Wild New World (2002): Season 1, Episode 4 - Edge of the Ice - full transcript

Narrator:
SEATTLE ON THE WEST COAST
OF NORTH AMERICA.

ONE OF THE WORLD'S
MOST HIGH TECH CITIES,

IT DRAWS THOUSANDS
OF WORKERS

AND VISITORS EVERY DAY.

BUT HOW DID THE VERY FIRST
TRAVELERS GET HERE?

AND WHAT WOULD THEY
HAVE SEEN?

WHEN PEOPLE FIRST SET FOOT
IN THE NORTHWEST

THEY WERE TO ENCOUNTER SOME
OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE BEASTS

EVER SEEN ON THE CONTINENT.

( growling )

( rumbling )



USING CLUES FROM THE PRESENT
TO REVISIT THE PAST,

WE RECONSTRUCT LIFE
IN THE FAR NORTHWEST

AT THE END
OF THE ICE AGE,

AND DISCOVER HOW PEOPLE
AND ANIMALS

CAME FACE TO FACE

AT THE EDGE OF THE ICE.

AS WE SHALL SEE
FROM EVIDENCE LEFT BEHIND,

PEOPLE WERE PRESENT
IN NORTH AMERICA

13,000 YEARS AGO.

BUT HOW DID THEY
TRAVEL HERE

AND WHERE DID THEY
COME FROM?

THE ANSWERS MAY LIE

IN THE NORTHWEST REGION
OF THE CONTINENT.

IN THIS PROGRAM,
WE UNCOVER CLUES



NOT ONLY TO A JOURNEY
TAKEN BY PEOPLE,

BUT TO A WILDERNESS
THAT THEY BECAME PART OF,

A WILDERNESS
THAT NO LONGER EXISTS.

IN DOING SO,
WE GET A GLIMPSE

OF THE LIFE
AND DEATH ENCOUNTERS

IN THIS CORNER
OF THE CONTINENT

AT THE END OF THE ICE AGE.

( growling )

AND WE REVEAL
HOW THE NORTHWEST

OFFERED PEOPLE A ROUTE
INTO NORTH AMERICA,

WHICH UNTIL RECENTLY
WAS THOUGHT IMPOSSIBLE.

IT HAPPENED JUST AS
THE HUGE ICE SHEETS

THAT COVERED
MOST OF THE CONTINENT
WERE BREAKING UP,

SOMETIMES WITH A DEVASTATING
IMPACT ON THE PEOPLE
AND ANIMALS

LIVING IN THE SHADOW
OF THE ICE.

( rumbling )

TODAY WE CAN EXAMINE
THE EVIDENCE OF THAT
DRAMATIC ERA,

USING IT TO RECREATE
THE LANDSCAPE

AND THE WILDLIFE
OF THE DISTANT PAST.

BONES AND FOSSILS
CAN ALSO TELL US

ABOUT THE LIVES
OF THE FIRST PEOPLE.

TO GET A PICTURE
OF HOW MUCH THIS REGION
OF THE CONTINENT

HAS CHANGED SINCE
THE END OF THE ICE AGE,

WE MUST LOOK
AT THE PRESENT DAY LANDSCAPE

OF THE NORTHWEST.

TODAY THIS AREA IS HOME
TO SOME OF THE WORLD'S

MOST SPECTACULAR
TEMPERATE RAINFOREST,

RANGING 2,000 MILES
FROM MODERN DAY SEATTLE

UP INTO ALASKA.

THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
THRIVES ON WATER.

MORE THAN THREE METERS
OF RAIN FALLS EVERY YEAR

TO SWELL
THE FOREST RIVERS.

MIST AND FOG
ARE AS IMPORTANT

TO THESE COASTAL FORESTS
AS RAIN.

ALL THIS MOISTURE
HELPS PRODUCE

SOME OF THE PLANET'S
TALLEST TREES,

TOWERING 100 METERS
ABOVE THE GROUND.

THESE ANCIENT FORESTS

ARE ONE OF THE FEW
TRUE WILDERNESSES LEFT
IN NORTH AMERICA

AND ARE HOME TO CREATURES

THAT HAVE COME
TO SYMBOLIZE THE WILD.

BUT THESE DENSE FORESTS

AREN'T AS OLD AS YOU
MIGHT THINK.

THEY CERTAINLY
WEREN'T HERE AT THE END
OF THE ICE AGE

13,000 YEARS AGO.

