Prehistoric Planet Wiki
Prehistoric Planet Wiki
Prehistoric Planet Pedia
154
pages
in: Segment Compilations

Barbaridactylus Segments

< Barbaridactylus
 Sign in to edit

Main

Segments
MainSegments

These are Prehistoric Planet segments which feature Barbaridactylus.

Coasts[]

In the second segment of Coasts, which takes place on the shores of Northern Africa, a few Barbaridactylus and Alcione first appear in the midst of a Tethydraco colony. Midway through the segment, as newly-hatched Alcione chicks fly from the cliffs of the offshore islands where they were born in to forests on cliffs past the shores of the mainland. Unfortunately, the journey there is not straightforward. Sensing an easy meal, three Barbaridactylus swoop in and snap up some of the hatchlings in midair.

“ One way to take evasive action is to simply fold their wings and drop. But losing height will make it harder for them to reach the forests. ”

― David Attenborough, Coasts

In response, the juvenile Alcione fold their wings and drop, momentarily evading their predators at the cost of lost height. Some end up flying too low to the ocean, and are easily grabbed by the Barbaridactylus. One unlucky Alcione hatchling crashes down on the beach, attracting the attention of the Phosphatodraco prowling a colony of Tethydraco. The Tethydraco look on as the Alcione hatchling tries to stand up, while the opportunistic azhdarchid closes in on it, clacking its beak in satisfaction before grabbing the hatchling, devouring it as it screeched its last. The Tethydraco give one last glance as the predator swallowed and savored its meal, serving as a reminder of what fate could befall their chicks should they be left unguarded, before one turned its attention back to the Alcione that are still airborne, trying to escape the Barbaridactylus.

“ A lucky survivor from the first wave of hatchlings, still heading in the right direction... sanctuary. Of the hatchlings that left the stack, few get as far as this. But for them, this forest offers all the shelter and food that a young pterosaur needs. For the next five years, this will be their home, then, they will be large enough to join the adults catching fish out on the open ocean. ”

― David Attenborough, Coasts

One hatchling is shown, still being pursued by a Barbaridactylus. It manages to finally reach the cover of trees, prompting the predator to stop just short of the forest and fly off at last. This survivor, among a few others, gather in the safety of the trees, resting and flapping their wings as they watch the open ocean. The segment ends with a shot of five adult Alcione flying across the ocean, giving the hatchlings a glimpse of the future ahead of them.

Deserts[]

“ With a 17-foot wingspan, Barbaridactylus, a type of pterosaur, can exploit the thermals with effortless skill, and so cover great distances, despite the fact that some have enormous head crests. Every year, males and females gather at these special places in the sky, in their thousands. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

In the fifth, penultimate segment of the episode, thousands of Barbaridactylus are seen flying to the tops of plateaus in a North African desert, where no terrestrial predators can reach them, allowing them to rest and attract mates, though not completely in peace, for the males are territorial, not wanting to share the areas on which they perform their displays.

“ There are no ground predators on the summits of these isolated plateaus, so they're safe places on which to land. Large males select an area in which to perform their displays, whilst eager young bachelors circle overhead. Territory holders warn off any challengers, a message that sometimes needs to be violently reinforced. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

One male, deciding to prove his dominance by more physical means, attacks his rival, biting his foot as he tries to fly off, and chases him around the canyon. He attempts to destabilize the other male by grabbing his foot as they fly, momentarily disorienting him. After some time, the dominant male finally knocks his rival against the mesa's wall, causing the challenger to lose his balance, strike the wall for a second time, and fatally plummet to the rocky slopes below, where his body is buried by sand and rocks.

“ But you don't necessarily have to be heavyweight to succeed. There are some males that don't develop the huge head crest. They are sneaky males that look like females, and so can try to remain unnoticed. It's a dangerous game to play, because the large males are regularly on patrol, and they perform their displays. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Sometime later, a male that lacks the massive crest, looking like a female, sneaks into the colony. He attempts to woo a female with his courtship song and dance, though he is clearly trying to keep a low profile and not give away the fact that he is male, for the dominant male from earlier is walking around, also trying to attract mates with his own song and his great wingspan. After being rejected by an uninterested female, the dominant male looks through the many females around him, and spots the sneak, which he decides to approach. As the sneak looks around, trying to decide which female to court next, the dominant male gets up right in front of him, surprising him. He anxiously looks up the dominant male as he looks back down on him, hoping his cover is not blown.

Dominant Barbaridactylus attempts to court a female, not realizing that he's actually facing another male
Dominant Barbaridactylus attempts to court a female, not realizing that he's actually facing another male
“ The sneak has been spotted... but in fact, he caught the eye of the large male. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Surprisingly, however, the dominant male, fooled into believing that right before him is another female, begins doing his courtship song and dance, spreading his wings to show off his size. The sneak, of course, pretends to be a reluctant female, and walks away. His advances rejected yet again, the dominant male simply walks away to woo another female, none the wiser that he has actually faced another male.

