When Dinosaurs Roamed America
Encyclopedia
When Dinosaurs Roamed America (shortened to When Dinosaurs Roamed outside of the U.S.) is a two-hour American television program (produced in the style of a traditional nature documentary
) that first aired on Discovery Channel
in 2001. It was directed by Pierre de Lespinois and narrated by actor John Goodman
. The dinosaurs were designed by Paleo-artist and art director Mark Dubeau, who is also noted for creating dinosaurs on a myriad of other Discovery Channel and National Geographic specials. The dinosaur animation was directed by noted animator Don Waller (RoboCop
, King Kong
) at Meteor Studios, in Montreal, Canada. The music was composed by Christopher Franke
from Tangerine Dream
.
The program starts in the Late Triassic
, near modern-day New York City. The narrator explains how the Permian mass extinction led to new forms of life, including, eventually, the most extraordinary creatures ever to walk the planet, the dinosaur
s. The camera tracks a Coelophysis through the woods. The program depicts Coelophysis as preying mainly on small animals, such as insect
s and Icarosaurus. It encounters other, larger non-dinosaurian archosaurs such as Rutiodon and Desmatosuchus. The quick Coelophysis is portrayed as a very successful inhabitant of this world.
The program moves on to the Early Jurassic
of Pennsylvania
, showing a pack of Syntarsus. These dinosaurs, closely related to Coelophysis, are hunting for the primitive herbivorous
dinosaur Anchisaurus, only to be driven away by a Dilophosaurus, which kills the Anchisaurus to feed its young. The narrator then explains Syntarsus will become the gigantic carnivores such as Allosaurus and T-Rex, while Anchisaurus will become the sauropods.
The show skips to the Late Jurassic
of Utah at the height of a severe drought. A Ceratosaurus chases a family of Dryosaurus, catching one of the juveniles while the others escape into a herd of Camarasaurus. A male Stegosaurus fights off the Ceratosaurus, and eventually attracts a mate. The Ceratosaurus is seriously injured in the process. With the onset of the rainy season, a herd of Apatosaurus arrives, followed by a hungry Allosaurus who launches a failed attack against the herd and subsequently kills the injured Ceratosaurus. Later, one Apatosaurus stumbles off of a 20 foot cliff and cripples itself, providing an easy meal for a pack of Allosaurus.
The program then shows a New Mexico
forest of the Middle Cretaceous. Small predatory coelurosaurs scamper through the forest among larger herbivorous dinosaurs. One lone dromaeosaur tries to attack a Nothronychus, only to be slashed by its long claw
s. An old male Zuniceratops is attacked by the pack of dromaeosaurs and is fatally wounded. Just as it is time to finish off the old Zuniceratops, a forest fire springs up, and most of the dinosaurs escape in all directions. However, the feasting dromaeosaurs are too distracted and become trapped in the fire.
The program explains that dinosaurs similar to Zuniceratops evolved into the famous Triceratops. In the Late Cretaceous
, Anatotitan and Triceratops browse
, while Ornithomimus peck at roots and other plants in the area. Quetzalcoatlus soar overhead, looking for carcass
es. A young Tyrannosaurus arrives on the scene, and the Triceratops form a defensive circle. Unable to get past the horns of the Triceratops, the Tyrannosaurus attacks a Quetzalcoatlus, which flies away from the potential danger. The next day, the young Tyrannosaurus and its siblings are taught by their mother to hunt. They target an Anatotitan, with the young scaring it into the mother's trap. The T-Rex kills the Anatotitan. Before they can eat, an asteroid smashes into the Gulf of Mexico, engulfing the family of T-Rex in a wall of swirling wood, soil, ash, water, and other debris. Soon, the T-Rex family dies.
Despite the depressing and traumatic event, life is described as being resilient, and a turtle
is shown emerging from the ground and a bird
flies overhead, explained by the narrator as the only dinosaurs left. Out of the ashes, several small possumlike mammals emerge, and the narrator explains that small mammals such as these will eventually evolve into human
s and think back in awe to a time "when dinosaurs roamed America".