THE TREES
WERE SPARSER THEN

AND MIXED
WITH OPEN GRASSLAND.

SO, WERE THE ANIMALS
THAT LIVED HERE DIFFERENT TOO?

( train whistle blowing )

THIS SMALL TOWN
IN CENTRAL OREGON

HAS PROVED TO BE
A WINDOW ON THE PAST.

SOME OF THE REGION'S
MOST IMPORTANT FOSSIL EVIDENCE

HAS BEEN UNEARTHED
BENEATH ITS STREETS.

BONES LIKE THESE
HELP TO PAINT A PICTURE

OF THE LIVING CREATURES
THEY BELONGED TO.

THIS WAS THE LARGEST
GRAZER IN THE NORTHWEST.

STANDING 4 METERS
AT THE SHOULDER,

THE COLUMBIAN MAMMOTH.

AND ITS BIGGEST ENEMY,

THE PREDATORY
SCIMITAR-TOOTHED CAT.

( growling )

( trumpeting )

AS THE GREAT MELT BEGAN,

GRAZERS
AND MEAT-EATERS ALIKE

WERE FACED
WITH MASSIVE CHANGE.

VAST AREAS OF LAND
WERE TRANSFORMED,

GRADUALLY REVIVING
AFTER HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF YEARS

BURIED UNDER THE ICE.

THE GLACIERS
WE STILL SEE TODAY
IN THE NORTHWEST

ARE MERE REMNANTS
OF IMMENSE ICE BLANKETS

THAT ONCE DOMINATED
NORTH AMERICA.

THEIR SHEER SCALE
IS STILL IMPRESSIVE.

SOME ARE SEVERAL
MILES WIDE,

HUNDREDS OF METERS DEEP.

BUT NOW THE GLACIERS
ARE IN RETREAT,

AS THEY HAVE BEEN
FOR OVER 13,000 YEARS.

REMARKABLY,
SOME OF THE ICEBERGS
SET FREE BY THE MELT

CONSIST OF WATER FROZEN

TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF YEARS AGO.

THESE FLOATING FRAGMENTS
NOW PROVIDE A TEMPORARY
RESTING PLACE

FOR HARBOR SEALS
AND THEIR PUPS.

IMAGINE THESE GLACIERS
AT THEIR PEAK.

IT'S THOUGHT THEY COVERED
HALF THE CONTINENT

IN LAYERS
ALMOST TWO MILES DEEP.

WHEN THE PLANET
STARTED WARMING UP,

THE ICE SHEETS MELTED,

USUALLY OVER THOUSANDS
OF YEARS.

BUT THIS PROCESS WASN'T
ALWAYS SLOW AND GRADUAL.

THIS SCARRED LANDSCAPE
WAS CREATED

BY ONE OF THE BIGGEST
FLASH FLOODS

THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN.

THE WATERS
FROM THAT FLOOD SCOURED
DEEP INTO THE BEDROCK,

AND SCULPTED CANYONS
SUCH AS THESE

IN WASHINGTON STATE.

THESE CLIFFS ARE KNOWN
AS DRY FALLS.

THEY ARE
GEOLOGICAL GHOSTS.

REMINDERS
OF THE GREAT FLOOD

THAT ONCE SWEPT
ACROSS THIS REGION.

AROUND 12,000 YEARS AGO

A GIANT ICE DAM
IN A LAKE 180 MILES LONG

COLLAPSED UNDER
THE WEIGHT OF WATER.

A HUGE WAVE
UP TO 600 METERS HIGH

RACED ACROSS THE LAND

AT SPEEDS OF MORE
THAN 60 MILES AN HOUR.

THIS FLOODWATER CUT
DEEP INTO THE LANDSCAPE,

FORMING A GIANT WATERFALL
SEVERAL MILES WIDE

AND MORE THAN TWICE
THE HEIGHT OF NIAGARA FALLS.

THE ROAR
OF THE ADVANCING
TIDAL WAVE

WOULD HAVE BEEN HEARD
BY ANIMALS HUNDREDS
OF MILES AWAY,

AS MUCH AS HALF AN HOUR
BEFORE IT REACHED THEM.

TWO DAYS LATER
THE LAKE WAS EMPTY

AND THE TORRENT
STARTED TO SUBSIDE.

BUT BY THEN MILLIONS
OF ANIMALS HAD DIED.

