Wild New World (2002): Season 1, Episode 5 - American Serengeti - full transcript

Narrator:
DAYBREAK ON NORTH AMERICA'S
GREAT PLAINS.

DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT IS COMING TO LIFE

AND ABOUT TO RECEIVE
THE FIRST ARRIVALS
OF THE DAY.

BY MIDNIGHT,
MORE THAN 1,500 AIRCRAFT

WILL HAVE TOUCHED
DOWN HERE,

DELIVERING TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

TO THIS MODERN METROPOLIS.

BUT WHEN DID PEOPLE
FIRST COME TO THE PLAINS?

IT'S NOT SO LONG AGO
IN THE LIFE STORY
OF A CONTINENT--

JUST 13,000 YEARS

SINCE THIS WAS VIRGIN
TERRITORY.



AND BACK THEN,

DIFFERENT GIANTS CRUISED
THE LANDSCAPE.

( roaring )

IMAGINE IF WE COULD
TRAVEL BACK IN TIME

AND SEE THESE PLAINS
AS THEY WERE THEN,

EMERGING FROM THE GRIP
OF THE LAST GREAT ICE AGE...

AN AREA OF PRISTINE
WILDERNESS,

STRETCHING FOR ONE
AND A HALF MILLION
SQUARE MILES.

UNTOUCHED BY MAN

AND BRIMMING WITH
EXTRAORDINARY ANIMALS.

BUT 13,000 YEARS AGO,

AN EVEN MORE EXTRAORDINARY
ANIMAL ARRIVED.

WHAT IF WE COULD FOLLOW
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THESE
FIRST HUNTERS,

AS THEY ENTERED
THE UNKNOWN



AND STAKED THEIR CLAIM
TO THESE VAST SPACES?

WHAT WOULD THIS WILD
NEW WORLD HAVE LOOKED LIKE

THROUGH THEIR EYES?

AND WHAT STRANGE CREATURES
WOULD THEY HAVE ENCOUNTERED

HERE ON THE AMERICAN
SERENGETI?

( orchestral music playing )

AS NORTH AMERICA EMERGED
FROM THE GRIP OF THE LAST
ICE AGE,

THE DOOR WAS OPENED
TO OUTSIDERS

FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

AS THESE EARLY IMMIGRANTS
PUSHED THEIR WAY SOUTH,

THEY FOUND THEMSELVES
IN A LAND

OF UNIMAGINABLE
OPPORTUNITY,

OVERFLOWING
WITH GAME ANIMALS,

ANIMALS WITH NO EXPERIENCE
OF HUMANS

OR THEIR WEAPONS.

THE ARRIVAL
OF THESE HUNTERS

COINCIDED WITH A TIME
OF GREAT CHANGE
ON THE PLAINS.

WITHIN THE NEXT
FEW HUNDRED YEARS,

MANY ICE AGE ANIMALS
VANISHED FOREVER.

SO 13,000 YEARS ON,

HOW DO WE KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT THIS LOST WORLD?

THERE ARE STILL CLUES
TO BE FOUND

IF YOU KNOW
WHERE TO LOOK.

( mooing )

IN THE BIGHORN MOUNTAINS
OF WYOMING

IS A HIDDEN CAVE,
RECREATED HERE,

WHERE OVER THE MILLENNIA,
THOUSANDS OF ANIMALS

HAVE FALLEN
TO THEIR DEATHS.

PRESERVED BELOW
THE SURFACE ARE BONES

DATING ALL THE WAY BACK
TO THE ICE AGE.

REMAINS OF BISON
LIE ALONGSIDE

ANTELOPE AND RABBIT

BUT THEY'RE MIXED
WITH THOSE OF CAMELS,

EXTINCT HORSES,

GIANT WOLVES.

EVEN THE MASTODON
IS BURIED HERE,

A LONG-DEAD RELATIVE
OF MODERN ELEPHANTS.

( roaring )

AND THIS
WAS ONCE A BEAR,

BUT NOT LIKE ANY BEAR
IN NORTH AMERICA TODAY.

CLAW MARKS GOUGED
INTO THE CAVE WALL

SHOW THE BEAR WAS NOT
KILLED OUTRIGHT BY THE FALL.

IT MADE A DESPERATE
ATTEMPT TO CLIMB BACK OUT.

IT WAS A SHORT-FACED BEAR,

AN ICE AGE HEAVYWEIGHT.

WHAT ELSE CAN WE TELL
ABOUT IT FROM ITS BONES?

ITS WEIGHT WAS MORE
THAN 700 KILOS,

TWICE THAT
OF A GRIZZLY BEAR TODAY.

UPRIGHT, IT WOULD HAVE
STOOD FOUR METERS TALL.

IT WAS THE LARGEST
FLESH-EATING MAMMAL

THAT EVER WALKED
THE EARTH.

THE WYOMING CAVE,

APPROPRIATELY CHRISTENED
"NATURAL TRAP"

PROVIDES A UNIQUE WINDOW
ON THE ICE AGE.

