, desolate world surrounding it.

Segment II: Velociraptor Family[]

In the second segment of the episode, in a maze of canyons forming an extensive maze of narrow passages, a new family of Velociraptors look after their young, just a few weeks old. The juveniles, numbering around 10 - 12, rush out from under the shade of a rock, with one bumping into the leg of an adult, which, along with three other adults, loiters around in one of the narrow passages, awaiting the chance to hunt.

“ It might seem that, in such a barren place, they face an uncertain future. Their survival relies on a strange event not here, but miles from their home. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

Several miles away, a temporary oasis has formed. Aware of this, a herd of Nemegtosaurus and Mongolian Titans, along with some Prenocephale hiding among them for protection, make their way through the maze of canyons in order to reach the temporary oasis that formed in the distance. Suddenly, the herd is thrown into panic by a trio of Tarbosaurus, with one of the Nemegtosaurus stumbling off a low ledge and dying in the process.

“ Only the Prenocephale can escape to higher ground. And this is what the Velociraptors have waited for. Now, the Velociraptors can finally spring their ambush. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

Frightened by these sudden turn of events, the Prenocephale run up a canyon to escape to higher ground, an option the sauropods cannot take as they try to travel through the maze as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, this means they ran right into the ambush of the Velociraptors, with one of the dromaeosaurs singling out one of the Prenocephale and pursuing it up a path where another Velociraptor is waiting. Upon reaching the ambush point, the other Velociraptor springs from behind the wall to kick the Prenocephale off the edge to its death.

“ At last. Working together, they have secured a meal for the whole family. The Tarbosaurs have also had success. For predators, it's actually a time of plenty. And for the Velociraptors, the perfect time to start a family. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

As the trio of Tarbosaurus feed on the Nemegtosaurus that stumbled and died during the stampede, the two Velociraptors, along with their chicks, descend from the canyon to feed on the fallen Prenocephale, a meal secured for the whole family.

Segment III: Corythoraptors and Kuru kulla[]

“ Having clever, caring parents can give youngsters an excellent start. And here in the badlands of Asia, there are few more dedicated dinosaur parents than these. A colony of nesting Corythoraptors. A few days ago, females laid eggs on these circular mounds. But the job of brooding them falls to the males. And that is not easy. Exposed to the midday sun, the eggs would soon cook. But the fathers use their broad tail and fallen feathers to keep the nest shaded... and pay a heavy price, enduring hour after hour in the searing heat. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

In the third segment of the episode, a colony of male Corythoraptors brood over the nests of the females, shading their eggs from the hot desert sun at the cost of their own health.

“ At last, in the cool of the evening, the males can step away in search of food. This is where nesting in a colony brings benefits. Instead of all leaving at once, the Corythoraptors take turns, so there's always a neighbor keeping an eye out for danger. But even this neighborhood watch can't guarantee their safety. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

During the cooler night, some leave the nests to hunt for food, while the rest stay to guard over the colony's nests. In the dark of the night, a small dromaeosaur, sensing an opportunity to feed, sneaks in.

“ A female Kuru kulla, a relative of Velociraptors. She is extremely hungry, but wary of the Corythoraptors' powerful beaks and claws. But she has one key advantage. Her night vision is better than that of the owners of the nests. If she's quiet, she can sneak into the colony undetected. This is her chance, but not to attack. This predator is also a thief. She will eat as many eggs as fast as she can. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

Taking advantage of her better night vision, the Kuru kulla stealthily targets a nest that seems less guarded than the others, and feasts on at least four eggs before being spotted, the sentry alerting the other Corythoraptors present with bird-like calls. The dromaeosaur picks up one last egg from the nest and rushes away as the Corythoraptors pursue her, failing to catch the intruder.

“ She now has a chance to enjoy her stolen egg in peace. But this thief shares her spoils. With these purring sounds, she calls her young. Her chicks are not long out of the nest themselves. They need to learn that this strange, new object is food, and discover how to break into it. Maybe their beak. Or perhaps, a claw... Success, perhaps more by luck than skill. But still, a vital lesson for this next generation of egg thieves. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

The Kuru kulla arrives to a far-off area with her stolen egg, and calls out to her two chicks, giving them the egg and letting them know that it is something to eat. The two hatchlings try poking and pushing the egg, and in the end, push it off a low ledge, shattering it on the rocks and allowing them to feast on the contents.