SOME OF THE FOSSILS
FOUND BENEATH THE STREETS
OF WOODBURN

SHOW IT MAY HAVE BEEN
HIT BY THESE FLOODS.

AND THERE MAY HAVE
BEEN PEOPLE LIVING HERE
AT THAT TIME.

A STRAND OF HUMAN HAIR

DISCOVERED DEEP
UNDERGROUND

HAS BEEN DATED
AT AROUND 12,000
YEARS OLD.

WHILE MANY STONE TOOLS
FROM THE ICE AGE
HAVE BEEN FOUND,

EVIDENCE SUCH AS HAIR
IS VERY RARE.

THE DATING
OF THE WOODBURN HAIR
IS CONTROVERSIAL,

BUT IF CORRECT,
IT REPRESENTS

ONE OF THE OLDEST HUMAN
RELICS ON THE CONTINENT.

BUT IS THERE
OTHER EVIDENCE
TO BACK IT UP?

ANOTHER CRUCIAL HINT
THAT PEOPLE DID EXIST
HERE AS THE ICE AGE ENDED

WAS DISCOVERED
TO THE NORTH OF WOODBURN

ON THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA.

A TWO AND A HALF
METER LONG TUSK WAS FOUND

AND LED TO THE UNEARTHING
OF A GIANT SKELETON,

RECREATED HERE.

JUST THE LEFT-HAND
SIDE REMAINED,

BUT IT WAS ENOUGH
TO IDENTIFY

ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE
CREATURES OF THE ICE AGE...

A MASTODON.

MASTODONS,
LIKE MAMMOTHS,

DISAPPEARED SOON AFTER
THE ICE AGE ENDED,

AND THIS SKELETON REVEALED
ONE POSSIBLE REASON WHY.

BETWEEN THE RIBS
OF THIS LARGE MALE

WAS FOUND WHAT SEEMS
TO BE A SPEAR POINT,

WHICH IMPLIES
THIS MASTODON

HAD ENCOUNTERED
HUMAN HUNTERS.

A CLOSER LOOK REVEALS
THE RIB BONE

HEALED AROUND THE INJURY,

SHOWING THAT EVEN
IF THE MASTODON HAD
BEEN ATTACKED,

HE SURVIVED.

MASTODONS WERE
DISTANT RELATIVES
OF WOOLLY MAMMOTHS,

BUT SLIGHTLY SMALLER
AT AROUND THREE METERS.

IT'S THOUGHT THAT WHILE
THE MAMMOTHS

GRAZED THE OPEN
GRASSLANDS,

MASTODONS FAVORED
PATCHY FORESTS AND SWAMPS,

THEY MOVED
IN SMALL HERDS,

BROWSING ON LARGE SHRUBS
AND TREES.

WE KNOW WHAT THEY ATE

PARTLY FROM THE FOSSIL TEETH
THEY LEFT BEHIND.

THEIR TEETH HAD HIGH,
RIDGED CUSPS,

THOUGHT TO BE USED
FOR GRINDING

TOUGH MATERIAL
LIKE BRANCHES.

AND PLANT REMAINS
FOUND NEAR THE TEETH

SUGGEST THE MASTODONS
PREFERRED TO DINE

ON PINES
AND OTHER CONIFERS,

USING THEIR TRUNKS
TO PULL OFF BRANCHES,

MUCH LIKE MODERN ELEPHANTS.

TODAY, THE LARGEST
BROWSERS ON THE CONTINENT
ARE MOOSE.

MOOSE WEREN'T PRESENT
IN THE NORTHWEST

DURING THE LAST ICE AGE,

BUT CAN THEIR FEEDING
HABITS GIVE US AN IDEA

OF HOW THE MASTODONS
LIVED THEN?

MOOSE SPEND MOST
OF THEIR TIME

BROWSING
ON DECIDUOUS TREES.

BUT AT CERTAIN TIMES
OF THE YEAR

THEY TRY SOMETHING
A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

IT SEEMS THAT WATER PLANTS
IN LAKES AND PONDS

PROVIDE ESSENTIAL
NUTRIENTS THAT MOOSE
CAN'T GET FROM TREES.

MASTODON REMAINS
ARE OFTEN FOUND

PRESERVED IN ANCIENT
BOGS AND SWAMPS.

SUGGESTING THEY TOO
MAY HAVE VARIED
THEIR TREE DIET

WITH SEASONAL
WATER PLANTS.