DURING ITS COLDEST ERA,

MUCH OF NORTH AMERICA
WAS COVERED BY HUGE
ICE SHEETS

UP TO TWO MILES THICK.

BUT AS THE CONTINENT
BEGAN TO WARM,

THE ICE SHEETS
STARTED SHRINKING.

CORRIDORS BEGAN
TO OPEN UP ALONG THE COAST

AND THROUGH
THE MOUNTAINS,

LETTING PEOPLE
MIGRATE SOUTH FROM ALASKA

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

BEFORE THEM LAY
THE ALMOST-LIMITLESS
GREAT PLAINS,

STRETCHING ALL THE WAY
FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

AND BEYOND TO MEXICO.

ACROSS THIS AREA,

THE SHIFTING ICE LEFT
DEEP SCARS ON THE LAND.

IT CARVED OUT THOUSANDS
OF LAKES AND PONDS,

AND LEFT THE TAPESTRY
OF STREAMS AND RIVERS

THAT DRAIN THE PLAINS.

THE DEATH THROES
OF THE LAST GREAT ICE AGE

LEFT A SIGNATURE
THAT WE CAN READ TODAY.

THESE GIANT "POTHOLES"
WERE LEFT BEHIND

BY BLOCKS OF BURIED ICE
THAT MELTED,

LEAVING HOLLOWS THAT LATER
FILLED WITH WATER.

( squawking )

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS
SINCE THEN,

THEY'VE BEEN
VITAL PIT STOPS
FOR MIGRATING BIRDS--

THE MILLIONS OF CRANES,
GEESE AND DUCKS

THAT FOLLOW ANCIENT ROUTES
ACROSS THE PLAINS.

( various birds calling )

THESE ROLLING HILLS
ARE MADE OF DEBRIS

DUMPED BY
THE RETREATING ICE.

IT ALSO LEFT
RICH GRASSLANDS

ABLE TO SUPPORT
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF BISON--

VAST HERDS DRIFTING
WITH THE SEASONS,

ALWAYS SEARCHING
FOR FRESH GRAZING.

PRONGHORN ANTELOPES
ARE UNIQUE TO NORTH AMERICA

AND AMONG THE TOUGHEST
CREATURES ON THE PLAINS.

SURVIVING YEAR ROUND
IN THE OPEN,

THEY MUST COPE
WITH FREEZING WINTER
TEMPERATURES

AND SCORCHING
SUMMER HEAT.

EVERY SPRING
THESE OPEN SPACES ECHO

TO THE SOUNDS OF COURTING
SAGE GROUSE,

AS MALES COMPETE
TO WIN A MATE.

MIGRATING
SANDHILL CRANES

STRUT AND DANCE
FOR THEIR PARTNERS

BEFORE HEADING
FURTHER NORTH TOWARDS
THEIR NESTING GROUNDS.

SMALL BIRDS BREED HERE,

AFTER AN EPIC JOURNEY
FROM THEIR WINTER HOME.

THESE CLIFF SWALLOWS
HAVE FLOWN

THOUSANDS OF MILES
FROM SOUTH AMERICA.

MUD FROM THE ANCIENT RIVERBANKS
IS GOOD FOR BUILDING NESTS.

IT ALSO HOLDS MORE EVIDENCE
THAT WILL HELP US

TO RECONSTRUCT
THE ICE AGE PAST.

EVERY NOW AND THEN,
NEW CLUES SURFACE.

HINTING AT WHAT ELSE
MIGHT LIE BENEATH.

IN THIS DRIED UP POND
IN SOUTH DAKOTA

KNOWN AS HOT SPRINGS,

SCIENTISTS UNEARTHED
GREAT PILES OF BONES.

WHAT KIND OF CREATURE
DIED HERE?

THE BONES REVEAL
IT STOOD FOUR METERS TALL

AND WEIGHED MORE
THAN 10 TONS.

THERE'S NOTHING FITTING
THAT DESCRIPTION LIVING
HERE TODAY.

HERE'S THE GIVE AWAY--

A PAIR OF TUSKS
TWO METERS LONG,

THE TRADEMARK
OF A COLUMBIAN MAMMOTH,

THE BIGGEST ANIMAL
TO ROAM THE ICE AGE PLAINS.

BY COMPARING IT
TO ELEPHANTS IN AFRICA TODAY,

CAN WE SHED LIGHT ON HOW
THOSE ICE AGE ELEPHANTS LIVED

AND WHAT THEY LIVED ON?

THESE ARE MAMMOTH TEETH,

HUGE MOLARS
THE SIZE OF BRICKS.

THEY HAVE DEEP RIDGES
VERY SIMILAR TO THOSE
OF MODERN ELEPHANTS,

SUGGESTING
MAMMOTHS, TOO, SURVIVED

BY GRINDING
VAST AMOUNTS OF GRASS.

