Deserts

DesertsSeason 1, Episode 2
Air date	May 24, 2022
Writer	Paul D. Stewart
Director	Adam Valdez
Previous	Coasts
Next	Freshwater

“ Above the deserts of North Africa, aerial combat ensues as male Barbaridactylus pterosaurs fight for the attention of females below. ”

― The official Apple TV+ episode synopsis for Deserts

Deserts is the second episode of the first season of Prehistoric Planet.

Segment I: Dreadnoughtus

	Deserts, Segment I
	Setting Cerro Fortaleza Formation, Santa Cruz Province, southwest Argentina

Deserts, Segment I

Setting
Cerro Fortaleza Formation, Santa Cruz Province, southwest Argentina

Dreadnoughtus males visit the desert for their mating season

“ The west of South America, and one of the most desolate places on this Prehistoric Planet. Few animals venture here, yet it is the stage for one of the most extraordinary gatherings on Earth... Dreadnoughtus. Titanosaurs 85 feet long, and weighing 40 tonnes. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

The first segment of the episode starts in a barren region in western South America. Walking through the shimmering heat of the wilderness are 17 male Dreadnoughtus, ready to prove themselves to a group of dozens or even hundreds of females that have already arrived to the desert beforehand, waiting for them. As they travel towards their destination, several birds fly among them, with some even riding on their backs and heads.

Several male Dreadnoughtus show off their air sacs to the females

“ These are all males, and they're many miles from their rich forest feeding grounds. They come here for only one reason, to fight for the chance to mate. Crowds of females scrutinize the newly-arriving males, assessing their strength and suitability. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Upon arriving to the place where the females have gathered, the males begin showing off their gular air sacs, and some of the males are already seen hissing and arguing with each other. One of the males appears to be successful in attracting the attention of many females with his display, and this garners the attention of not only the females. An old male, the center of attention for two weeks straight, gets up to confront what he sees as a potential threat to his dominance, rearing on his hind legs and inflating his air sacs to prove his superiority. The younger sauropod does not back down, however, and continues to glare right into the eyes of the dominant male. Seeing that his rival chooses to continue to defy him, the two males circle each other, knowing that there is only one way for dominance to be established.

The titanosaurs wrestle like monitor lizards

“ This huge bull, white with dust, has held the center stage for two weeks. He weighs nearly 50 tonnes. And his display has, so far, intimidated all challengers. But this newer rival... is not deterred. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

The two males rear up, the dominant male appearing to be taller than his rival, and both push at each other, clashing necks. They repeat this several times, staring each other down before rearing up and colliding. In one clash, the dominant male pushes his enemy back. The younger titanosaur responds by resorting to more primal tactics, biting down on the nape of the dominant male to grab him and break contact.

The younger male bites his rival's neck, willing to do anything to assert dominance and ensure victory

“ Lifting up such a huge body is exhausting. It's a battle of endurance. As the conflict intensifies, each fighter tries to wound the other, stabbing with dagger-like spikes on each thumb, and raking the skin with their teeth. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Eventually, it is the dominant male that is getting pushed back. As his opponent repeatedly stabs at him with his thumb claws and bites at his neck, raking his skin off with his pencil-shaped teeth, the old bull's strength begun to wane as he is left simply trying to endure his adversary's attacks rather than go on the offensive and actively strike back.

The challenger takes over as the dominant bull, putting his air sacs on full display

“ Until eventually... the knockout blow. The old bull's rule is finally over. The young victor takes his turn on the center stage. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

With one final neck swing, the challenger knocks the old bull down to the ground. The old bull tries to stand back up, but the impact of his 50-tonne body hitting the ground proved too much, and he collapses, unable to fight anymore. The females bellow, either in surprise or to congratulate the new champion, who now shows off his mating display to them unopposed.

The old male, alone in the desert, his corpse showing one possible fate that may befall those who fail during the mating season

“ The price of defeat, for some, is very high. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Eventually, the view of the scene zooms out from above, showing the old bull lying on the ground, unmoving, as the day goes on and the number of Dreadnoughtus in the area dwindle. The segment ends at night, with only the deceased old male left in the vast desert, his corpse serving as proof of the extent that males would go through during the mating season, showing one possible outcome for those who fail and exert too much of themselves during the mating season, a mirror of similar examples in the modern day.

Segment II: Lizards and Velociraptors

A Mongolian Lizard

“ Even though some animals are well-adapted to desert conditions, their survival is often on a knife edge, especially here in Asia, where, in the height of summer, temperatures soar above 60 degrees Celsius, and water evaporates in an instant. There are ferocious-looking reptiles here too... but this little lizard is only a few inches long. Here, getting a meal is never easy. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

The second segment of the episode takes place in Asia. In the simmering heat of the desert, where the temperature rises to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) at the height of summer, a lizard, only a few inches long, runs around to find a meal, pursuing a fly across the rocky wilderness.