WE KNOW THAT MASTODONS
AND MOOSE

DID NOT OVERLAP
IN THE NORTHWEST.

BUT IF THE LARGE MALE
FOUND ON THE OLYMPIC
PENINSULA

WAS VICTIM
OF A SPEAR ATTACK,

IT SEEMS THAT MASTODONS
AND PEOPLE DID.

BUT HOW DID
HUMAN HUNTERS

REACH THIS AREA
TO START WITH?

TO RETRACE THEIR STEPS

WE NEED TO TRAVEL
FURTHER NORTH

TO THE ISLANDS OFF THE COAST
OF SOUTHEAST ALASKA.

THIS IS ADMIRALTY ISLAND,

FAMOUS FOR ITS BROWN BEARS.

UNTIL RECENTLY
IT WAS ASSUMED

THAT 13,000 YEARS AGO
IT WAS COVERED IN ICE,

JUST LIKE MOST
OF THE MAINLAND.

BUT A RECENT STUDY
OF ADMIRALTY'S BEARS

REVEALS THEY ARE
GENETICALLY DIFFERENT

TO THOSE
ON THE ALASKAN MAINLAND.

THIS SUGGESTS THEY MUST HAVE
BEEN CUT OFF HERE ON THE ISLAND

FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF YEARS.

SO COULD IT BE
THAT ADMIRALTY ISLAND

WAS AN ICE-FREE ZONE
DURING THE ICE AGE?

THE GENETIC EVIDENCE
SUGGESTS IT WAS.

BEARS ARE USUALLY
SOLITARY CREATURES,

BUT IN SUMMER
THEY ARE DRAWN TOGETHER

BY THE NEED FOR FOOD.

MOTHERS WITH
SPRING-BORN CUBS

BEGIN TO CONGREGATE
AROUND THE COASTAL RIVERS,

AS THEY WOULD HAVE DONE
DURING THE ICE AGE,

THEY'RE HERE TO CATCH
MIGRATING SALMON

ON THEIR WAY UPSTREAM.

IN THESE TIDAL SHALLOWS

IT'S LIKE FISHING
IN A BARREL.

FOR THE CUBS, IT'S TIME
TO LOOK AND LEARN

AS MOTHER SHOWS THEM
HOW IT'S DONE.

BUT SHARPENING
THOSE PREDATORY INSTINCTS

TAKES A LOT OF PRACTICE.

THE STUDY
OF THE ADMIRALTY BEARS

SUGGESTS THESE COASTAL
ISLANDS MAY HAVE BEEN
LIKE STEPPING STONES,

ALLOWING ANIMALS TO MOVE
AROUND DURING THE ICE AGE.

ISLAND HOPPING
DOWN THE COAST

BEFORE ARRIVING
ON THE MAINLAND.

AND THIS IDEA
IS BACKED UP

BY OTHER EVIDENCE NEARBY.

THIS WEATHERED LIMESTONE
ON PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND

IS RIDDLED WITH CAVES.

AND ONE CAVE IN PARTICULAR,
RECREATED HERE,

TURNED OUT TO BE
A TREASURE TROVE
OF FOSSILS.

SOME OF THE BONES FOUND
BELONGED TO A LARGE
BROWN BEAR,

DATING FROM THE PEAK
OF THE LAST ICE AGE.

THERE WERE OTHER ANIMALS
APART FROM BEARS.

IN THE SAME CAVE
ON PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND,

A SMALLER SKELETON
WAS FOUND--

AN ICE AGE ARCTIC FOX

WHICH WOULD HAVE USED
THE CAVE TO STASH ITS FOOD.

THERE WERE THE SCATTERED BONES
OF SEABIRDS TOO.

PROBABLY LEFTOVERS
FROM THE FOX'S MEALS.

FOXES NEED OPEN GROUND
TO BREED

AND IT SEEMS
THAT PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND,

LIKE ADMIRALTY,
PROVIDED THIS DURING
THE ICE AGE.

WE NOW KNOW SOME REGIONS
OF THE NORTHWEST COAST

OFFERED AN ICE-FREE
SANCTUARY THROUGHOUT
THE ICE AGE.

SO COULD PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN TRAVELING

BETWEEN THESE ISLANDS,
TOO?

THE EVIDENCE
SUGGESTS THEY WERE.

THE PRINCE OF WALES
ISLAND CAVE

ALSO HELD
THE FOSSILIZED REMAINS

OF AT LEAST ONE HUMAN,

INCLUDING A COMPLETE
LOWER JAW.