PLANT FRAGMENTS TRAPPED
BETWEEN THE RIDGES

CAN STILL
BE IDENTIFIED TODAY.

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AFTER
THIS MAMMOTH DIED,

WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT
IT ATE FOR ITS LAST MEAL.

GRASS IS A TOUGH,
ABRASIVE FOOD.

EVEN WITH PROTECTIVE
ENAMEL RIDGES,

THESE TEETH
WOULD GRADUALLY
HAVE WORN DOWN.

BUT JUST LIKE
MODERN ELEPHANTS,

THE MAMMOTHS HAD EVOLVED
A WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS.

AS ONE SET OF TEETH
WAS ERODED,

ANOTHER GREW UP
TO TAKE ITS PLACE.

THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
THEY HAD SIX SETS IN ALL--

TO LAST A LIFETIME--

UP TO 60 YEARS.

THE SOUTH DAKOTA MAMMOTH
DIDN'T MAKE IT TO OLD AGE

AND IT WAS NOT ALONE.

THE SITE TURNED OUT
TO BE A MAMMOTH GRAVEYARD,

HIDING MORE THAN
50 SKELETONS,

ALL FROM ANIMALS
IN THEIR PRIME.

THERE'S NO SIGN
THEY WERE KILLED BY HUNTERS,

SO HOW DID SO MANY
HEALTHY MAMMOTHS DIE?

( thunder rumbling )

THE SITE WAS ONCE
A SPRING-FED POND
FULL OF WATER--

MAMMOTHS WERE
TEMPTED IN TO DRINK.

BUT WHEN THEY TRIED
TO CLIMB BACK OUT

THE BANKS WERE
STEEP AND SLIPPERY.

JUST LIKE
THE SHORT-FACED BEAR
IMPRISONED UNDERGROUND,

SOME BECAME TRAPPED.

SCAVENGERS WOULD
HAVE BEEN ATTRACTED
BY THE MAMMOTHS' PLIGHT.

THE BONES OF WOLF,
COYOTE

AND THE SHORT-FACED BEAR

HAVE ALSO BEEN RECOVERED
FROM THE DRIED UP SEDIMENT.

THE SEARCH FOR FOOD

WAS PROBABLY
THEIR DOWNFALL TOO.

( whining )

( roaring )

- ( trumpeting )
- ( barking )

( wolf howling )

THESE PRAIRIE PONDS
ARE LIKE TIME CAPSULES,

AND THEY STORE
ANOTHER KIND OF DATA

SHOWING HOW THE PLAINS
HAVE CHANGED ACROSS MILLENNIA.

EACH SPRING,
POLLEN FROM NEARBY PLANTS

IS BLOWN
INTO THE WATER.

IT SINKS AND SETTLES

LAYER UPON LAYER
ON THE BOTTOM,

BUILDING INTO A DATABANK
OF LOCAL PLANT LIFE

THAT WE CAN
STILL READ TODAY.

AND GRASS POLLENS
AREN'T THE ONLY CLUES

STILL SANDWICHED
IN THE SEDIMENT.

THERE ARE A WIDE VARIETY
OF TREE POLLENS, TOO--

FROM ASPENS,
SPRUCE AND OTHER TREES--

BOTH CONIFERS
AND DECIDUOUS.

THIS STORE OF POLLEN
PAINTS A PICTURE

OF THE PLAINS
OF 13,000 YEARS AGO--

A PICTURE THAT LOOKS
VERY DIFFERENT

FROM THE OPEN PRAIRIE
GRASSLAND OF TODAY.

BUT WHY DID THIS REGION
LOOK SO DIFFERENT
BACK THEN?

THE ICE SHEETS
TO THE NORTH,

ALTHOUGH RETREATING
13,000 YEARS AGO,

STILL DOMINATED
THE CLIMATE HERE.

IT WAS MUCH MILDER
AND WETTER THAN TODAY,

IDEAL CONDITIONS
FOR WOODLAND TO FLOURISH.

THIS IS HOW MUCH
OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS
MUST HAVE LOOKED

WHEN THE FIRST PEOPLE
ARRIVED.

NOT OPEN PRAIRIE
AS IT IS NOW,

BUT A PARKLAND OF TREES
AND GRASSY MEADOWS.

THIS IS A RELIC
OF THOSE TIMES--

THE OSAGE ORANGE.

EVERY AUTUMN IT PRODUCES
THESE ENORMOUS FRUITS--

HUGE NUMBERS OF THEM,

MORE THE SIZE OF GRAPEFRUITS
THAN MERE ORANGES.

BUT THERE'S NO ANIMAL
ALIVE TODAY

THAT'S BIG ENOUGH
TO PICK AND EAT THEM,

SO THIS BUMPER CROP
JUST ROTS.

( roaring )

THE OSAGE ORANGE
GLORY DAYS ARE LONG GONE,

BUT ITS HARVEST WAS ONCE
AN ANNUAL FEAST

FOR MANY ICE AGE ANIMALS,
INCLUDING BROWSING MAMMOTHS.