Segment IV: Tarchia Retreat[]

Two juvenile Tarchia traveling through the badlands of the Nemegt Formation
Two juvenile Tarchia traveling through the badlands of the Nemegt Formation
“ Without water, no animal can survive. Yet, this is home to these young Tarchia. They are desert-living ankylosaurs, heavily-armored, with huge, clubbed tails. Dark patches protect the Tarchias' eyes from the glaring sun. And this is the sound of Tarchia's very own air-conditioning system. Their large nose cools the air as it leaves the body, condensing - and so conserving - valuable water with every breath. It allows them to survive long periods without drinking as they search for a meal. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

In the fourth, penultimate segment of Badlands, two young Tarchia are seen traveling through the desert, under the great heat of the sun. While they are capable of surviving for long periods without water, they are still traveling in search of a meal, and, should they come upon the right place, an oasis, for they may remember the few places where natural springs occur.

Juvenile Tarchia gets into an altercation with some Prenocephale
Juvenile Tarchia gets into an altercation with some Prenocephale
“ The high temperatures here create scouring winds which carve the rocks into extraordinary shapes. But they also strip the ground of soil. Some plants, however, manage to take root in cracks between the rocks. Any meager mouthful is worth competing for. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

The brothers come up to the entrance of a canyon. One of the Tarchia feeds on a dry patch of vegetation. When the other Tarchia tries to feed on the same plant alongside him, the first Tarchia shoves him aside, forcing him to wander onwards alone to find food for himself. Entering the canyon, he finds an oasis surrounded by seven Prenocephale. Startled and forced to step aside when the ankylosaur walked in to get his drink, the pachycephalosaurs were not happy. They begun growling and nipping at the intruder in an attempt to force him away, but by simply smashing his tail on the sandy ground, the Tarchia intimidated the smaller creatures into backing off and letting him have his peace.

An adult Tarchia (bottom left) in a standoff against two juveniles
An adult Tarchia (bottom left) in a standoff against two juveniles
“ In the end, the Prenocephale are little more than annoying. But an adult Tarchia is another matter, especially one almost twice the youngster's weight. It wields a club weighing almost fifty pounds. If this comes to a fight, the juvenile can't win... but reinforcements are on the way. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

As he explores more of the canyon around the oasis, he finds an adult Tarchia sleeping in a cave. Not willing to share the sanctuary he secured for himself, the adult, almost twice the juvenile's weight, stepped out to confront and threaten the juvenile, who, despite standing his ground, seems aware that he is clearly outmatched should the adult decide to get physical with his fifty-pound club. Fortunately, he is reminded that he is not alone. Just then, the juvenile's brother arrives to his aid, ready to face the adult alongside him.

The two juvenile Tarchia drink from the oasis as seven Prenocephale watch them from above
The two juvenile Tarchia drink from the oasis as seven Prenocephale watch them from above
“ The pair are reunited. Now, there are twice as many swinging clubs for the adult to deal with. He decides that, perhaps, there is enough water here for everyone to share. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

Together, the two young Tarchia intimidate the adult, forcing him to leave them be. Realizing that he is now the one who is outmatched, the elder Tarchia backs off and lets them share the oasis he once claimed as his own. With the conflict settled, the pair of juvenile Tarchia drink from the oasis in peace as the seven Prenocephale continue to watch them from atop the rocks on the opposite side of the spring.

Segment V: Isisaurus hatchlings and Rajasaurus[]

In the fifth and final segment of the episode, the summer heat ends up stirring electric storms, which, in turn, shift the direction of the winds, blowing away the poisonous gases around the crater where the Isisauruses laid their eggs months before. From beneath the sand of the caldera, the newborn Isisauruses call out to each other, synchronizing their hatching. Hundreds of Isisaurus babies, each less than a foot in length, begin to make their way around the caldera, searching for food. There is one source of sustenance left in the crater, their mothers' dung. Aside from serving as a surprisingly-nutritional meal, this dung contains healthy bacteria that their gut needs, as well as pheromones for them to home in on their mother's herd, which would lead them to the safety of the forest. The juveniles head out on their first journey into the world, and their first encounter with its perilous elements.

“ There's nothing to eat, except their mothers' dung. Surprisingly, it's very nutritious and important to the hatchlings in other ways too. It introduces healthy bacteria into their guts, and it also contains pheromones that, like smells, will enable them to find their mothers' herd. It will lead them to the safety of the forest. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

While making their way through the volcanic fields full of hot springs, one Isisaurus slips off the edge of a pit with steep slopes leading into a deadly trap, a bubbling pool of liquid mud. While it manages to avoid falling immediately into the pit, it is stuck and left crying for help, no longer able to climb out.

After two days of travel, just as the hatchlings appear to be running out of energy to continue, they find vegetation around them, grown from seeds that came from their mothers' dung. After feeding on these plants to refill their reserves, their continue moving forward, right into new threats up ahead.