THE POSITION
OF THE WISDOM TEETH

SUGGESTS THE JAWBONE
CAME FROM A MAN IN HIS
EARLY 20s.

BUT HIS TEETH
WERE DEEPLY PITTED
FOR HIS YOUTHFUL AGE.

WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED
THIS DAMAGE?

AGAIN, THE COASTLINE
SEEMS TO HOLD THE ANSWER.

THERE'S A SAYING
IN ALASKA

THAT THE TIDE LAYS
THE DINNER TABLE TWICE
EVERY DAY.

WITH EACH LOW TIDE
THE NEWLY EXPOSED ROCKS

PRESENT A SEAFOOD PLATTER.

AND IT'S AVAILABLE
ALL YEAR ROUND.

SO SHELLFISH
WOULD HAVE BEEN AN EASY
AND ACCESSIBLE SOURCE

OF PROTEIN FOR THESE
EARLY NORTH AMERICANS.

THERE'S EVEN EVIDENCE
THAT THEY USED BAGS
AND BASKETS

TO COLLECT FOOD
ALONG THE COAST.

BUT SHELLFISH,
WHILE NUTRITIOUS,

CAN BE VERY GRITTY,

WHICH MAY HELP EXPLAIN
THE DEEP PITS

IN THE FOSSIL TEETH.

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
OF OTHER BONES

SEEMS TO CONFIRM
THAT WHAT THE MAN ATE

DID INDEED COME
MOSTLY FROM THE SEA.

AND THERE ARE OTHER CLUES

RELATING TO HIS DEATH.

ONE OF HIS HIPS
WAS MARKED WITH SCRATCHES.

WHERE DID THESE COME FROM?

PERHAPS A SCAVENGER
THAT FOUND THE YOUNG
MAN'S BODY.

OR WERE THEY MADE
WHILE HE WAS STILL ALIVE?

( roaring )

HUMANS WEREN'T
THE ONLY ANIMALS

THAT USED CAVES
FOR SHELTER.

( growling )

THE ATTACKER
MAY HAVE BEEN A BEAR,

QUITE COMMON IN THESE CAVES
DURING THE ICE AGE.

ALTHOUGH THE YOUNG MAN'S
BONES DATE BACK

JUST TO THE END
OF THE LAST ICE AGE,

SCIENTISTS THINK
PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND

WAS PROBABLY HABITABLE
EVEN EARLIER,

WHEN THE MAINLAND
WAS STILL DEEP-FROZEN.

THESE ISLANDERS
WERE FAR REMOVED

FROM THE CLICHE
OF PRIMITIVE STONE AGE MAN.

ABLE TO SEW AND WEAVE,

THEY MADE
DIFFERENT CLOTHES
FOR DIFFERENT SEASONS

AND EVEN DECORATED
THEMSELVES WITH JEWELRY.

BUT HOW DID THEY
FIRST ARRIVE HERE

ON THESE
OFFSHORE ISLANDS?

THEIR SKILLS
MUST HAVE INCLUDED

MAKING AND NAVIGATING
BOATS.

EXACTLY WHERE THEY
SAILED FROM ISN'T CERTAIN

BUT THEY MAY HAVE COME
FROM NORTHEAST ASIA,

ISLAND HOPPING
ACROSS THE PACIFIC

UNTIL THEY HIT THE COAST
OF NORTH AMERICA.

AT FIRST THEY PROBABLY
RELIED MORE

ON THE SEA'S RESOURCES
THAN THE LAND.

THEY MAY EVEN
HAVE TRADED GOODS
BETWEEN THE ISLANDS.

BUT THEY DIDN'T STAY
ISLANDERS FOREVER.

AS THE MAINLAND
GLACIERS RECEDED,

A BRAND NEW LAND
BEGAN TO OPEN UP TO THEM.

THEY MAY HAVE TRAVELED
PARTLY WITH THE SEASONS,

GUIDED BY THE BEST TIME
AND PLACES FOR FISHING.

THIS SPECTACLE
WOULD HAVE BEEN
A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY.

EVERY YEAR
IN EARLY SPRING,

VAST SCHOOLS OF HERRING
GATHER OFF THE COAST
TO SPAWN,

ATTRACTING SEA LIONS
FROM MILES AROUND.