( roaring )

FRUIT MUST HAVE BEEN
A REAL TREAT FOR THESE
GRASS-EATERS.

( trumpeting )

THE OSAGE ORANGE SEEDS
WERE CARRIED FAR ACROSS
THE PLAINS

BEFORE BEING DEPOSITED

PRE-PACKED IN THEIR
FERTILIZER "GROW-BAGS"

READY TO TAKE ROOT.

( buzzing )

AS THE ICE AGE WANED,

THE MILDER CLIMATE
AND THE MIX OF VEGETATION

MEANT THE PLAINS
WERE ABLE TO SUPPORT
A RANGE OF WILDLIFE

AS DIVERSE AS AFRICA'S
SERENGETI TODAY.

THERE WERE AT LEAST
FIVE KINDS OF HORSE,

INCLUDING A WILD ASS

AND ANOTHER THAT RESEMBLED
MODERN ZEBRA...

AND NORTH AMERICA'S
VERY OWN ANTELOPE,

THE PRONGHORN.

13,000 YEARS AGO,

SEVERAL DIFFERENT SPECIES
ROAMED THE PLAINS.

THE PRONGHORN LIVED
ALONGSIDE OTHER GRAZERS

STILL AROUND TODAY,
INCLUDING BISON.

THIS ANIMAL
WAS COMMON TOO,

BUT NOW IT WOULD SEEM
VERY OUT OF PLACE.

BIGGER THAN ITS MODERN
RELATIVES,

THE ICE AGE CAMEL
WAS EXTREMELY HARDY,

ABLE TO EAT ALMOST ANY
KIND OF FOOD.

ELK, LIKE MANY
ICE AGE ANIMALS,

SURVIVE
ALMOST UNCHANGED.

THE RICH PARKLAND WAS IDEAL
FOR THESE LARGE DEER.

BUT ONE CREATURE
MORE THAN ANY OTHER

HAS REMAINED A CONSTANT
SYMBOL OF THE PLAINS

SINCE PEOPLE FIRST
SET FOOT HERE--

THE BISON.

ADULT BISON
ARE FORMIDABLE--

TWO METERS TALL
AND WEIGHING MORE THAN A TON,

THEY TOO SHELTERED
NEAR THE TREES IN WINTER,

TAKING TO THE PLAINS
AGAIN IN SPRING

WHEN NEW GRASS
STARTED SPROUTING.

BISON CALVES
ARE BORN IN SUMMER

AND CAN RUN
WITHIN A FEW HOURS
OF THEIR BIRTH.

THEY HAVE NO CHOICE.

THE HERD WON'T WAIT
IN ITS ETERNAL QUEST

TO FIND NEW GRAZING.

SMALLER GRAZERS
ARE STILL FOUND HERE, TOO.

BUT THEY STAY PUT
INSTEAD OF WANDERING
THE PLAINS.

PRAIRIE DOGS
INHABIT RAMBLING
SUBTERRANEAN "TOWNS"

THAT STRETCH TENS
OF SQUARE MILES.

THESE HIGHLY SOCIAL
CREATURES

STAY WITHIN A SHORT DASH
OF THEIR DOOR,

READY TO RETREAT
FROM PREDATORS

OR BAD WEATHER.

THERE'S ALWAYS
MAINTENANCE WORK TO DO,

BUT MAJOR RENOVATIONS
HAVE TO WAIT

UNTIL AFTER RAIN,
WHEN THE SOIL IS SOFT.

ALL THIS WORKING
AND RE-WORKING

HELPS THE LAND RECOVER
FROM THE IMPACT

OF SO MANY BIGGER FEET
AND APPETITES.

AT SUMMER'S END,

MALE BISON HELP TO MOVE
THE SUN-BAKED SOIL,

AS THE RUTTING SEASON
STARTS.

THEY ROLL IN DUST
AND PAW THE GROUND

TO TRY TO DOMINATE
THEIR RIVALS.

THE DUST BATH
ALSO HELPS

TO DISLODGE
IRRITATING INSECTS.

A PRAIRIE DOG COLONY
IS USUALLY SURROUNDED

BY SHORT,
NUTRITIOUS GRASS,

THANKS TO THE MANY TEETH
IN TOWN.

THIS CONSTANT GRAZING
STIMULATES FRESH GROWTH

AND ALSO KEEPS
THE FIELD OF VISION CLEAR

FOR SPOTTING PREDATORS.

LARGER NEIGHBORS
ARE ATTRACTED TO THESE
VERDANT MEADOWS,

JUST AS THEY WERE
13,000 YEARS AGO.

( thundering )

COLUMBIAN MAMMOTHS HAD TO FEED
ALMOST ROUND THE CLOCK

TO FUEL
THEIR BULKY BODIES.

BUT AS THE ICE AGE ENDED,

FOOD WAS NOT THE MAMMOTH'S
BIGGEST PROBLEM.