A Tarbosaurus yawning

“ This immense carcass could be promising. A dead sauropod, a potential feast for many. But strangely, all is quiet. Tarbosaurus. The equivalent in this desert of T. rex. They keep everyone else away. But for the lizard, they might bring an opportunity. If there is one thing that attracts flies more than a carcass, it's a sleeping Tarbosaur that has been feeding on that carcass. Time to be bold. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

The lizard eventually comes across a rotting sauropod carcass, with azhdarchids circling overhead. Surrounding the corpse was a group of four sleeping Tarbosauruses. Seeing the number of flies attracted to the carcass and the smelly faces of the tyrannosaurs that fed on the carcass, the lizard sees the good feeding opportunity, and musters some courage to go after some flies, running on and around a Tarbosaurus, trying to catch some of the flies that gathered around its face, taking caution not to awaken the large theropod.

A Velociraptor searching for lizards

“ A Velociraptor. Time to be careful, because Velociraptors often hunt... together. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Just then, a Velociraptor rushes in and snaps up another lizard in the area. A second Velociraptor, eyeing another lizard in the area, rushes at the little creature, but the lizard manages to run away in time. Carefully, the Velociraptor sneaks around the sleeping Tarbosauruses, seeking out more lizards to eat. Finding another one, it goes after it, the lizard rushing under a sleeping Tarbosaurus, causing the Velociraptor to bump into the bigger theropod, waking it up. Not happy to be disturbed, the tyrannosaur reaches out in an attempt to snap the Velociraptor, which rushes off with its companion as the Tarbosaurus gets up, causing the other Tarbosauruses to also wake up.

Mongolian Azhdarchids scavenging a sauropod carcass

“ The Tarbosaurs move on. And now the pterosaurs can come down and claim a share of the carcass. For the little lizard, the opportunity is gone. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

The tyrannosaurs decide to leave the carcass, which has not that much left on it anymore, allowing the azhdarchids flying overhead to finally come down and feast on what little remains of the sauropod. The opportunity to feed gone, the little lizard scampered away from the area, running across the desert once more to look for food.

Segment III: Mononykus

	Deserts, Segment III
	Setting Nemegt Formation, Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Deserts, Segment III

Setting
Nemegt Formation, Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Mononykus on a log housing termites

“ Mononykus is a desert specialist. Like many desert animals, she must patrol a huge area if she is to find enough food. Bare legs help keep her body cool. Feathers on her body shield her from the sun's rays, and they provide her with a super-sense. They form facial discs that help her detect the faintest of sounds. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

The third segment of the episode shows a female Mononykus traveling through the desert, looking for a meal. With her hypersensitive directional hearing, Mononykus is able to track down the faint sounds of a termite nest in a hollow log. Making her way onto the dead tree, she uses her hearing to mentally map out the termite nest and determines the right position to dig through, breaking a hole through the wood with her left claw. She sticks her long tongue through the wood and licks up some termites, though some do crawl on her face in the process, prompting her to shake and scratch off the irritating insects on the log and with her feet.

Mononykus watches rain fall from within the comfort of a crevice

“ But such conditions don't always stay the same. On rare occasions, cooler mountain winds sweep in, and mix with the rising hot air. A desert storm, bringing with it welcome rain. She may never before have seen the land soaked like this. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

When a storm suddenly forms in the desert, Mononykus, who has likely never seen such an event unfold to such an extent before, ran for shelter, taking refuge in a small cave in the rocks. The rain brings to life seeds that have long lied dormant beneath the ground. In a short span of time, green shrubs and various colorful flowers sprout from the ground, filling the once-barren lands of the desert with plants.

Mononykus looking for food amidst the vegetation

“ It transforms this landscape in unexpected ways. Seeds that have been lying dormant burst into life. They transform this arid landscape in a matter of days. And with the vegetation comes an abundance of food... if you know how to catch it. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

When the rains subsided, Mononykus rushed out, curiously looking for food through the vegetation, checking out trees, a scorpion, and even charging after eniantiornithine birds, which fly off as soon as she reached them. Running around some more, she eventually manages to find and grab a beetle, before rushing off, presumably to find more food. Eventually, the plants are wiped out, and the temporary lushness of the land is once again reverted to its default arid state.

Segment IV: The Waterhole

	Deserts, Segment IV
	Setting Nemegt Formation, Gobi Desert, Mongolia Filming Location Namibia, southern Africa

Deserts, Segment IV

Setting
Nemegt Formation, Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Filming Location
Namibia, southern Africa

TBA

Segment V: Barbaridactylus

	Deserts, Segment V
	Setting Ouled Abdoun Basin, Khouribga, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Morocco Filming Location Grand Canyon National Park, northwest Arizona, USA

Deserts, Segment V

Setting
Ouled Abdoun Basin, Khouribga, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, Morocco

Filming Location
Grand Canyon National Park, northwest Arizona, USA

“ 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

“ 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.

Segment VI: Secernosaurus

	Deserts, Segment VI
	Setting Lago Colhué Huapí Formation, Golfo San Jorge Basin, Argentina Filming Location Namibia

Deserts, Segment VI

Setting
Lago Colhué Huapí Formation, Golfo San Jorge Basin, Argentina

Filming Location
Namibia

A herd of Secernosaurus in the desolate landscape of the Lago Colhué Huapí Formation

“ It's not just extraordinary bizarre animals that live in the deserts of the Prehistoric Planet. There are strange, otherworldly landscapes too, such as here in South America. This may look like a dusting of snow, but these great dunes are composed, not of sand, but of gypsum. Gypsum is a fine, white mineral that dissolves in water so easily, it can only exist in solid form in the driest areas on Earth. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

The sixth and final segment of the episode takes place in the vast gypsum desert of the Lago Colhué Huapí Formation in Argentina, South America, one of the driest places on Earth.