THESE SAME EVENTS

TOOK PLACE HERE
13,000 YEARS AGO

AND COULD NOT
HAVE GONE UNNOTICED

BY THE BANDS
OF SEAFARING HUNTERS.

WHILE THE SEA LIONS
HUNTED HERRING,

PEOPLE, NO DOUBT,
HUNTED BOTH.

AS HERRING NEAR
THE TIME OF SPAWNING

THEY DRAW CLOSER
TO THE SHORE.

HERE THEY BEGIN
RELEASING EGGS AND SPERM

INTO THE TIDAL WATERS.

THE SHEER SCALE OF THIS
REPRODUCTIVE FRENZY

CAN TURN MILES
OF COASTLINE MILKY WHITE,

JUST AS IT DID
DURING THE ICE AGE.

AS THE ICE AGE
GLACIERS MELTED

AND THE RIVERS OPENED UP,

ANOTHER KIND OF FISH
BEGAN TO HEAD INLAND.

WITHOUT THE BARRIERS
OF ICE,

MIGRATING SALMON
PENETRATED UPSTREAM

DEEP INTO THE CONTINENT.

THESE FRESHLY FLOWING RIVERS
AND THE FISH THEY CARRIED

LURED PEOPLE
FURTHER INLAND TOO.

IN SMALL GROUPS
THEY BRANCHED OUT

TO CONTINUE THEIR PASSAGE
INTO THE NEW WORLD.

THEY WERE CONTINUING
A JOURNEY THAT HAD STARTED
WITH THEIR ANCESTORS

ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN

SOMEWHERE IN ASIA.

THESE INROADS BROUGHT
THEIR FIRST CONTACT

WITH THE LARGE BEASTS
OF THE CONTINENT,

INCLUDING THE OLYMPIC
PENINSULA MASTODON.

( mastodon roaring )

ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS
TO HAVE SURVIVED

ITS FIRST ATTACK
BY HUMAN HUNTERS,

THERE IS EVIDENCE
THAT IN THE END

PEOPLE DINED ON ITS MEAT.

MARKS ON ITS BONES
APPEAR TO SHOW

THAT IT WAS BUTCHERED
AFTER DEATH.

A LARGE BULL MASTODON
WAS QUITE A PRIZE,

ALIVE OR DEAD.

BUT IF THE HUNTERS
DIDN'T ACTUALLY KILL
THE MASTODON,

WHAT DID?

ANOTHER CAVE DISCOVERY,
RECONSTRUCTED HERE,

HAS SHED LIGHT
ON AN ICE AGE PREDATOR

THAT MAY HAVE BEEN
THE BIGGEST ENEMY

OF MASTODONS
AND MAMMOTHS.

THE SCIMITAR-TOOTHED CAT.

LIKE ITS NOTORIOUS
RELATIVE, THE SABER-TOOTH,

THE SCIMITAR POSSESSED
LONG LETHAL CANINES

USED TO SLASH AND KILL
ITS VICTIMS.

THE INSIDE OF THIS CAVE
IS TESTAMENT TO ITS SUCCESS.

MORE THAN 400 REMAINS

OF BABY MAMMOTH
AND MASTODON

WERE FOUND ALONGSIDE
THE SCIMITAR SKELETON.

THE FEARSOME CANINES
HAD SERRATED EDGES

AND WE CAN LEARN MORE
ABOUT THE SCIMITAR'S
HUNTING TECHNIQUES

FROM ITS SKULL.

LIKE A MODERN CHEETAH,

IT HAD LARGER NASAL
PASSAGES THAN MOST CATS.

IN THE CHEETAH
THESE DELIVER EXTRA OXYGEN

FOR SHORT, FAST SPRINTS.

A GOOD GRIP IS ESSENTIAL
TO THE CHEETAH IN A CHASE,

SOMETHING THE SCIMITAR CAT
ALSO POSSESSED.

AND LIKE TIGERS,

SCIMITARS
HAD POWERFUL JAWS

HELPING THEM TO DISMANTLE
THE BODIES OF THEIR PREY.

( roaring )

THESE CRUSHING JAWS
ARE ALSO USED

TO CARRY LARGE KILLS
BACK TO DENS.

LIKE MOST CATS,
THE SCIMITAR WAS PROBABLY
A SOLITARY HUNTER,

AND LIKE GENERATIONS
OF EARLIER OCCUPANTS,

IT WOULD HAVE USED
THIS CAVE TO STORE
FRESH CARCASSES.