A NEW AND DEADLY
PREDATOR

BEGAN TO INFILTRATE
THE PLAINS,

A MATCH FOR ANY PREY,

EVEN THE MIGHTY MAMMOTH.

THESE PEOPLE KNEW
HOW TO MAKE LETHAL WEAPONS.

THEY LEFT SPEAR POINTS,
KNIFE BLADES

AND OTHER TOOLS SCATTERED
ALL ACROSS THE PLAINS.

AND THEY SPREAD FAST.

THE EVIDENCE
SUGGESTS IT TOOK THEM
ONLY 1,000 YEARS

TO SPREAD ACROSS THE ENTIRE
NORTHERN CONTINENT.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN TODAY
ABOUT THE LIFESTYLE

OF THESE BUTCHERS
OF THE PLAINS?

THEY LEFT A STRING
OF CLUES TO HOW THEY LIVED,

INCLUDING STRANGE
PYRAMIDS OF ROCKS.

INSIDE ARE BONES
OF ANIMALS THAT SHOW

HOW THEY WERE SLAUGHTERED
AND CUT UP FOR MEAT.

THESE CAIRNS ARE THOUGHT
TO BE COLD-WEATHER LARDERS,

MARKING PREHISTORIC
HUNTING CAMPS.

WHEN HUNTING PARTIES
HAD MORE MEAT THAN THEY
COULD EAT OR CARRY,

THEY WOULD STASH
THE SURPLUS UNDER
THESE ROCKS

TO BE COLLECTED LATER.

THEY SEEM TO HAVE USED
BONES AS MARKERS.

( flies buzzing )

IN A COLORADO GULLY,

HUNTERS CARRIED OUT
A MAMMOTH MASSACRE,

LEAVING BEHIND THE REMAINS
OF AT LEAST 16 ANIMALS.

THE SITE,
RECREATED HERE,

CONTAINS A TREASURE TROVE
OF EVIDENCE

RELATING TO THE MAMMOTHS'
DAILY LIFE.

AGAIN, BY COMPARING
MAMMOTH BONES TO ELEPHANTS,

WE CAN CALCULATE
THE SEX AND AGE

OF ALL THE ANIMALS
THAT DIED HERE

AND DEDUCE THE MAKE-UP
OF A COLUMBIAN MAMMOTH HERD.

THESE ARE THE BONES
OF JUVENILES,

UP TO AROUND
14 YEARS OLD,

BOTH MALES AND FEMALES.

SEVERAL ADULTS
LIE HERE TOO,

ALL FEMALES,

INCLUDING ONE
HUGE SPECIMEN

AT LEAST 40 YEARS OLD.

THIS RANGE
OF AGE AND SEX

EXACTLY MATCHES
THAT OF A MODERN-DAY
AFRICAN ELEPHANT HERD.

AN OLDER MATRIARCH,
THE LEADER OF THE HERD,

IS ACCOMPANIED
BY HER DAUGHTERS
AND OTHER FEMALE RELATIVES.

AND THEY IN TURN
ARE WITH THEIR YOUNG,

BOTH MALE AND FEMALE.

BUT WHERE WERE
THE ADULT MALES

WHEN THIS HERD
WAS DESTROYED?

A UNIQUE CLUE
TO THEIR LIVES

WAS UNCOVERED
IN NEBRASKA.

RECREATED HERE
ARE THE SKULLS OF TWO
GIGANTIC MALES

THAT DIED WITH THEIR
TUSKS INTERLOCKED.

BUT HOW COULD THIS
HAVE HAPPENED?

AGAIN, OUR BEST BET
IS TO LOOK AT ELEPHANT SOCIETY.

( trumpeting )

DURING THE BREEDING
SEASON,

SEXUALLY MATURE
BULL ELEPHANTS FIGHT

FOR ACCESS
TO THE FEMALE HERDS.

THE TANGLED TUSKS
ARE DIRECT EVIDENCE

THAT MAMMOTHS
WERE AGGRESSIVE, TOO.

BECAUSE THESE TWO BULL MAMMOTHS
BOTH HAD BROKEN TUSKS,

THEY COULD HAVE FOUGHT
AT CLOSER QUARTERS

THAN THEY WOULD DO
NORMALLY.

TWISTING AND TURNING

THEY BECAME LOCKED
IN A DEADLY EMBRACE.

EVEN MORE BIZARRE,
THIS TWIST OF FATE

THEN CAUSED
A THIRD FATALITY.

BENEATH ONE MAMMOTH'S
SHOULDER-BLADE

WAS THE SKULL OF A COYOTE,
PRESSED INTO THE GROUND.

( coyote howling )

WHILE WE
CAN ONLY SPECULATE

ON JUST HOW
THE COYOTE DIED,

IT'S LIKELY
IT WAS SCAVENGING

AROUND THE DECOMPOSING
CARCASSES

WHEN ONE CAVED IN
AND CRUSHED IT.

COYOTES ARE STILL
ON THE PLAINS TODAY.