Two Rajasaurus hunt down Isisaurus hatchlings
Two Rajasaurus hunt down Isisaurus hatchlings
“ After two days of trekking, the babies' reserves are running low. But their mothers have come to the rescue again. Small plants have taken root in the cracked lava, sprouting from seeds dropped in the mothers' dung. But a new danger is heading their way. Now the wind has cleared the toxic gases, the door opens... for predators. A Rajasaur. With so many babies out in the open, this could be a feast. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

A Rajasaurus enters the scene, running around to devour as many Isisaurus babies as it can. Some babies sneak around and hide in the cracks within the jagged rocks of cooled lava, and the Rajasaurus attempts to dig the crack open in order to get to the juveniles. Soon, another Rajasaurus arrives, resulting in more Isisaurus hatchlings getting eaten. For a moment, the two hunters get into a squabble, either due to territorial reasons or over feeding priorities, with one briefly driving the other off with a hiss before continuing to hunt the Isisauruses, some of which manage to slip in small crevices where the hunters, for all their speed and agility, cannot reach them. With their prey gone, the hunters leave.

“ Despite the dangers, hundreds of babies succeed in reaching the forest. Here, they will live together, hidden in the undergrowth, for several years... until finally, they are big enough to join their mothers' herds. With luck, the females among them will return to this crater in years to come to lay eggs of their own. Like many animals that live in such inhospitable places, the risks will be high. But there are also great opportunities in the badlands of the Prehistoric Planet. ”

― David Attenborough, Badlands

Despite the perils of their journey claiming hundreds of juvenile Isisauruses, hundreds more manage to reach the forest, ensuring the successful survival of their generation, which would one day return to the volcanic wasteland to lay their young there like their mothers before them. The segment ends with a view of the now-empty caldera where the babies were born in, the view zooming out to once again show the extent of The Deccan, proof of the great risks and opportunities offered by the badlands of the Prehistoric Planet.

Uncovered Segment I: Were Dinosaurs Good Parents?[]

This Uncovered segment is dedicated to discussing whether dinosaurs were good parents.

A fossilized titanosaur egg, 1.5 kilograms when freshly laid, and possessing a shell merely 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) in thickness, is shown. While these eggs had some decent amount of protection, they still needed to be kept safe and warm, hence sparking questions regarding the idea of dinosaur parental care.

One strategy of keeping their eggs safe and warm involves the standard plan of building nests and sitting on top of these nests. Proof is seen in the usual example of this, preserved fossils of oviraptorids that died sitting on their unhatched eggs, some of which contain embryos. Even so, this method of egg incubation has downsides.

“ Having to sit on an egg and actually look after it means that you are committed to the care of that egg for the entire duration of their development up until the point of hatching. ”

― Dr. Darren Naish, Lead Scientific Consultant

While for some dinosaurs, this commitment was worth making, it is not a feasible strategy for larger dinosaurs like sauropods, which would have crushed their eggs under their immense mass if they attempted to do the same. Their solution is made apparent by remains of egg clutches laid in a long trench (dug by the mother's back feet, which are then covered up again once the process of egg-laying is done), reminiscent of what turtles do in the warm sand of seashores. Some dinosaurs are also believed to pile up a compost heap of rotting vegetation on top of the eggs to keep them warm, much like bush turkeys in Australia do today, with the rotting process of the vegetation releasing enough heat to keep the eggs beneath it warm for up to seven weeks. An even more unusual means of keeping eggs warm was discovered in 2010, involving usage of the heat produced by the Earth itself.

A titanosaur nest laid close to a hot spring in the Los Llanos Formation in northwest Argentina
A titanosaur nest laid close to a hot spring in the Los Llanos Formation in northwest Argentina
“ In one particular site in Argentina that's had lots of sauropod egg discoveries, it's right next door to some geothermal springs. We're thinking that sauropods were using that volcanic activity to help keep its eggs warm. ”

― Professor Paul Barrett, Natural History Museum

This likely refers to the Los Llanos Formation in Sanagasta Geological Park, La Rioja Province, northwest Argentina, an ancient hydrothermal site containing druses (crystallized surfaces), alkaline geysers, hot springs and other such vents, interspersed with 80 egg clutches (each holding anywhere from 3 - 35 eggs) laid by indeterminate titanosaurs within 3 meters (10 feet) of nearby ancient geothermal features. The hydrothermal solutions in the area range around 60 - 100 degrees Celsius (140 - 212 degrees Fahrenheit), which would have been sufficient to keep the soil warm enough to incubate eggs approximately 21 centimeters (8.3 inches) in diameter for 1 - 2 months.[1]

The segment then circles back to the Deccan Region in India, the very setting of the Isisaurus segments in this episode, to show more evidence, with several dinosaur eggs sandwiched between several layers of lava adding even more proof that, just as the episode portrays, dinosaurs risked their lives to visit sites like the Deccan, one of the largest and most active volcanic regions in the world, to use the place as a nesting site for several centuries. In the end, with all these different, effective strategies to ensure their eggs would hatch, dinosaurs have proven to be great in taking good care of their eggs, one key to their dominance for more than 150 million years.