THIS MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN
A BIRTHING DEN,

A SAFE PLACE
FOR THE SCIMITAR

TO LEAVE ITS YOUNG
WHILE HUNTING.

IN THE QUIET
OF ITS HIDEAWAY,

THE SCIMITAR COULD REST
AFTER A KILL.

AND THIS ONE,
PERHAPS OLD OR INJURED,

SEEMS TO HAVE COME
HOME TO DIE.

SCIMITAR CATS
BECAME EXTINCT AROUND
THE SAME TIME

AS THE MASTODONS
AND MAMMOTHS.

ANOTHER HINT
THAT THEY DEPENDED

ON THE ELEPHANT-LIKE
CREATURES FOR THEIR FOOD.

BUT THE EVIDENCE
SUGGESTS THESE CATS

NORMALLY ATTACKED
YOUNG ANIMALS,

MAKING IT UNLIKELY
THAT A SCIMITAR KILLED

THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA
MASTODON.

SO IF IT WASN'T
KILLED BY HUMAN HUNTERS
OR BY A SCIMITAR,

PERHAPS THIS MASTODON
WAS NOT THE VICTIM

OF A PREDATOR AT ALL.

ANOTHER THEORY COMES
FROM THE BONES THEMSELVES.

THE CHEEK TEETH
USED FOR BROWSING
WERE EXTREMELY WORN--

ALMOST DOWN TO THE GUM--

A SIGN OF HEAVY USE
OVER MANY YEARS.

BUT THIS WEAR AND TEAR

MAY ALSO HAVE RESULTED
FROM EATING FOOD

OUTSIDE THE MASTODON'S
NORMAL DIET.

BONES OF GRAZERS
SUCH AS BISON

LAY CLOSE TO ITS SKELETON,

IMPLYING THIS
WAS OPEN GRASSLAND
AT THE TIME.

CARIBOU WERE ALSO
FOUND NEARBY,

CREATURES THAT ALSO
FAVOR OPEN SPACES.

TODAY THEY LIVE
MAINLY ON THE TUNDRA

OF THE FAR NORTH.

THE PRESENCE
OF THESE OTHER ANIMALS

SUGGESTS THE MASTODON
WAS NOT SURROUNDED

BY ITS NORMAL
FOREST HABITAT.

INSTEAD THIS AREA
WAS TREELESS GRASSLAND

GRAZED BY CARIBOU
AND BISON.

UNLIKE A MAMMOTH,
MASTODON TEETH

WEREN'T DESIGNED
FOR EATING GRASS,

WHICH CONTAINS LARGE AMOUNTS
OF EROSIVE SILICA.

THE SILICA MAY HAVE DESTROYED
THIS MASTODON'S TEETH EARLY

AND CONTRIBUTED
TO ITS DEATH.

IN THE END IT SEEMS
THIS BULL WAS PROBABLY
A VICTIM

OF A BAD DIET
AND OLD AGE.

NOW WE'VE SEEN
THE EVIDENCE,

WE'RE EQUIPPED TO TRAVEL
BACK IN TIME,

BACK TO THE END
OF THE LAST ICE AGE

13,000 YEARS AGO

TO EXPERIENCE
A DAY IN THE LIFE
OF THE NORTHWEST,

AS WITNESSED
BY THE FIRST PEOPLE.

THIS LAKE IS A LIFESAVER
FOR THESE MASTODONS.

IT PROVIDES
MORE THAN WATER.

AS THERE ARE FEW TREES
TO BROWSE ON,

WATER PLANTS ARE A VALUABLE
SOURCE OF NUTRITION.

FOR SOME
OF THESE MASTODONS
IT'S A TEMPORARY VISIT.

THEY WILL MOVE ON
IN SEARCH OF OPEN FORESTS

ONCE THEY ARE WELL FED.

THE SEARCH FOR FOOD
AND WATER

HAS BROUGHT
A NEW ARRIVAL.

THESE PEOPLE
HAVE USED RIVERS

TO MOVE INLAND
FROM THE COAST.

THIS IS THE NATURAL HOME
OF CARIBOU

AND WOOLLY MAMMOTH,

BOTH TEMPTING PREY
FOR THESE PEOPLE.

THEY HUNT
SMALLER CREATURES, TOO

AND USE THEIR FUR
FOR CLOTHING

TO KEEP OUT
THE WIND AND COLD.