THEY HUNT THEIR FOOD
AS WELL AS SCAVENGE
CARCASSES,

BUT SMALL LIVE PREY
CAN BE MORE TROUBLE

THAN LARGE DEAD ONES.

PRAIRIE DOGS ARE ALWAYS
ON ALERT

AND ONCE A TRESPASSER
IS SPOTTED,

THE ENTIRE TOWN VANISHES
INTO THIN AIR.

PRAIRIE DOGS AREN'T REALLY
DOGS AT ALL-- THEY'RE RODENTS.

BUT COYOTES
ARE FULL-BLOODED MEMBERS
OF THE CANINE CLAN.

AND LIKE ALL DOGS,

THEY SOMETIMES HUNT
IN GROUPS TO TACKLE
BIGGER PREY.

SOME PREY, HOWEVER,
ARE JUST TOO BIG,

EVEN FOR A PACK
OF COYOTES.

BUT 13,000 YEARS AGO,

THERE WAS ANOTHER KIND
OF CANINE HUNTER HERE,

ONE THAT GAVE EVEN THE BISON
A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY--

THE WOLF--

THE ULTIMATE PACK HUNTER.

A LONE WOLF WEIGHS
AS MUCH AS FOUR COYOTES,

BUT ONE-ON-ONE

IT'S STILL NO MATCH
FOR A BISON.

WOLVES, THOUGH, LIVE
AND HUNT IN PACKS
OF UP TO 15,

AND WHEN THEY LAUNCH
A COOPERATIVE ATTACK,

THEY'RE DEVASTATING.

FIRST THEY GET
THE BISON ON THE RUN,

THEN FILTER OUT THE WEAK
AND VULNERABLE

AND SELECT
THE PERFECT TARGET.

STRIKING TOGETHER,
WOLVES CAN BRING DOWN

PREY MANY TIMES
THEIR OWN SIZE.

A MILLION SUCH CHASES
MUST HAVE TAKEN PLACE
ACROSS THESE PLAINS.

AND WE CAN
STILL FIND ECHOES

OF THESE DISTANT
LIFE OR DEATH ENCOUNTERS.

NOT ALL EVIDENCE LIES
LOCKED IN BONE AND ROCK.

THESE PRONGHORN ANTELOPES,

AMONG THE GREAT SURVIVORS
OF THE ICE AGE,

REVEAL A LOT
ABOUT THE DISTANT PAST.

AS WELL AS BEING TOUGH
ENOUGH TO STAND EXTREMES
OF TEMPERATURE,

THEY'RE FAMOUS
FOR THEIR SPEED.

A SPRINTING PRONGHORN
CAN TOP 60 MILES AN HOUR

AND CRUISE AT 30
FOR SEVERAL HOURS.

THIS KIND OF SPEED
REQUIRES A VERY FINELY
TUNED PHYSIQUE.

PRONGHORN HAVE
A MASSIVE HEART

AND RUN WITH THEIR MOUTHS
GAPING OPEN,

FORCING EXTRA AIR
INTO THEIR HUGE LUNGS.

BUT WHAT'S THE POINT?

NO PREDATOR
CAN RUN THIS FAST.

EVEN THE WOLVES CAN
ONLY MANAGE 40 MILES AN HOUR.

SO WHY DO PRONGHORN
FEEL THIS NEED FOR SPEED?

THIS IS WHY.

ONCE THERE WAS
A PREDATOR HERE

THAT COULD OUTRUN
THE PRONGHORN.

A CHEETAH.

13,000 YEARS AGO,
THE ICE AGE CHEETAH

WAS THE PRONGHORN'S
GREATEST ENEMY.

AND PRONGHORN
WOULD HAVE NEEDED
ALL THEIR AMAZING SPEED.

THE AMERICAN CHEETAH WAS
LARGER THAN ITS AFRICAN COUSIN,

BUT IT HAD THE SAME
ACHILLES HEEL.

A CHEETAH'S
HIGH-PERFORMANCE MUSCLES

OVERHEAT IN MINUTES,
AND UNLIKE PRONGHORN,

IT CAN'T SWITCH
TO CRUISING SPEED.

SO IF THE PRONGHORN
MANAGED TO OUTRUN
THE CHEETAH

FOR THE CRUCIAL
FIRST FEW HUNDRED METERS,

IT WOULD PROBABLY SURVIVE.

THE CHEETAH HASN'T
ROAMED THE PLAINS

OF NORTH AMERICA
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS

BUT PRONGHORN ARE STILL
PRIMED FOR THE CHASE.

OTHER EXTINCT LINKS TO AFRICA
HAVE BEEN FOUND IN CAVES

DEEP IN THE OZARK MOUNTAINS
OF MISSOURI.

PRESERVED IN MUD
WERE HUGE PRINTS,

RECREATED HERE,

MORE THAN
18 CENTIMETERS WIDE.

WHAT COULD HAVE
MADE THEM?