“ Now, back to the mission in hand, and time to make his move... success! Large males might seem more attractive, but the females, it seems, ensure producing the fittest young by mating with as many partners as they can, whether they're impressively adorned, or just sneaky. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

With his cover still intact, the sneak walks up with one female and performs his mating display before her. For a moment, the female looks at him, deciding if he is worthy, while he stares back in anticipation. Finally, the female reciprocates his song and dance, and lets him mate with her. The view zooms out to view the many males and females resting, displaying, arriving, and flying on, over, and around the canyon, and the segment ends with a wide shot of the pterosaur-riddled plateaus in African desert.

Uncovered: Flamboyant Flyers[]

Footage of Barbaridactylus is used in this Uncovered segment, which is dedicated to the discussion of the extraordinary head crests seen on pterosaurs. It seems quite surprising that an animal meant for flight has what appears to be a large, cumbersome structure on its head.

“ These strange, long, thin crests are among the most recently discovered of a wide diversity of bony crests seen in pterosaurs as a whole. We now know of around 20 different species, all equipped with differently-shaped head crests. They range from short spikes and lumps, to enormous bony sails, and now to these ridiculous crests that look like antlers, and which are longer than the whole of the rest of the animal. ”

― Dr. Darren Naish, Lead Scientific Consultant

There were debates regarding the use of these crests. One theory was that they were meant to reduce drag, but tests in wind tunnels show that these crests only imparted a small advantage, and thus do not serve as justification for the large crests seen on the heads of these animals. Another explanation is that, given how the biggest crests are seen in older male specimens. In living species where only males have antlers and horns, these indicates that the head structures are used for sexual selection, with those possessing the largest structures proving to be the most attractive to females. However, not all males rely on this impressive decoration to have their way. As can be seen in many modern species today, ranging from kangaroos and cuttlefish to lizards and many species of birds, some males rely on "being sneaky" to mate. Some males in these species are smaller, with their display features greatly reduced, allowing them to look for mates without being seen as competition by the dominant males, mating with females when the dominant males are not looking.

“ Having the biggest, fanciest crest doesn't necessarily mean that that's the one you want to go for because, maybe that's the one that all of the females are trying to mate with. So sometimes, it's better to go for a smaller, less showy one. ”

― Dr. Liz Martin-Silverstone, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol

Though almost 250 years have elapsed since the first fossils of pterosaurs were discovered, the massive head crests of some species were only found recently, showing that, while there is a lot known about the prehistoric world, there may be more excited surprises yet to be learned.

Uncovered: Could Giant Pterosaurs Really Hunt on the Ground?[]

The segment, briefly featuring footage of the Barbaridactylus from Coasts and Deserts, brings special attention to what may be considered the weirdest of the pterosaurs, the azhdarchids. Despite their size, they are stated to be well-adapted for taking flight. The question at hand is why it is believed they can hunt on the ground. Most of the segment is focused on the ground-hunting capabilities of azhdarchids like Quetzalcoatlus and Hatzegopteryx.

Uncovered: What Else Lived Alongside The Dinosaurs?[]

In this Uncovered segment, which goes over the many animals that lived alongside the dinosaurs, the pterosaurs are brought up as masters of the skies, following the part dedicated to Mosasaurus, the "greatest marine predators of all time". Footage of Barbaridactylus from Deserts, as well as the juvenile azhdarchids and Quetzalcoatlus from Freshwater are shown, lauded as "the very first animals with backbones to fly".

“ They were not just very big, they also had a skull that was about three meters long and ended in giant, stabby jaws. If you were Tyrannosaurus, you would probably think twice about approaching an animal that dangerous. ”

― Dr. Darren Naish, Lead Scientific Consultant

More focus is brought to them with footage of the pair of Quetzalcoatlus harassing a T. rex in North America, to drive home how the largest can pose a threat to even the deadliest of predatory dinosaurs. The pterosaurs, along with many other impressive creatures that lived alongside the dinosaurs, were not like anything alive today, though, as shown by the next part, dedicated to mammals like Adalatherium, there were also some other animals that might seem a little bit more familiar.

Trivia[]

Coasts[]

  • Not counting Uncovered segments, this is the only segment on Prehistoric Planet to feature more than one pterosaur species.

Deserts[]

  • The fifth segment of Deserts is the third segment to feature intraspecific combat, the second one to result in the older individual winning, and also the second one to result in the death of the victor's rival.
  • This is the fourth segment to feature a courtship ritual, and the first one where the courtship ritual failed not because of a rival male, but due to a female being unimpressed by the male's mating display (though the second time the male Barbaridactylus was rejected, it was because the female he was trying to court is actually another male disguised as a female).
    • Of all the segments to feature courtship, this is the only one where a lesser male succeeded in mating, achieved by deceiving the more dominant male rather than directly challenging him, as well as the fact that females are willing to mate with as many partners as possible.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.