The Ultimate Guide: T-rex
Paleoworld
Dinosaur Planet (TV series)
"Dinosaur Revolution
Beyond T-rex
Valley Of The T-rex
Nature documentary
A natural history film or wildlife film is a documentary film about animals, plants, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on film taken in their natural habitat...
) that first aired on Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
in 2001. It was directed by Pierre de Lespinois and narrated by actor John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
. The dinosaurs were designed by Paleo-artist and art director Mark Dubeau, who is also noted for creating dinosaurs on a myriad of other Discovery Channel and National Geographic specials. The dinosaur animation was directed by noted animator Don Waller (RoboCop
RoboCop
RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...
, King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
) at Meteor Studios, in Montreal, Canada. The music was composed by Christopher Franke
Christopher Franke
Christopher Franke is a German musician and composer. From 1971 to 1988 he was a member of the electronic group Tangerine Dream. Initially a drummer with The Agitation, later renamed Agitation Free, his primary focus eventually shifted to keyboards and synthesizers as the group moved away from its...
from Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
.
Late Triassic segment (220 million years ago)
Animals featured:- CoelophysisCoelophysisCoelophysis , meaning "hollow form" in reference to its hollow bones , is one of the earliest known genera of dinosaur...
- RutiodonRutiodonRutiodon is an extinct genus of archosaur belonging to the family Phytosauridae. It lived during the Late Triassic period, and was about 10 to 25 feet in length...
- DesmatosuchusDesmatosuchusDesmatosuchus is an extinct genus of archosaur belonging to the Order Aetosauria. It was one of the largest aetosaurs, being long and about 1.50 m high. It lived during the Late Triassic in Texas....
- IcarosaurusIcarosaurusIcarosaurus is a genus of reptile from the Late Triassic Lower Lockatong Formation of New Jersey, dated to around 228 million years ago. It is closely related to lizards and the tuatara...
- TraversodonTraversodonTraversodon is a genus of therapsid. Being a cynodont, it was a relative of the direct ancestor to modern mammals. Traversodon lived in what is now the Northeastern part of the United States and South America.-Species:...
- Unidentified MammalMammalMammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
(live-acted by an Eastern QuollEastern QuollThe Eastern Quoll , also known as the Eastern Native Cat, is a medium-sized carnivorous dasyurid marsupial native to Australia. They are now considered extinct on the mainland, but remain widespread and even locally common in Tasmania...
) - Unidentified GrasshopperGrasshopperThe grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
The program starts in the Late Triassic
Late Triassic
The Late Triassic is in the geologic timescale the third and final of three epochs of the Triassic period. The corresponding series is known as the Upper Triassic. In the past it was sometimes called the Keuper, after a German lithostratigraphic group that has a roughly corresponding age...
, near modern-day New York City. The narrator explains how the Permian mass extinction led to new forms of life, including, eventually, the most extraordinary creatures ever to walk the planet, the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s. The camera tracks a Coelophysis through the woods. The program depicts Coelophysis as preying mainly on small animals, such as insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and Icarosaurus. It encounters other, larger non-dinosaurian archosaurs such as Rutiodon and Desmatosuchus. The quick Coelophysis is portrayed as a very successful inhabitant of this world.
Early Jurassic segment (200 million years ago)
Animals featured:- MegapnosaurusMegapnosaurusMegapnosaurus was a dinosaur of the theropod family Coelophysidae, formerly called Syntarsus , living during the Early Jurassic. It was renamed by American entomologist Dr. Michael Ivie , Polish Australian Dr...
(Identified as SyntarsusSyntarsus*Syntarsus is a beetle in the Colydiinae subfamily.*Megapnosaurus, a theropod dinosaur, was formerly called Syntarsus, and is occasionally still referred to as such....
) - AnchisaurusAnchisaurusAnchisaurus is a genus of basal sauropodomorph, and was an early herbivorous dinosaur. Until recently it was classed as a member of Prosauropoda. The name comes from the Greek αγχι/agkhi...
- DilophosaurusDilophosaurusDilophosaurus was a theropod dinosaur from the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic Period, about 193 million years ago. The first specimens were described in 1954, but it was not until over a decade later that the genus received its current name...