THESE PEOPLE BRING
MANY OTHER SKILLS

AND ARE HIGHLY
ADAPTABLE.

BUT TO MOST OF THE ANIMALS
THAT LIVE HERE,

THEY ARE A NEW,
UNKNOWN QUANTITY.

AS THE ICE BEGINS
TO LOSE ITS GRIP,

THE LAND IS IN
A STATE OF FLUX

AND MANY DIFFERENT
CREATURES MIX.

THE OPEN GRASSY PLAINS

ARE FAVORED
BY MAMMOTH HERDS.

BUT THESE MAMMOTHS
HAVE TO SHARE THE LAKE
WITH MASTODONS,

THEIR SMALLER COUSINS.

WHILE SOME OF THESE
MASTODONS ARE MIGRANTS,

TRAVELING ONWARDS
SEARCHING FOR FRESH
FORESTS TO BROWSE,

FOR THIS OLD BULL

AT NEARLY 50 YEARS
OF AGE,

THIS IS THE LAST STOP.

WEARY AND ARTHRITIC,

HE BEARS THE SCARS
OF HIS LONG, ARDUOUS LIFE.

THE SCIMITAR,
A LION-SIZED CAT,

IS NEVER FAR AWAY
FROM MASTODONS
AND MAMMOTHS.

ALTHOUGH SLIGHTER
IN BUILD THAN ITS RELATIVE
THE SABER-TOOTH,

THE SCIMITAR
IS THE BIGGEST PREDATOR

OF NORTH AMERICA'S
ELEPHANTS.

RIGHT NOW, THOUGH,
OPPORTUNITIES ARE RARE.

EVEN A SCIMITAR
CANNOT ATTACK AN ADULT
IN ITS PRIME.

BUT OLDER ANIMALS,
SUCH AS THIS FEEBLE BULL,

COULD BE POTENTIAL
TARGETS.

A LONG
AND EVENTFUL LIFE

IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE.

BULL MASTODONS LIVE
MOST OF THEIR LIVES ALONE,

BUT IN THEIR FINAL HOURS

THEY SEEM
TO ATTRACT COMPANY.

FOR A SCIMITAR,
A MASTODON NEAR DEATH

IS A TEMPTATION
WORTH PURSUING.

BUT MASTODONS,
LIKE MANY ELEPHANTS,

ARE FIERCELY PROTECTIVE
OF THE DYING.

( growling and roaring )

FOR THE SCIMITAR,
THE MASTODON'S SLOW DEATH

BECOMES A WAITING GAME.

THE MASTODON HAS DIED
IN PEACE,

AND NOW THE SCIMITAR
HAS GOT HIS MEAL,

A FEAST THAT SOON ATTRACTS
FURTHER ATTENTION.

THERE'S FAR MORE MEAT
THAN THIS CAT NEEDS,

BUT IT'S STILL LOATHE
TO LET IN OTHERS.

AGAINST ANOTHER CAT,
IT HOLDS ITS GROUND.

BUT OTHER HUNTERS
ARE ARRIVING AT THE LAKE.

THE SCIMITAR IS DOOMED
TO LOSE ITS MEAL

AND FACES A POTENTIALLY
DANGEROUS SITUATION.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME
THIS SCIMITAR

HAS ENCOUNTERED PEOPLE.

ON THIS OCCASION
THE CAT GIVES WAY

TO THESE FORMIDABLE
NEW HUNTERS.

HUMANS,
LIKE OTHER ANIMALS,

WILL FIND FOOD
WHERE THEY CAN

AND SCAVENGING IS ONE
WAY TO SURVIVE.

IT'S A TIME-CONSUMING
TASK BUT THESE PEOPLE
ARE WELL EQUIPPED

TO BUTCHER AS MUCH
AS THEY NEED.

THE MASTODON CARCASS
COULD PROVIDE FOOD
FOR A LATER DATE.

IT'S NOT UNCOMMON
FOR MEAT FROM LARGE KILLS

TO BE PREPARED AND SAVED.

IN THE END
THEY ABANDON WHAT'S LEFT
OF THE MASTODON,

AND THE CARCASS SINKS
INTO THE BOGGY LAKE.

WITH IT LIES THE STORY

OF ITS ICE AGE LIFE
AND DEATH,

REMAINING BURIED
UNTIL ITS DISCOVERY

13,000 YEARS LATER

IN THE NORTHWEST
OF MODERN DAY AMERICA.

( theme music playing )