March of the Dinosaurs Page #2

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Scar has never seen snow before.

But the first flakes

rapidly become a blizzard.

There's only one way

to cope with the freezing temperatures -

keep moving at all costs.

The young are the most vulnerable,

their small bodies

easily overwhelmed by the cold.

If Scar can't keep up,

he will be left behind...

..to die.

An old male spurs him on.

With 20 winter migrations behind him,

this adult

has been through it all before.

He provides

some shelter from the weather

and sets a pace

the youngster can follow.

Scar's new companion

has problems of his own.

There is a tumor

growing in the veteran's brain.

This could be his last migration.

Back in the Arctic forest,

it's getting colder by the hour.

Patch's feathers are not quite enough

to keep out the biting chill.

Cold is not his only problem.

He's still not eaten properly.

And he needs to be in peak condition

for what's in store.

He's about to go head-to-head

with his rivals.

it's every male for himself

in a ritual that kicks off every winter.

It's nesting season.

As an adult, getting through the winter

is about

more than looking after number one.

Patch must now

also prepare for a family

and learn how to attract a mate.

200 miles to the south,

thousands of tonnes

of determined dinosaur

have battled their way

through the blizzard.

But in the whiteout,

they've strayed completely off course

and into deep trouble.

There are deadly predators in the water.

And Scar has never swum before.

In the far north, the Ankylosaur

is coping as best she can.

Her relentless foraging

leads her into the darkest corners

of the forest...

..where danger lurks unseen.

In winter, injuries can have

deadly consequences.

A fight could kill them both.

The Gorgosaurus

hasn't got the stomach for it.

The bite on his leg has become infected.

He must rest and

hope an easier victim comes his way.

Deep winter now begins.

As the sun sets,

so starts the longest night on Earth.

There will be no daylight

for four months.

Some may never see sunshine again.

The Edmontosaurus have been

moving south for almost a month,

keeping one step ahead

of the chasing night.

The herd marches on its stomach.

And they're now running on empty.

Starvation and exhaustion

are taking their toll.

To Scar,

the herd has always meant safety.

But now the weaker ones

begin to collapse and die around him...

..ending their lives

as meat on a volcanic wasteland.

The Quetzalcoatlus is the biggest

flying animal of all time,

with a 40-foot wingspan.

For these scavengers, the migrating

dinosaurs are their moveable feast.

At last, a tiny oasis of green

in the barren wilderness.

It's a rich reward

for those who have made it this far.

But there are too many mouths to feed.

The Pachyrhinosaurus

want the plants for themselves.

Hunger drives one Edmontosaurus

to fight his corner.

But there can only be one outcome.

A broken ribcage means a slow death

for the desperate animal.

But for the migrating herd,

there's no looking back.

The herd moves on, entering the most

dangerous part of the journey so far.

To the west, amid a massive collision

of continental plates,

the Rocky Mountains are being formed...

..violently.

As the land has twisted and buckled,

volcanic eruptions have blanketed

a huge area with ash...

..killing the plant life

and any chance of food.

And now, more trouble is stirring.

Another ash cloud pumps into the sky,

kicking off fierce storms.

The air spits and crackles

with electricity.

The fine volcanic dust coats the lungs.

And the toxic fumes

mask the tell-tale scent of predators.

And there is no shortage of them.

The herd is now walking

into a killer's lair.

Albertosaurus,

a relation of Gorgosaurus,

and all the more murderous

because they hunt in packs.

Each one

three tonnes of teeth and stealth.

It's been months

since these creatures last fed.

The winter feast will soon be served.

In the Arctic, Patch's head feathers

have turned a fetching yellow,

which lets the females know

he is ready to breed.

Being ready is one thing.

Being able is quite another.

In order to breed successfully,

a male must first prove

his home-making skills.

This older Troodon

has found a perfect spot,

nicely sheltered from the freezing wind.

Patch has got it half right.

But location is everything.

He's chosen the wrong place to build.

It's far too exposed.

With the arrival of a female,

the courtship ritual begins.

Instinct and natural rhythm take over.

Patch is dancing hard, but his efforts

aren't being appreciated.

This female

only has eyes for one Troodon.

And it's not Patch.

Dinner closes the deal.

The older male

knows the way to a woman's heart.

Patch learns another harsh truth.

When it comes to finding a mate,

there's always someone else

who's better at it.

To the south, the migration

of the Edmontosaurus herd

keeps them just ahead

of the zone of permanent darkness.

They have walked 600 miles -

more than halfway to journey's end

in the southern forests.

For a good many,

this is as far as they will get...

..because they're walking

into an ambush.

At the lip of the volcano,

ice is no match for fire.

Another eruption transforms the snowcap

into a deadly avalanche

of water, ash and rock.

Nature, which has so threatened

Scar's survival,

now comes to his rescue.

But he's lost

the most important thing in his world...

..the herd.

The volcanic torrent

has set like concrete.

A desolate blanket over Scar's new world

of total isolation.

If the herd has survived,

it has moved on.

At last, a lone voice returns his call.

It's the old dinosaur

who helped Scar through the blizzard.

But a distance behind them...

..an old enemy

refuses to lie down and die.

Scar and the veteran

continue south once more...

..unaware that they have company.

In the high Arctic,

night has now lasted for six weeks.

Having mated, this adult male Troodon

is doing his fatherly duty

and looking after the eggs.

He won't eat

until they hatch in the spring.

But Patch... Well, his nest is empty.

He did his best to mate, but his efforts

have only made him more hungry.

His courtship skills might be lacking,

but he knows an opportunity for food

when he smells one.

The scent of fresh blood draws him in.

Still hampered by his infected wound,

the Gorgosaurus has been

sustaining himself on small prey.

But he's on the mend,

and it won't be long

before this tyrant is ready to spread

terror through the forest once more.

Not far away in the winter dark,

the Ankylosaur

is still thinking of her stomach.

She's utterly helpless.

Far to the south, Scar and his

traveling companion trudge on alone.

A fresh sign of another dinosaur.

But is it friend...

or foe?

The old Edmontosaurus struggles

to take in this vital nourishment.

As his brain tumor grows,

he's becoming disoriented

and unpredictable.

Thrown together through disaster,

this small band of the young,

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