The program moves on to the Early Jurassic
Early Jurassic
The Early Jurassic epoch is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic period...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, showing a pack of Syntarsus. These dinosaurs, closely related to Coelophysis, are hunting for the primitive herbivorous
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
dinosaur Anchisaurus, only to be driven away by a Dilophosaurus, which kills the Anchisaurus to feed its young. The narrator then explains Syntarsus will become the gigantic carnivores such as Allosaurus and T-Rex, while Anchisaurus will become the sauropods.
Late Jurassic segment (150 million years ago)
Animals featured:- CeratosaurusCeratosaurusCeratosaurus meaning "horned lizard", in reference to the horn on its nose , was a large predatory theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Period , found in the Morrison Formation of North America, in Tanzania and Portugal...
- AllosaurusAllosaurusAllosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period . The name Allosaurus means "different lizard". It is derived from the Greek /allos and /sauros...
- ApatosaurusApatosaurusApatosaurus , also known by the popular but scientifically deprecated synonym Brontosaurus, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived from about 154 to 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period . It was one of the largest land animals that ever existed, with an average length of and a...
- DryosaurusDryosaurusDryosaurus is a genus of an ornithopod dinosaur that lived in the Late Jurassic period. It was an iguanodont . Fossils have been found in the western United States, and were first discovered in the late 19th century...
- StegosaurusStegosaurusStegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
- CamarasaurusCamarasaurusCamarasaurus meaning 'chambered lizard', referring to the hollow chambers in its vertebrae was a genus of quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs. It was the most common of the giant sauropods to be found in North America...
- Unidentified PterosaurPterosaurPterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
The show skips to the Late Jurassic
Late Jurassic
The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 161.2 ± 4.0 to 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago , which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata. In European lithostratigraphy, the name "Malm" indicates rocks of Late Jurassic age...
of Utah at the height of a severe drought. A Ceratosaurus chases a family of Dryosaurus, catching one of the juveniles while the others escape into a herd of Camarasaurus. A male Stegosaurus fights off the Ceratosaurus, and eventually attracts a mate. The Ceratosaurus is seriously injured in the process. With the onset of the rainy season, a herd of Apatosaurus arrives, followed by a hungry Allosaurus who launches a failed attack against the herd and subsequently kills the injured Ceratosaurus. Later, one Apatosaurus stumbles off of a 20 foot cliff and cripples itself, providing an easy meal for a pack of Allosaurus.
Mid Cretaceous segment (90 million years ago)
- Dromaeosaur
- NothronychusNothronychusNothronychus is a genus of theropod dinosaur classified in the group Therizinosauria, from the Cretaceous of North America.The type species of this dinosaur, Nothronychus mckinleyi, was described by James Kirkland and Douglas G. Wolfe in 2001...
- ZuniceratopsZuniceratopsZuniceratops was a ceratopsian dinosaur from the mid Turonian of the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now New Mexico, United States...
- Unidentified coelurosaursCoelurosauriaCoelurosauria is the clade containing all theropod dinosaurs more closely related to birds than to carnosaurs. In the past, it was used to refer to all small theropods, although this classification has been abolished...
The program then shows a New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
forest of the Middle Cretaceous. Small predatory coelurosaurs scamper through the forest among larger herbivorous dinosaurs. One lone dromaeosaur tries to attack a Nothronychus, only to be slashed by its long claw
Claw
A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. However, the word "claw" is also often used in reference to an invertebrate. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end...
s. An old male Zuniceratops is attacked by the pack of dromaeosaurs and is fatally wounded. Just as it is time to finish off the old Zuniceratops, a forest fire springs up, and most of the dinosaurs escape in all directions. However, the feasting dromaeosaurs are too distracted and become trapped in the fire.
Late Cretaceous segment (65 million years ago)
- Tyrannosaurus rex
- TriceratopsTriceratopsTriceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
- AnatotitanAnatotitanAnatotitan is a genus of flat-headed or hadrosaurine hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaur from the very end of the Cretaceous Period, in what is now North America...
