Spirits of the Ice Forest
106 million years ago, Middle Cretaceous (Antarctica/Australia)
Filming location: New Zealand
A few hundred kilometres from the South Pole, a clan of herbivorous Leaellynasaura are seen emerging to activity after months of total darkness. Now with the coming of spring, the members of the clan are shown feeding on the fresh plant growth and building nests so they can lay their eggs. A male amphibian Koolasuchus has also woken up from hibernation and heads to a river where he will stay during the summer. Out on the rocky river banks, migrating herds of herbivorous Muttaburrasaurus have arrived to feed on the fresh vegetation and lay their eggs, also dealing with blood-sucking insects. By summer, many of the Leaellynasaura clan's eggs have been eaten, but those of the matriarch hatch successfully. A male polar allosaur is shown hunting the Leaellynasaura and Muttaburrasaurus. The Leaellynasaura clan continues to prepare for the winter, as well as raising the young that have now grown. When autumn arrives, the Muttaburrasaurus herd begins to head back north, and the Koolasuchus leaves the river to find a pool in the forest to hibernate through the winter. However, during the migration some Muttaburrasaurus become lost in the forest and the noise they make in the process of trying to get back to the herd prevents the Leaellynasaura clan's sentry from hearing the polar allosaur approaching. In the confusion, the allosaur manages to catch and kill the matriarch of the Leaellynasaura clan, while only one of the hatchlings survives the year. After the last day passes in a matter of minutes, winter descends and the forest becomes almost completely darkened, requiring image enhancement to the camera to view what wildlife are still active. The Leaellynasaura clan is able to stay active despite their social order being in disarray, using their large eyes to help them forage for food. During this time, the clan and other fauna use various methods of dealing with the cold, including suspended animation, hibernation or using group body temperature to maintain heat. Finally, spring returns, and two Leaellynasaura males challenge one another for the right to mate, and after a short confrontation, the clan establishes a dominant pair once again.
In the end it is accepted that the shifting of the continents will soon pull the landmass closer to the South Pole, and that the forests, and all these unique dinosaurs will soon disappear.
Animals Leaellynasaura · Koolasuchus · Polar allosaur (likely Australovenator) · Muttaburrasaurus · Steropodon (identified as Mammal) · Giant Weta · Tuatara · unidentified pterosaurs · blood-sucking insects
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