Secernosaurus feeding on the branches of a dead tree

“ These dunes are so dry that living here is almost impossible, yet some dinosaurs manage to do so. Secernosaurus, a type of small hadrosaur. Although they can survive on a poor-quality diet, every decade or so, this area dries out so extremely, that almost all the vegetation shrivels and dies. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Within a rocky area of long-dead trees, a herd of Secernosaurus wander around, exposed to the harsh sun. One individual feeds on the few remaining dried-out shrubs it can find before attempting to chew off one of the low-hanging branches of a shriveled-up tree. However, it is clear that there is nothing left for the herd to subsist on, with the only reminder of sustenance being the shimmering mirage of an oasis flanked by vegetation.

Preferring to travel at night, the Secernosaurus herd moves ever closer to their destination, using the stars above like landmarks on a map

“ With young to care for, this can be the end of the herd. But some of the older, more experienced individuals may remember other potential sources of food and water, and they know that the way to survive is not to try to leave the desert, but to continue traveling across its baking dunes. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Determined to survive rather than simply waste away in the middle of the desert, the herd decides to set out and find true food and water. As they wander in the darkness and coolness of the night, they navigate the desert by relying on the stars overhead to approximate their position, keep themselves traveling in the proper direction, and know how close they may be to where they must go.

The Secernosaurus herd takes a break behind the shade of a tall desert dune

“ By day, the blistering sun still beats down from overhead. Even if they can find shade, this, for some, can be journey's end. But there is something else that may help them. The deep, rumbling sound of waves crashing onto the distant shoreline travels for miles through the dunes. The sound is so low that many animals cannot hear it, but hadrosaurs can, and so are able to find their way towards the coast. But this desert still has one more obstacle that must be overcome. Giant, coastal dunes block their path. Steep, unstable sand saps energy with every step. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

After what may be one or several days, the herd is next seen resting behind a dune, taking refuge from the heat of the sun. There is a noticeable glimmer of hope in the change of scenery, yellow sand as opposed to the blinding white gypsum lands they came from before, indicating that the environment is less arid than before, even if only by a bit. Eventually, the herd comes upon a tall dune, the last obstacle between them and the sea, where their salvation might be. The climb proves difficult, and one juvenile calls out to its mother, exhausted, though the mother calls out to her calf and manages to convince it to continue just for a little longer.

At last, the Secernosaurus herd reached their destination, a shrub-covered paradise where the desert ends and the sea begins

“ They have made it, and their first award is to lick droplets of water that condense on their skin from the fog that forms where dunes and ocean meet. And this fog also nourishes a rich, coastal paradise. This is enough to feed the herd for now, but once it runs out, they will be forced to move on, and once more endure the trials of life in the deserts of the Prehistoric Planet. ”

― David Attenborough, Deserts

Finally, the herd reaches the top of the coastal dune, being greeted and coated by a salty fog that they lick off their skin, serving as their first taste of water in a long time. This same coastal breeze also allowed lush green shrubs to flourish on the shore. At last, the herd has found a sufficient amount of food that can keep them and their young alive for the time being, sustenance that, until the day it runs out, will bring them relief from the inhospitable gypsum deserts of Argentina.

Uncovered Segment: Flamboyant Flyers

	Flamboyant Flyers
	Subject The diversity and purpose of pterosaur crests, as well as their mating strategies. Experts Dr. Darren Naish, Dr. Liz Martin-Silverstone

Flamboyant Flyers

Subject
The diversity and purpose of pterosaur crests, as well as their mating strategies.

Experts
Dr. Darren Naish, Dr. Liz Martin-Silverstone

This Uncovered segment, based on the head crests and sexual strategies of Barbaridactylus, 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.

Fauna

Main

Dreadnoughtus schrani

Mongolian Lizard

Mongolian Azhdarchid

Tarbosaurus bataar

"Velociraptor"

Mononykus olecranus

Barsboldia sicinskii

Tarchia sp.

Nemegtosaurus mongoliensis

Therizinosaurus cheloniformis

Mongolian Titan

Barbaridactylus grandis

Secernosaurus australis (reclassified as Huallasaurus australis in 2022)

Uncovered

Tupuxuara leonardii

Sinopterus dongi

Pteranodon longiceps

Thalassodromeus sethi

Tapejara wellnhoferi

Dsungaripterus weii

Tupandactylus imperator

Dawndraco kanzai

Raeticodactylus filisurensis

Scrapped

Cerro Fortaleza Pterosaur

Trivia

• Some of the segments for Badlands were originally intended for Deserts 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 that episode's segments are not technically badlands.

External Links

• Prehistoric Planet Official Megathread: Deserts. Archived on ThreadReaderApp.