- QuetzalcoatlusQuetzalcoatlusQuetzalcoatlus was a pterodactyloid pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous of North America , and one of the largest known flying animals of all time. It was a member of the Azhdarchidae, a family of advanced toothless pterosaurs with unusually long, stiffened necks...
- OrnithomimusOrnithomimusOrnithomimus is a genus of ornithomimid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now North America.In 1890 Ornithomimus velox was named by Othniel Charles Marsh on the basis of a foot and partial hand from the Maastrichtian Denver Formation. Another seventeen species have been named since...
(not identified, revealed on website) - PurgatoriusPurgatoriusPurgatorius is the genus of the four extinct species believed to be the earliest example of a primate or a proto-primate, a primatomorph precursor to the Plesiadapiformes...
(live-acted by opossums) - Unidentified turtleTurtleTurtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
(live-acted) - Unidentified birdBirdBirds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
(live-acted)
The program explains that dinosaurs similar to Zuniceratops evolved into the famous Triceratops. In the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
, Anatotitan and Triceratops browse
Browsing (predation)
Browsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high growing, generally woody, plants such as shrubs. This is contrasted with grazing, usually associated with animals feeding on grass or other low vegetation...
, while Ornithomimus peck at roots and other plants in the area. Quetzalcoatlus soar overhead, looking for carcass
Wiktionary
Wiktionary is a multilingual, web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in 158 languages...
es. A young Tyrannosaurus arrives on the scene, and the Triceratops form a defensive circle. Unable to get past the horns of the Triceratops, the Tyrannosaurus attacks a Quetzalcoatlus, which flies away from the potential danger. The next day, the young Tyrannosaurus and its siblings are taught by their mother to hunt. They target an Anatotitan, with the young scaring it into the mother's trap. The T-Rex kills the Anatotitan. Before they can eat, an asteroid smashes into the Gulf of Mexico, engulfing the family of T-Rex in a wall of swirling wood, soil, ash, water, and other debris. Soon, the T-Rex family dies.
Despite the depressing and traumatic event, life is described as being resilient, and a turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
is shown emerging from the ground and a bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
flies overhead, explained by the narrator as the only dinosaurs left. Out of the ashes, several small possumlike mammals emerge, and the narrator explains that small mammals such as these will eventually evolve into human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s and think back in awe to a time "when dinosaurs roamed America".
Close-up shots
The show has a number of close-up examinations of the dinosaur body structure. They include:- Coelophysis general skeletal features
- Anchisaurus and Syntarsus general skeletal features and mutual differences
- Camarasaurus digestive system and neckNeckThe neck is the part of the body, on many terrestrial or secondarily aquatic vertebrates, that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The adjective signifying "of the neck" is cervical .-Boner anatomy: The cervical spine:The cervical portion of the human spine comprises seven boney...
structure - Apatosaurus backboneVertebral columnIn human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
structure - "Raptor" body features - talons, claws, skullSkullThe skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
, tailTailThe tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
, etc. - Quetzalcoatlus wingWingA wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
structure - Tyrannosaurus body features - skullSkullThe skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
, legLegŁęg may refer to the following places in Poland:*A former name for the town of Ełk *Part of the Czyżyny district of Kraków*Łęg, Pleszew County in Greater Poland Voivodeship...
s, ribs, armArmIn human anatomy, the arm is the part of the upper limb between the shoulder and the elbow joints. In other animals, the term arm can also be used for analogous structures, such as one of the paired forelimbs of a four-legged animal or the arms of cephalopods...
s, etc. - Anatotitan jawJawThe jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
s and teeth structure.
Paleontological inaccuracies
- When CoelophysisCoelophysisCoelophysis , meaning "hollow form" in reference to its hollow bones , is one of the earliest known genera of dinosaur...
skeleton are shown, the foot's 3 main toes have 2 phalanges each. In reality, theropod's 3 main toes (II, III and IIII) had different number of phalanges, namely 2 phalanges (toe II), 3 phalanges (toe III) and 4 phalanges (toe IIII). - Most of the creatures in the Triassic segment did not live in New York(although Rutiodon did).
- Anchisaurus could not walk or run on four legs.
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