THEY BELONG TO ANOTHER
ICE AGE CAT,

THE TOP CAT OF THE PLAINS--

A LION.

LARGER THAN ANY LION
ALIVE TODAY,

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN
AN AWESOME PREDATOR.

THESE CAVES WERE PROBABLY
ITS WINTER DEN.

WITH SUCH ABUNDANT GAME
DOWN ON THE PLAINS,

THIS HUNTER'S LIFE
MUST HAVE BEEN PRETTY GOOD.

SHEER SIZE AND POWER

AND THE BENEFIT OF LIFE
WITHIN A PRIDE

MADE IT THE UNMATCHED
RULER OF THE PLAINS.

BY LOOKING AT THE LIONS
OF AFRICA TODAY,

WE CAN IMAGINE
HOW THESE ICE AGE CATS
ONCE LIVED--

IN SMALL PRIDES
BASED AROUND A GROUP
OF HUNTING FEMALES.

LIKE WOLVES,
LIONS WORK TOGETHER

TO WIN LARGER PREY.

AFTER A LEADING HUNTER
LAUNCHES THE ATTACK,

THE OTHERS MOVE IN,
HELPING TO DISPATCH
THE VICTIM

WITH A SUFFOCATING BITE.

BUT EVEN FOR THESE
RULERS OF THE PLAINS,

THE GOOD LIFE
HAD TO END.

THEY WOULD BE TOPPLED
BY ANOTHER PREDATOR

WITH EVEN SHARPER SKILLS.

THE ICE AGE LIONS
JOINED THE LIST OF VICTIMS,

ANIMALS THAT HAD LIVED HERE
FOR HUNDREDS OF MILLENNIA,

BUT WERE SOON LOST
FOREVER.

TODAY FEW SIGNS REMAIN
THAT ANY OF THEM
WERE EVER HERE,

ODD TRACES SCATTERED
FAR AND WIDE ACROSS
THE PLAINS.

BUT IF WE PIECE TOGETHER
BONES AND TEETH,

PLANT FRAGMENTS
AND THE CLUES

FROM ANIMALS
ALIVE TODAY,

WE CAN BEGIN TO BRING
A LOST WORLD BACK TO LIFE.

SO LET'S GO
BACK IN TIME,

BACK 13,000 YEARS,

TO RELIVE ONE DAY
IN THE LIFE

OF NORTH AMERICA'S
GREAT ICE AGE PLAINS.

IT'S EARLY MORNING

AT THE END
OF A LONG, HOT SUMMER.

EVEN MAJOR RIVERS
ARE BEGINNING TO RUN LOW.

A COLUMBIAN MAMMOTH HERD
FOLLOWS THE RIVER VALLEY.

THEY CAN'T RISK STRAYING
FAR FROM WATER.

ONCE THEY'VE QUENCHED
THEIR THIRST

THE NEXT PRIORITY
IS FOOD.

THEY HEAD OUT
TO THE NEARBY MEADOWS

WHERE THEY'LL GRAZE
MOST OF THE DAY,

PROCESSING MOUNTAINS
OF DRY GRASS.

AUTUMN IS MATING SEASON

AND A COUPLE
OF NOMADIC MALES

HAVE STARTED
SHADOWING THE HERD.

BY SPARRING, THEY DECIDE
WHO WILL HAVE ACCESS

TO THE FEMALES
COMING INTO HEAT.

WHO WILL FATHER
THE NEXT GENERATION?

MOST POWER STRUGGLES
ARE RESOLVED THROUGH
RITUAL INTIMIDATION.

BUT IF TWO EVENLY-MATCHED
MALES CROSS PATHS,

THIS POSTURING
CAN ESCALATE INTO
A FULL-BLOWN FIGHT.

BOTH THESE OPPONENTS
HAVE A BROKEN TUSK

LETTING THEM GET
CLOSER TO EACH OTHER
DURING COMBAT.

SUDDENLY A FREAK CLASH
LEAVES THEM IN A DEADLOCK,

INEXTRICABLY ENTWINED.

IF THEY CAN'T FREE
THEMSELVES,

THEY'LL BOTH END UP
THE LOSERS.

( squeaking )

AS A CONSTANT SOURCE
OF FOOD AND WATER,

EVEN WHEN THERE'S BEEN
NO RAIN FOR MONTHS,

THIS VALLEY DRAWS
THOUSANDS OF OTHER GRAZERS.

AND ALL THIS MEAT
IN ONE SMALL AREA

ATTRACTS A SCAVENGER.

THE SHORT-FACED BEAR.

LED BY HIS
SUPER-SENSITIVE NOSE,

HIS LONG LIMBS
CARRY HIM MANY MILES A DAY

IN SEARCH OF CARRION.

HE'S PICKED UP A SCENT,
BUT WHERE'S THE CARCASS?

SOMETIMES THE SMALLER,
SPEEDIER SCAVENGER
GETS THERE FIRST.

ON THIS OCCASION A COYOTE.