Uncovered Segment II: How Did Ankylosaurs Use Their Tail?[]

An ankylosaurid's formidable, clubbed tail is one of the animal's defining traits
An ankylosaurid's formidable, clubbed tail is one of the animal's defining traits
“ On numerous occasions within the history of life, animals have evolved specialized structures that only function in combat. These are often quite large and unusual structures like the horns of rhinos, the antlers of deer, the horns of antelope. ”

― Dr. Darren Naish, Lead Scientific Consultant

This Uncovered segment is dedicated to discussing the purpose of ankylosaur tail clubs.

Considered as one of the most bizarre animals to ever exist, with their spikes, plates, and even bony eyelids, the one feature considered as the trait that sets them apart from any animal alive today is their extraordinary tail, for at the end of it are two huge lumps of armor, fused to the final vertebrae of the tail to form a hammer-like structure. When these clubs (like, for example, the club of Anodontosaurus, pointed on both sides, a fossil of which is shown during the segment) were first discovered, they were interpreted as a weapon of sorts. Comparisons with animals alive today, with their massive, unusual structures, powerful muscles, and specialized bones, support the idea that they were used for battle. For ankylosaurs, evidence on the pelvis showed muscles that extended down the tail, attached to the stiffened "handle" of the tail club to allow the tail to swing with such power.

An ankylosaur's clubbed tail, showing the stiffened rods that strengthened the weapon's strikes
An ankylosaur's clubbed tail, showing the stiffened rods that strengthened the weapon's strikes
“ It's very stiff, it's stiffened by lots of bony rods that run along the length of the tail that would have a lot of force behind it when it was swung from side to side. Some paleontologists have calculated that it could be swung with enough force to devastate a car. ”

― Professor Paul Barrett, Natural History Museum

Given this strength, they could, in theory, break the legs of predators. The new question is whether they used these clubs to also fight each other for reasons such as disputes over territory, mates, and leadership. While Tarchia itself is already known to have suffered pelvic and tail injuries that likely resulted from intraspecific combat (even possessing a tail club that became asymmetrically shaped due to being worn down by repeated usage),[2] a 2022 study appears to have confirmed this, with evidence of injuries among ankylosaurs that proved that they also used their clubs for intraspecific combat. While this study is not elaborated on further in the Uncovered segment, it is likely the paper about Zuul crurivastator, the first member of the ankylosaurini tribe known from a complete skull and tail club, as well as the most complete ankylosaurid specimen thus far recovered from North America. The holotype specimen of Zuul is found to have pathological osteoderms focused on the hip region as opposed to being distributed randomly across the body, indicating consistent injuries and attacks to the flanks due to tail club attacks from a rival. This study theorizes that, while ankylosaur tail clubs serve their purpose well as lethal, bone-shattering self-defense weapons against predators, they primarily evolved for combat against other ankylosaurs.[3]

Fauna[]

Main[]

How Did Ankylosaurs Use Their Tail?[]

Trivia[]

  • Some of the segments for Deserts were originally intended for Badlands and vice-versa; as with most of the episode titles used in the series, "Badlands" is chosen to appeal to the general audience, even if the environments of the episode's segments are not technically badlands.[DN 1]
  • There were plans to represent the Deccan Traps (the setting of the episode's first and fifth segments) with locations in Hawaii, but this was made problematic by COVID-19 restrictions.[PhP 1]
  • One of the filming locations that the staff did secure to represent the Deccan Traps is the Fagradalsfjall Volcano of the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, which was inactive for 6,000 years, and just so happened to erupt in 2021 and 2022, while the second season of Prehistoric Planet was being worked on. Unfortunately, it stopped erupting just when the production team arrived to film in that area, so the team had to rely on eruption footage that they recorded while they were still scoping out and reviewing the location.[PhP 1] Ironically, Fagradalsfjall would resume volcanic activity on the 4th of July 2023.

References[]

General[]

  1. ↑ A new Argentinean nesting site showing neosauropod dinosaur reproduction in a Cretaceous hydrothermal environment
  2. ↑ A new ankylosaurid from the Upper Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia and implications for paleoecology of armoured dinosaurs
  3. ↑ Palaeopathological evidence for intraspecific combat in ankylosaurid dinosaurs

Dr. Darren Naish[]

  1. ↑ Some of the segments for Deserts were initially planned for Badlands, and some of the segments of Badlands were initially meant for Deserts. Like most episode titles used in the series, "Badlands" is selected due to being catchy, as some of the featured places in it may or may not strictly fit the definition of badlands.

Prehistoric Planet[]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 I Know Dino: The Big Dinosaur Podcast, Episode 444: Dinosaurs in the Badlands: Featuring 2 Producers from Prehistoric Planet 2

External Links[]

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