RIGHT NOW
THE SHORT-FACED BEAR

WILL TAKE WHATEVER
HE CAN GET.

HE HASN'T HAD
A DECENT MEAL IN DAYS,

AND NEEDS AT LEAST ONE
GOOD-SIZED CARCASS

EVERY WEEK
TO STAY ALIVE.

( roars )

THIS TIME THE COYOTE'S
LEFT HIM NOTHING
BUT THE SKELETON.

BUT WITH HIS HUGE,
BONE-CRUNCHING JAWS

THE BEAR CAN CRACK
THEM OPEN

FOR THE MARROW
LOCKED INSIDE.

WITH WATER SO SCARCE
ELSEWHERE,

ANIMALS
FROM MILES AROUND

CONVERGE HERE
IN THE VALLEY...

WHICH IS GOOD NEWS
FOR THE LOCAL LIONS.

THEIR PRIDE TERRITORY
IS NOW OVERFLOWING
WITH FOOD.

ONCE THE MIDDAY HEAT
SUBSIDES,

THE FEMALES ROUSE
THEMSELVES TO HUNT.

THE SCENE IS SET

FOR A DAILY
ICE AGE DRAMA.

ONLY THE VERY LARGEST
ARE SAFE NOW.

PATIENCE IS THE KEY.

THE LIONESSES CLOSE IN,

WAITING FOR THEIR
OPPORTUNITY.

THE FIRST CHARGE
CAUSES CHAOS,

BUT THIS IS JUST WHAT
THE LIONS WANT.

IN THE MELEE,
THEY'VE ALREADY
PINPOINTED THEIR PREY.

THE LEADER POUNCES,
AND A HORSE IS DOWN.

MEANWHILE,
THE SPOOKED HERDS
STAMPEDE UP THE VALLEY.

BUT THEY'RE RUNNING
STRAIGHT INTO ANOTHER TRAP--

A HIDDEN CAVE,
ALREADY FULL

OF ICE AGE VICTIMS.

( mooing )

AND NOW
IT CLAIMS ANOTHER.

( flies buzzing )

ABOVE GROUND, THE MEMBERS
OF THE VALLEY PRIDE--

MOTHERS, SISTERS
AND CUBS-- FEAST.

BUT THEIR SUCCESS
HASN'T GONE UNNOTICED.

FROM MANY MILES AWAY,
THE SHORT-FACED BEAR

CAN SMELL BLOOD
ON THE BREEZE.

HE SNIFFS HIS WAY
TOWARDS THE SOURCE.

MEANWHILE, SATISFIED
AND SLEEPY,

THE PRIDE SETTLES DOWN
FOR A SNOOZE.

MORE THAN TWICE
THE WEIGHT OF THE PRIDE'S
MOST POWERFUL LION,

THE SHORT-FACED BEAR
IS A DAUNTING SIGHT.

ITS TRUMP CARD IS TO USE
ITS MASSIVE SIZE

TO FRIGHTEN HUNTERS
FROM THEIR KILL.

BUT THE LIONS
WON'T GIVE UP THEIR
HARD-WON MEAL

WITHOUT A FIGHT.

( growling )

THIS TIME,
THE BEAR'S SCARE TACTICS
JUST DON'T WORK.

THE LIONS' NUMBERS
ARE AGAINST HIM

AND, DESPITE
HIS GNAWING HUNGER,

HE BACKS DOWN.

THE AUTUMN WINDS
ARE RISING,

CARRYING ANOTHER SCENT
ACROSS THE PLAINS.

AND ONCE AGAIN
THE BEAR'S NOSE SETS
HIS COURSE.

THIS TRAIL LEADS
TO THE CAVE

AND THE FRESHLY
DEAD BISON.

JUST OUT OF REACH.

HUNGER MAKES THE BEAR
RISK EVERYTHING.

( roaring )

HE FALLS AND JOINS
THE BISON IN ITS TOMB.

NOW HE CAN EAT
HIS FILL,

BUT AFTER THAT
THERE'S NO WAY OUT.

IN TIME HE'LL
BE JUST ONE MORE

ICE AGE SPECIMEN.

OUTSIDE, ANOTHER GROUP
OF PREDATORS

HEAD FOR THEIR CAVE
AT DUSK,

PACK HUNTERS
EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE

THAN THE LION
OR THE WOLF.

( roaring )

( howling )

STILL RELATIVELY NEW HERE,

THEY'LL EVENTUALLY
TRANSFORM THE ICE AGE PLAINS,

AND BUILD
THEIR OWN FUTURE

BY EXPLOITING THE HERDS

OF THE AMERICAN SERENGETI.

EVEN THE GIANTS
THAT NOW DOMINATE

THIS ICE AGE WORLD
WILL SOON BE GONE.

BUT THEY'LL LEAVE
CLUES BEHIND,

AND ONE DAY
DISTANT GENERATIONS

WILL PICK UP THEIR TRAIL
AND TELL THEIR STORY.

( end theme playing )